The Martha's Vineyard Museum's Rose Styron Garden 

 To contribute, share knowledge, and create something truly beautiful—that was the vision of the Martha’s Vineyard Garden Club’s ‘planting and planning’ team when they embraced the  Martha's Vineyard Museum’s invitation to help design, select plants, and plant the Rose Styron Garden on the Museum’s property in 2021. This meaningful collaboration reflects the Club’s dedication to enhancing the Island’s natural beauty through thoughtful planning and hard work.

The Rose Styron Garden is located in the central courtyard on the Museum premises, and celebrates Rose's unbiased approach to life that she has always exemplified so graciously, both in life and through her poetry.  This most inspiring garden was created piece by piece by world-renowned Island stone mason and artist Lew French. It invites visitors to the Museum to take time to pause and appreciate the loveliness of the world around them while enjoying some peaceful contemplation.

Small plaques of inspiration are interspersed throughout the Garden and remind the visitor of not only the dedication to Rose, but also the belief in the creation of all that is good in our world.  The Garden acts as a backdrop for some of the Museum's engaging performances, poetry readings and comfortable conversation for visitors.  The combination of granite and fieldstone that Lew so thoughtfully placed plays beautifully against the softness of the roses, yarrow, nepeta and grasses.  It is inspirational in that it demonstrates that two such opposite things can come together peacefully and have the ability to enhance each other, although quite different in makeup. 

The Martha's Vineyard Museum honored the Garden Club’s contributions to its garden project with a mention on the stone plaque located inside the Museum Garden. We are deeply grateful for this recognition and the opportunity to be part of such a meaningful initiative for Islanders and visitors alike.  Our service continues through the Club’s recent involvement in designing and planting several of the Museum’s outdoor urns. This collaboration reflects our commitment to civic beautification and the shared passion for enhancing our community’s spaces. It’s a privilege to give back to the Island in such a lasting and creative way.