17-05-2025
Quilt Gardens contribute to $15M in local impact
GOSHEN — The Quilt Gardens return this year with several new and returning locations.
Planting for the countywide garden tour is underway between now and the end of May, according to Jon Hunsberger, director of the Elkhart County Convention and Visitors Bureau. He said two gardens are already finished.
'It's always a milestone for us, because in May, a lot of things start blooming. It's no different for us in Elkhart County,' he told the county council while updating them on the CVB Thursday. 'This is not only a state but also a nationally recognized program. It really does make an impact.'
The annual tour along the Heritage Trail, which features 16 quilt gardens and 12 quilt murals, runs until Sept. 15. The new locations are the Farmstead Inn and Conference Center, 370 S. Van Buren St., Shipshewana, Weaver Furniture Sales, 7870 W. 075N, Shipshewana, as well as Grandma's Pantry, 201 Keystone Drive, Wakarusa.
Wellfield Botanic Garden is able to serve as a location again this year with the completion of its one-year expansion project. Other returning locations are in Elkhart, Goshen, Bristol, Middlebury and Nappanee.
Hunsberger said thousands of volunteer hours go into planting the patchwork gardens. Even after the flowers are in the ground, a group goes out weekly to weed and water them.
'We know that our communities really value the Quilt Gardens as a source of community pride,' he said. 'We have over 200 volunteers that plant these gardens. It takes over 2,000 hours not only to get them in the ground but to prepare the soil... Roughly over a million blooms go into the ground.'
He said the tour draws around 200,000 people to Elkhart County every year, making an impact of roughly $15 million to the local economy.
'Many of our shops and stores, restaurants, really enjoy seeing buses pull up into their communities,' he said. 'That's a great way for them to see foot traffic and activity in their communities.'
Councilman Doug Graham remarked on the national attention that some Elkhart County attractions like the Wellfield get. Hunsberger said the Wellfield is the number-one botanic garden in Indiana and among the top five in the Midwest.
'It's become more than just a local garden,' Graham said. 'It's quite a little gem in our community. They're around and we just need to talk them up.'
