Botanical Collections
Develop and steward living plant collections with horticultural, educational, and conservation value.
About Limeledge
Rooted in a Farm. Growing Into a Public Garden.
Limeledge is transforming a historic Central New York farm into a botanical garden, arboretum, conservation landscape, and place for environmental learning.
From Farm to Garden
A landscape with a long story
Limeledge did not begin with a blank slate. The property carries the marks of generations of agricultural use and the character of a working Central New York farm.
Today, Limeledge is building upon that landscape—restoring buildings, establishing botanical collections, improving habitat, developing trails, and creating spaces for education and community use.
From Simmons Farm to Limeledge
Before becoming home to Limeledge and Go Native! Perennials, the property was the Simmons Farm, owned and operated by Eugene Simmons beginning in the 1960s. Eugene was an avid outdoorsman and naturalist. Despite repeated pressure and lucrative offers from mining interests, he resisted development of the property and ultimately placed it in an irrevocable family trust intended to help conserve the land.
After Eugene's death in 2011, his wife, Pearl, remained in the farmhouse while the farm faced an uncertain future. Much of the property and its buildings had fallen into serious disrepair, and there was no clear path for keeping the land intact. In the summer of 2021, Pearl and Dr. Philip Crim began discussing what might come next.
Early conversations considered returning the farm to active family operation, but Pearl recognized that preserving the property for the long term would require something larger. If the family wanted to protect the land from the mining pressures Eugene had resisted for so many years, she believed the broader community needed to become emotionally invested in it—to value the property as deeply as the Simmons family did.
Pearl's own long history of community involvement helped inspire a new idea: instead of rebuilding the farm solely as a private business, the property could become a nonprofit public garden devoted to conservation, education, and community access. The idea for Limeledge took shape during those conversations beneath the 'Crimson King' Norway maple in what is now the Brookside Area.
In August 2021, Dr. Crim formally presented the concept to the family trust, which subsequently voted to support the plan. The long process of creating Limeledge followed. A charter from the New York State Education Department was granted in March 2023, Limeledge purchased the farm in March 2024, and the work of restoring the property continues today.
Pearl's former farmhouse was lost to a fire in January 2022. Its footprint is now home to the Memorial Garden at Brookside—a place where the property's past and its future quite literally meet.
A Public Garden Taking Root
Building something intended to last
Limeledge is deliberately developing over time. Trees that are small today may define the arboretum decades from now. Historic buildings are being adapted for new uses. Trails, gardens, conservation areas, and educational programs will continue to evolve.
The goal is not to create the appearance of a finished institution overnight. It is to build one carefully enough that future generations can inherit something meaningful.
The Limeledge Landscape
Approximately 250 acres
Limeledge Botanical Garden and Arboretum directly owns 227 acres.
The broader contiguous Limeledge landscape also includes an adjacent approximately 10-acre parcel that is privately held by Limeledge's Executive Director, as well as an adjacent approximately 13-acre parcel that is expected to be acquired by Limeledge following resolution of probate.
Together, these contiguous lands form the approximately 250-acre landscape referenced throughout the site.
Our Mission
Plants, place, conservation, and learning
Formal mission statement
The mission of Limeledge Botanical Garden and Arboretum is to assist in the conservation of plants by providing an accessible, community-oriented and educational reference collection. With an emphasis on rare and endangered species, native taxa, difficult species complexes, and their ecosystem services, visitors will be introduced to the importance of biodiversity and the rich tapestry of terrestrial ecosystems. The acquisition of documented, wild-collected material as well as the preservation of genotypes currently within cultivation, will serve as a reservoir for maintaining valuable and noteworthy germplasm for future generations.
Plain-language summaryLimeledge exists to connect people with plants, landscapes, conservation, and environmental learning.
Conservation
Protect plant diversity and improve the ecological health of the landscape.
Education
Create opportunities for people to learn through plants, landscapes, programs, and hands-on experience.
Public Access
Maintain Limeledge as a place where people can explore and learn without an admission barrier.
Board & Leadership
Limeledge is guided by a board whose members bring together expertise in plant science, public horticulture, environmental science, nonprofit finance, construction, and community service. Just as importantly, several members have longstanding personal connections to the land and to Central New York.
Philip Crim, PhD
President & Executive Director
Philip founded Limeledge from a lifelong fascination with trees and a professional background in plant ecology, horticulture, and higher education. His research has examined relationships among plant biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and ecosystem function, while his horticultural interests emphasize underutilized woody plants, native species, conservation collections, and sustainable plant selection.
The concept for Limeledge grew from his desire to conserve a biologically rich family property threatened by development while creating something of lasting value for the surrounding community. As President and Executive Director, Philip leads the development of Limeledge's living collections, conservation and education programs, partnerships, fundraising, property restoration, and long-term institutional planning. His broader work reflects a belief that public interest in plants—and direct experience with botanical diversity—can be a powerful tool for conservation.
Alan Simmons
Vice President
Alan grew up on the Simmons Farm with his six siblings and brings both a deep personal connection to the property and decades of practical experience to Limeledge. His career has centered on construction equipment operation, repair, and management, including work on major construction projects and in equipment dealerships. He later served with the Cayuga County Highway Department, retiring as General Foreman.
A lifelong tree enthusiast, Alan has planted and cared for a diverse collection of woody plants on his own property. At Limeledge, his knowledge of the farm, construction, equipment, infrastructure, and hands-on problem solving has been especially valuable as the organization works to rehabilitate a large historic property and bring neglected areas back into productive use.
Tasha Haynes, MBA, CPA
Secretary & Treasurer
Tasha is a Certified Public Accountant with extensive experience in nonprofit accounting, finance, compliance, and organizational planning. She earned her MBA from SUNY Oswego and brings to Limeledge the financial expertise needed to support responsible growth, grant administration, budgeting, and long-term sustainability.
Her connection to Limeledge is also personal. Tasha grew up only a short distance from the property and spent much of her childhood exploring the outdoors of Central New York. Today, she and her family continue that connection through gardening, growing and preserving food, planting trees and berries, and exploring the natural diversity of their own property. Her combination of professional nonprofit expertise and deep local roots provides an important perspective on both Limeledge's responsibilities and its future.
Erik Carlson, PhD
Trustee
Erik is a tree scientist whose work bridges plant biotechnology, genetics, forest pathology, and horticulture. Trained at SUNY ESF, he earned graduate degrees in Plant Science and Biotechnology and Forest Pathology and Mycology. His research has included genetic work with poplars and American chestnut, including approaches aimed at improving disease resistance.
Beyond his research interests, Erik is an enthusiastic horticulturist and plant collector with broad interests in tree ecology, conservation, and cultivation. He also enjoys growing and breeding ornamental plants including peonies, roses, and hardy hibiscus. At Limeledge, Erik contributes scientific perspective to the development of living collections and to the organization's broader goals in plant conservation, horticulture, and public education.
David DeSimone, PhD
Trustee
David is a geologist, educator, and environmental consultant whose career has combined teaching, field research, mapping, and work with communities confronting complex environmental questions. He spent many years teaching geology and environmental studies at Williams College and later taught at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and The College of Saint Rose.
His consulting and research have included geoarchaeology, glacial geomorphology, aquifer and surficial-geology mapping, and investigations of groundwater contamination. He has worked across New York, Vermont, Alaska, Yellowstone, and the San Juan Mountains and contributed to mapping through the USGS STATEMAP program. His work related to PFOA contamination in Vermont was recognized as part of an EPA Region 1 Environmental Merit Award. David brings a geologist's perspective to Limeledge's landscape, educational programming, and understanding of the physical environment underlying its exceptional biological diversity.
Kristopher Stone
Trustee
Kris is the longtime Director of Boone County Arboretum in Kentucky and an ISA Certified Arborist with extensive experience in public horticulture, urban forestry, botanical collections, and community engagement. He holds a B.S. in Plant and Soil Science with a concentration in Horticultural Science from the University of Kentucky and also operates Green Vision Professional Services.
His career has included leadership and service with numerous horticultural, forestry, and conservation organizations throughout the Ohio Valley, as well as work promoting public awareness of trees and botanical collections. He has also written professionally about horticulture, including serving as an Ask the Expert columnist for Kentucky Gardener. Kris brings to Limeledge the perspective of an experienced public-garden director and helps the organization think strategically about collection development, arboretum management, professional standards, and long-term institutional growth.
How Limeledge Is Organized
A nonprofit educational institution
New York State Education Department
Limeledge Botanical Garden and Arboretum holds a provisional charter from the New York State Education Department as an educational corporation.
Internal Revenue Service
Separately, Limeledge has been recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Institutional recognition
Limeledge is an ArbNet Level I Accredited Arboretum.
Environmental Education
Brookside Community Environmental Education Center
Historic agricultural buildings in the Brookside Area are being transformed into the Brookside Community Environmental Education Center, expanding Limeledge's capacity for programs, interpretation, and community environmental learning.
Learn About the Brookside ProjectOur Partners
Working with others
Limeledge's development depends on collaboration with organizations, agencies, businesses, educators, volunteers, and community partners.
Go Native! Perennials
On-site native-plant production partner.
Learn more about Go Native! Perennials
Official Documents
Organizational records
New York State Education Department Provisional Charter
PDF attachment
IRS 501(c)(3) Determination Letter
PDF attachment
The original charter and IRS determination letter are provided as authoritative scanned documents. If you need an accessible version of either document, please use the Limeledge contact form.
Looking Ahead
Limeledge is young by design.
A botanical garden is built over generations. The work happening now—planting trees, restoring landscapes, adapting historic buildings, building partnerships, and creating educational opportunities—is laying the foundation for what Limeledge can become.