The garden has a wonderful backstory. Laura’s late husband Thomas K. Hearn Jr. served more than two decades as president of Wake Forest University. She became enamored with the 20th-century landscape design of Ellen Biddle Shipman after the couple moved into the president’s residence known as Hanes House. Shipman had created the original 1929 garden plan for textile magnet Ralph Hanes and his wife, DeWitt. In the 1990s, Laura and Chip worked together to refresh Shipman’s design at Hanes House.
When Thomas retired as president, the university gave the couple a site adjacent to the Hanes House property to build their own abode. Laura again made the Shipman design her muse—albeit a much smaller version. Again, Chip stepped in to ensure botanical selections represent the historical plan while keeping costs manageable for the 21st century.
