The Virginia War Memorial Public Green Space Project Plants Native Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials Creating a Living Tribute to Soldiers who Lost Their Lives.

The Tuckahoe Garden Club Received the GCA Founders Fund Finalist Grant to Relandscape the Memorial.

May 27, 2026

By: RoseMarie Bundy

In 2025, The Tuckahoe Garden Club’s Public Green Space Project to relandscape The Virginia War Memorial grounds received a GCA Founders Fund Finalist grant of $15,000. Located on five rolling acres on the edge of downtown Richmond, the Virginia War Memorial welcomes 100,000 visitors annually. The Memorial was dedicated in 1956 and pays tribute to the 12,000 Virginia veterans who lost their lives during WWII, the wars in Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and the Global War on Terrorism.  

During a 2021 visit to the Memorial, a member of The Tuckahoe Garden Club noticed that the existing landscape greatly needed improvement.  The grounds had very little shade with few trees or shrubs and no consideration of native Virginia plants.  Existing plantings were in poor condition. With this realization, the Public Green Space Project was established with a goal of transforming the landscape.   

A project team was assembled including the executive directors of the Memorial’s Foundation and the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, and a representative from The Tuckahoe Garden Club.   The project received funds from various sources: local garden clubs, private foundations, The Common Wealth Award from the Garden Club of Virginia, and a grant from the GCA’s Founders Fund.       

New plantings include 87 trees, 375 shrubs, 553 perennials, and hundreds of groundcover specimens.   The irrigation system has been updated along with the installation of memorial benches and plant identification signage. A newly installed sound system is used for patriotic commemorations and plays TAPS every evening.  The project is a sustainable and living tribute to military veterans and will be enjoyed by future generations.