Ever bought a new shirt or a pair of shoes? Or remodeled a room in your house?
We take pride in these things and want to show them off — to someone — don’t we?
That same sentiment lives at Genesis Gardens, where owner Bill Pinkerton has created something far more lasting.
“The garden is of no value unless I can share it. So I enjoy visitors,” Bill says. “I’ve even been known to name a plant after a visitor that comes to visit.”
While the garden is clearly a labor-intensive undertaking, it is also his pride and joy.
“You have to be dedicated to have a garden like this,” he says. “Before you even begin to plant, you’ve got to see it. It’s like a child walking into a candy store — eyes delighted at the sights.”
Pinkerton, a native Californian, served in the United States Army, where he became a violinist with the U.S. Army Strings. He later spent time in Virginia before eventually settling in Crossville. “After retiring in 1983, it turns out I traded my bow for a garden hoe,” Pinkerton laughs.
“I named the garden Genesis Gardens,” he said, “because Genesis means the beginning.”
It’s hard to imagine, as you walk along the winding paths, that there was ever a beginning.
Towering rhododendron and azalea bushes stretch outward in full bloom, bursting with brilliant reds and pinks, pale lavenders, and soft blush peach.
Deep green evergreens provide a quiet contrast, while a still pond at the edge of the garden offers a peaceful backdrop to it all.
“I started clearing the land in the spring of 1984 and installed the pond. In 1986, the garden was ready for visitors,” Pinkerton says. “It’s one thing I look forward to. I enjoy creating a place where people can come for a pleasant afternoon walk.”
On a recent Saturday, a small group from the Plateau Plein Air Painters had their easels perched along the paths.
Brushes moved steadily as the artists worked to transfer the garden’s colors onto canvas — each interpretation as unique as the blooms themselves.
The private garden is open for public viewing from April 1-May 30.
It’s not a place for picnics or for graduation and prom photos, and no professional photography is permitted. Instead, it offers something simpler — an invitation to slow down, to breathe deeply, and to take in the sights and scents of the season.
“I say it’s something beautiful in an ugly world,” Pinkerton adds. “And by the way, I’m not a grouchy old man, contrary to what some may say.”
If beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, then a visit to Genesis Gardens is well worth the trip. And like anything we take pride in, it’s not meant to be kept to ourselves. At Genesis Gardens, the true joy isn’t just in what’s been grown — but combined with the simple act of sharing it.
Genesis Gardens is free to the public; however, a donation box is located at the beginning to the trail for anyone wishing to help with the upkeep of the gardens.
The Gardens is at 5302 Genesis Road, Crossville, 2.8 miles off I-40.