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 When Baldev Lamba’s children visit the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., they will know that their father has left a legacy in stone that will last for generations to come.
Lamba, an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at Temple, recently saw the unveiling of the new First Ladies Water
Garden, which is based on a design created by him and his design team way back in 1993. The water garden is a central feature of the U.S. Botanic Garden’s “National Garden,” built on the DC mall beside the Capitol Building.
“And Mr. Baldev Lamba, who is the landscape architect, the winning designer of the First Ladies Water Garden, is with us today,” said First Lady Laura Bush this fall during special dedication ceremonies for the National Garden and the First Ladies Water Garden in particular.
The National Garden, bounded by Third Street, Maryland Avenue, and Independence Avenue, also includes a Rose Garden, Butterfly Garden, Regional Garden, Lawn Terrace, and Amphitheater.
After Congress authorized construction of the National Garden in 1991, a national design competition was held in the early 1990s for various proposed National Garden elements, including the Rose Garden, a Water Garden (not yet specifically meant to honor the country’s first ladies), and an Environmental Learning Center.
The winning team that initially designed the water garden consisted of Lamba; Kim Douglas, who was a student at Ambler, and is now an adjunct instructor in the Landscape Architecture and Horticulture Department; John Collins, Jr., son of John Collins, who helped establish the Landscape Architecture program at Temple; and Alison Towers.
“The process from design to fruition was an interesting one,” Lamba said. “I worked with the firm EDAW and the designers of the different gardens that would comprise the National Garden to hammer out a master plan into a cohesive design.”
Lamba’s contribution to the master plan also included a formal terrace that overlooks the water garden, so that visitors could better enjoy the complexity of the fountain’s mosaic patterns.
After this initial phase of design, the water garden was designated as the first ladies’ garden, giving it added importance and meaning. A donation from the Heinz Family Foundation served to jumpstart fundraising, and in 1994 the National Garden Gala, attended by six of America’s First Ladies, attracted national attention and resulted in heightened public awareness of the project.
“The National Garden Gala was a huge event in Washington, D.C.,” Lamba said. “As a guest of honor, I met all of the living first ladies — it was quite exciting.”
 After many years of fundraising and planning, the garden has finally been completed. Mrs. Bush described it as “a tremendous gift to the U.S. Botanic Gardens, this city, and our country.”
“What makes this gift so special is that it’s been given by private citizens to the American public,” she said. The project, was solely funded by private donations totaling $11.5 million raised by The National Fund for the U.S. Botanic Garden.
The water garden’s final form is constructed from five shades of granite and bluestone, reminiscent of a Martha Washington quilt pattern. Still, Lamba’s Indian-based design endures.
“I was inspired by Persian influences and gardens from India, where I grew up. The resulting garden is a mix of East and West,” he said. “There is a calmness to the whole composition that allows for so many interpretations of the mosaic — it represents unity in diversity. As an immigrant, it is an honor to express my culture in a project that has been accepted in such a memorable way.”
Lamba said he hopes others find inspiration in the garden that will encourage them to explore “what elements of their culture they are inspired by, and to use that creatively in their own lives.”
In addition to teaching, Lamba’s diverse professional experience has included working in India, the Middle East, and the US.
 He is principal of Lamba Associates, a landscape architecture firm in Doylestown, PA. He is a registered landscape architect in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and a member of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture. He is also chairman of the Shade Tree Commission in Doylestown.
According to Mrs. Bush, “America’s National Garden is a tribute to our country’s First Ladies, a beautiful addition to the Washington landscape, and a symbol of our country’s civic spirit.”
The First Ladies Water Garden “will be there forever,” said Lamba.
“That’s quite a legacy, one I’m proud to share with my kids and future grandkids,” he said. “This truly was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
For more information on the National Garden, call 202-225-8333 or visit here.
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