Work will begin in earnest this fall at the Bernice Bienenstock Furniture Library for a garden in honor of longtime board member Pat Plaxico.

Interior designer Plaxico's touches can be seen at High Point landmarks including Historic Market Square, the E.J. Victor building, the High Point Convention and Visitors Bureau (formerly the Phillips Building) and the Bienenstock Furniture Library.

"Working on the recent restoration and renovation of the library was a real treat," Plaxico said. "This gardens and grounds project will further enhance the property - and invoke the interests and passions of the library's founders. The Main Street location will be an oasis of beauty and respite, a gathering place, and a destination for learning in the uptown area of High Point."

Charles Sutton, president of the Bienenstock Library board of directors, said the garden is meant as a show of appreciation for Plaxico's years of dedication.

This rendering by Philip Gibbs depicts what the Pat Plaxico Gardens at the Bienenstock Furniture Library will look like at maturity. Work is expected to begin on the gardens this fall.

"It is our way of saying thank you to Pat for her efforts and to celebrate her contributions in a way that is relevant and meaningful," Sutton said.

Greensboro, N.C.-based landscape architect and garden designer Sally Pagliai created the design and has been retained to install the project. Philip Gibbs, senior art director at Alderman Company worked with Plaxico and Pagliai to create renderings to help visualize the gardens at maturity.

The gardens are expected to be completed by spring 2014. In addition to installing the garden, the library also plans to add a scholarship for Landscape Architecture and Garden Design to complement its design competition scholarships for Interior and Furniture Design.

The library estimates that it will cost approximately $150,000 to design, construct and maintain the gardens and to fund scholarships over the next three years.