It was easy to disregard what remained incomplete when the McGovern Centennial Gardens executed its dedication ceremony last Oct. 18. The combination of resplendent weather, pristinely manicured lawns and gushing, gleeful patrons rendered bordering patches of naked soil mild blemishes on perfection.

But the pomp and circumstance of that afternoon did not alter the fact that the project was incomplete. When the debut was done and the celebration had ceased, the work resumed to make the gardens whole. The respite that fall afternoon offered an opportunity to pause, take inventory of the exceptional progress made, and refocus collective efforts.

“The day was really a lot of fun with the different musical groups and the lecture series, so I think everybody that came to the dedication had a great time” said Doreen Stoller, executive director of the Hermann Park Conservancy. “I think that as beautiful as the gardens were that day – and it was fun just to watch people walk through the opening, the front gateway, and see the looks on their faces like, ‘wow’ to see the water cascade coming down the mountain and the scope of the gardens – the difference now when you come back is we’ve added two completely new gardens with the rose garden and the arid garden.

“But we’ve also completed the woodland garden and some of the planting around the sculpture walk. It’s just so even more remarkably beautiful now that those additional gardens are in. Even though it was fun going to the top of the mountain and getting the view of the garden on opening day, now you’ve got these other gardens to see, so the walk up the mountain is different and even more fun than it was on opening day.”

The mid-October opening was scheduled roughly 18 months in advance, with contractors starting construction with that target date in mind. Appropriately, the mass of dignitaries in attendance, from Mayor Annise Parker to the major donors who helped underwrite the project, also cleared their schedules for Oct. 18, 2014. When a tumultuously and rainy summer stalled construction and pushed back project completion two months, the decision was made to maintain the original opening.

Such a rejiggering enabled contractors to resume construction when the opening was complete. Once the sense of excitement from sharing the gardens subsided, there was a renewed vigor for completing the task at hand. A secondary target date was set in December, just prior to the holiday season, and the gardens opened without restriction on Dec. 22.

“We had a little bit of that same feeling of anticipation because we wanted to make sure the gardens were open over the holidays when people had family in town and could come enjoy them,” Stoller said. “Sadly we didn’t have the most glorious weather over the holidays but … because having the gardens look beautiful in and of themselves, it doesn’t really matter if there is no one there to enjoy them.”

New to the McGovern Centennial Gardens (1500 Hermann Park Drive) is the rose garden, which features heritage and antique roses that bloom most of the year unlike traditional, season-dependent hybrid tea roses.

The uniquely attractive arid garden showcases blooming plants that will thrive locally with minimal irrigation. The variation of colors and foliage textures is eye-catching and reflective of the hearty plants on display, and offers an education on the spectrum of plants that can occupy an arid garden without fitting into the category of cactus or desert species.

Near the sculpture walk sits the woodland garden, where winding paths with rising berms featured chameleons and trees on opening day. That area has been bolstered by the addition of 10,000 understory plants at the ground level, completing the tapestry of foliage around the paths.

The fruits and vegetables garden is advancing in its development, with citrus trees bearing fruit and lettuces coming in. Seasonal vegetable beds have filled, with the spring sure to awaken different varieties.

The McGovern Centennial Gardens will maintain winter hours (9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) until Daylight Savings Time. Workers from adjacent offices have taken advantage of plaza tables and chairs to lunch when the weather is conducive to such an activity. Food trucks will soon be available to anyone wishing to do the same even without the benefit of brown bags.

For eight years the Hermann Park Conservancy oversaw the McGovern Centennial Gardens project desirous of its completion. Through a severe economic downturn and cautiously optimistic expectations, the project lurched forward. That it came to fruition so splendidly is a testament to everyone involved.

“This is one project where I walked in and the reality was even so much prettier than what I imagined,” Stoller said. “I don’t think that happens very often when you’re planning a construction project that intensely.

“It just makes me happy every time I walk in the garden. It’s so beautiful that we as a team were able to accomplish that. But then just listening to what people say, sometimes pause in a garden near a bench and listen to people’s comments about it, it’s just makes everything that we as an organization went though so worth it just to see everybody smiling and hear them being so kind. I’m getting all sorts of random thank you emails and letters from people, and I really praise the team here for being able to pull this off.”