Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is excited to announce the opening of the new Ravine Garden & Overlook. This is a major step toward designing a new kind of public garden, one that exemplifies the region’s natural beauty while demonstrating, teaching and connecting people to plants. The Ravine Garden & Overlook project achieves two main objectives: artfully managing stormwater that flows into an Ohio River watershed tributary while educating and inspiring visitors about the interconnectedness of the Allegheny Plateau waters, flora, and fauna.
This new 1/2 acre garden space showcases the beauty and interest of Pittsburgh Botanic Garden’s core collection: native plants of the Western Allegheny Plateau ecoregion. This will also be the first space at Pittsburgh Botanic Garden designed specifically for the Western Allegheny Plateau collection, and will be utilized to interpret our plant collections and the rich foundational garden design themes utilized in this space for visitors.
This project consists of two key elements:
Link to: Restoration Efforts
Overlook Deck
This extended deck extends off the north side of the Welcome Center and creates a prime observation point to look down into the Ravine Garden as well as a lovely gathering space for visitors.
Link to: Restoration Efforts
Ravine Garden
This new garden space begins at the lower boundary of the Garden of the Five Senses and descends downhill toward Robinson Run, which ultimately connects to the Ohio River via Chartiers Creek.
What is the Western Allegheny Plateau?
Located just west of the Allegheny Mountain Range, the Western Allegheny Plateau ecoregion is a hotbed for plant biodiversity and an animal migration superhighway. Ecoregions are organized by the biotic and abiotic site conditions: weather (especially precipitation and temperatures), topography, geology, soils, and habitats. These factors create conditions for certain plants and animals to coexist with each other, giving each ecoregion a distinctive identity.
When Pittsburgh Botanic Garden first established a Living Collections Policy, it was decided that native flora of the Western Allegheny Plateau ecoregion would be the Garden’s core collection and focus. This is a fairly unusual approach among botanic gardens as many have adopted the model of bringing plants from around the world to one place. Pittsburgh Botanic Garden aims to bring Pittsburgh and this ecoregion to the world by showcasing the fascinating biodiversity of the region, preserving its unique botanical heritage and serving as careful stewards of the land for future generations. This underscores nearly every decision made at the Garden, including selecting plants for accession, updating gardens, managing natural areas, restoring habitats and creating new gardens, like this new Ravine Garden.
Designing the Ravine Garden: Overarching Concepts
In keeping with this stated goal of bringing the Western Allegheny Plateau ecoregion to the world, the Ravine Garden was designed to “let the land lead.” Another way of thinking of this is the concept of genius loci, or the spirit of a place. The Garden’s approach involves a naturalistic style where elements are intentionally placed in a manner that replicates the natural order. Gardens can be both beautiful and beneficial for the ecosystem, and this garden is designed to celebrate the interconnectedness of the Earth’s complex natural systems.
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden is part of a larger conservation-priority landscape, and ecological connectivity is essential for biodiversity, resilience, adapting to climate change and ultimately, survival. As the climate changes, plants and animals are shifting their ranges to adapt and thrive. The Garden consistently updates horticultural and conservation practices to accommodate these ever-changing behaviors to create favorable conditions that support plants and wildlife.
Extensive research has been done to identify the migration patterns of different species. This research has shown that animals tend to follow similar paths, often responding to physical features in the landscape that create favorable conditions for both food or habitat and other factors like wind patterns or temperature. The Western Allegheny Plateau ecoregion, where the Garden is located, resides directly in the center of a veritable migration superhighway, showing that intact ecosystems serve a vital purpose for plants and animals as they shift their ranges in response to changing conditions.
Clearing the Way for a New Garden
In preparation for this project, the Garden did extensive research in the ravine and made several significant discoveries in the process. Soil testing by a geomorphologist classified the soil in this area as ultisols, some of the oldest soils originating from the Pleistocene Epoch (10,000 – 1.8 million years ago). This soil has been relatively undisturbed for millenia, so in the process of designing a garden for this space it was critical to minimize soil disturbance and run off.
Before anything could be planted, the first step was managing invasive species and removing potentially hazardous trees. In October 2025, high wind speeds caused a 200+ year old Red Oak (Quercus rubra) to split, subsequently requiring the Garden to remove the tree. A large piece of the tree was left intact for a future sculptural and interpretive addition to the Ravine Garden.
Starting in Spring 2025, the Horticulture & Conservation team began removing specimens from at least 7 invasive plant species that had established in the Ravine. Garden staff were meticulous in removing these plants, trimming down to the roots and using a sponge applicator to apply herbicide in a precise manner that kept residual impacts to an absolute minimum. Once these invasives were removed, it was time to start planting and create a more diverse ecosystem!
What’s Planted in the Ravine Garden?
A key element of most ravine ecosystems is water, which can interact with other natural elements to shape the landscape in very interesting ways. Pittsburgh Botanic Garden staff brought in 60 tons of surface boulders from the Laurel Mountains to create a dramatic hardscape and facilitate stormwater management. Surface boulders form pathways for water to flow through the landscape and create interesting features, like the cascade that descends through the middle of the Ravine Garden. These boulders, known as glacial erratics, feature mosses, lichens, and fossils and provide a backdrop for a variety of native plants.
Some of the native species featured in the new Ravine Garden include Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), Woodland Stonecrop (Sedum ternatum), Great Laurel (Rhododendron maximum), and Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) among many others. The Ravine Garden demonstrates a naturalistic style that includes mimicking natural systems and landforms, utilizing existing features and scale, and the long-term growth and expansion of native plant populations. Plant additions will continue for several years beyond the initial opening in July 2026.
Explore the Ravine Garden – Open July 2026!
This new Ravine Garden and Overlook officially opened in July 2026. Find this new addition to the Garden open during regular visitation hours directly outside the Welcome Center, with viewpoints on the new extended Overlook Deck and from the newly-added path extensions north of the Ravine Garden.
This project was made possible by contributions from Colcom Foundation, Garden Club of Allegheny County, Massey Charitable Trust, Arconic Foundation, Joan & Bob Peirce, and the Fox Chapel Garden Club. Special thank you to Horticulture & Conservation Director Sue Myers for leading the design and installation of the Ravine Garden, the Horticulture & Conservation team for their diligent work, Bob Jagger for his project management experience, John Walter of Iron Eden for creating a beautiful handmade railing, and Greenscape Landcare, Decterra Inc. and Andrew & Co. for their hard work in making the Garden’s vision a reality.
