Tucked away behind Ashland Terrace, a historic home for elderly women, lies a hidden oasis. 

In the back parking lot lies Ric’s Garden, a lush, vibrant garden that has flourished over the past three decades: this is a place where nature and community intertwine.

Though winter has left the garden dormant, its bare branches and quiet pathways promise renewal. Even in the cold months, the garden holds a quiet beauty, a reminder that life will soon return.

Ashland Terrace Senior Living Community for Women was initially created in 1849 during the cholera epidemic in Lexington as a “home to the friendless” for displaced people due to the sickness, with focusing more on women and children. 

In 1923 it became a home for older women, and in the 1960s the home finally settled in the Chevy Chase area.

The garden at Ashland Terrace started in 1992 when former Executive Director Ric McGee wanted to plant zinnias on a strip of land.

“I thought it would be nice for the ladies to have some flowers,” McGee said. 

All of the residents soon gravitated towards the flowers and it wasn’t long before the garden began to grow in both the number of visitors and the amount of plants.

In 2001, Ashland Terrace began to share its beautiful garden with the Lexington community. For a small donation, locals can visit and pick flowers from the garden. This allows the beauty of the garden to spread beyond just the living center. 

“We wanted to advertise the fact that we were here,” McGee said. “We have a lot of nice neighbors who like to walk their dogs through the garden. Why not just open it up to everybody?”

Although the garden is open to the public, the women of Ashland Terrace know the garden is truly theirs. The 45 rose bushes lining the back wall are only for their cutting, the residents also get to choose what to plant by simply recommending what they want to Ric. From herbs to a fairy garden, the residents have truly made it their own.

Kelly Weber, executive director of Ashland Terrace, said that the garden brings joy to the residents. 

“I think the ones that go out (to the garden) come in happier. I think it’s something about fresh air, sunlight, talking with people from the community because it is a public cutting garden, so you never know who you’re going to see out there . . . I think it just brings them (the residents) a lot of joy,” Weber said. 

Karen Miller, a resident of Ashland Terrace for almost three years, was drawn to live at Ashland Terrace because of the garden. Miller has lived in Lexington the majority of her life, coming to the garden to cut plants for many years beforehand. 

“The garden was a big draw for me, because I have been something of a gardener, not a very good one, but somebody who really loved doing it, and I didn’t really want to lose that,” Miller said. “It was an obvious choice.”

Miller sits on her favorite bench in the garden, with two butterflies carved from the back of the bench. She sits looking at the garden, soaking in the sun, looking at the hummingbirds and butterflies. 

For Miller, the garden brings her peace.

“Working in the earth, just handling the earth, handling plants, making something grow, making being, being at one with the Earth, being close to nature, that’s the best thing,” Miller said. 

What she loves most is getting her fingertips dirty in the soil, feeling the plants and carefully cutting them, but Miller isn’t alone in her love for the garden. Other residents also find joy in the garden’s presence, according to McGee, whether they are actively tending to the plants or simply taking in the beauty from a nearby bench.

It’s a space that belongs to them, a place where they can clip fresh flowers for their rooms, soak in the sunshine or chat with a passerby who stops to admire the blooms. It’s a living, breathing part of their home.

Though Ric’s Garden has grown over the years, its purpose remains the same, to bring people together. Whether its residents, visitors or longtime neighbors, the garden offers a quiet reminder of the simple joys of nature 

“I think that just being in a garden is relaxing, and it brings you closer to God,” McGee said. “I think you see things happening in a garden that are just miraculous.”