Maryland, Virginia, D.C.
These are gardens I’ve been to in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., and believe are worth a visit. I’d highly advise double-checking on hours before visiting since not all are open every day or year round.
The rock garden in spring at Green Spring Garden Park.
GREEN SPRING GARDEN PARK
Location: 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, Va.
Overview: Green Spring Garden Park is 27 acres located in the bustling Alexandria suburbs, but you would never know it once you walk through its gates. This is more like an oversized back-yard garden that shows off the practical side of gardening. Owned and operated as a county park, Green Spring for a long time was farm land that provided the “back-drop” for the highly fertilized soil.
Highlights: There’s a lot going on at this outdoor classroom. The grounds have some 20 different demonstration gardens (rock garden, vegetable garden, native-plant woods, drought-garden), a greenhouse where you can buy plants and an auditorium and gift shop. Paved paths make it a nice place to just stroll and sit.
George’s Take: I wish our county parks were like this! It’s hard to tell whether this is a park landscaped with theme gardens or a botanic garden that doubles as a county park. It’s free, too.
Contact info: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/PARKS/gsgp. 703-642-5173.
Formal parterre garden outside Hillwood mansion.
HILLWOOD ESTATE
Location: 4115 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
Overview: This 13-acre estate overlooking Rock Creek Park was the home of Marjorie Merriweather Post, heir to the Postum Cereal Co., which later became General Foods. After her death in 1973 at Hillwood, she donated the estate to become an education museum and public garden.
Highlights: Start with a tour of the grand mansion, which is filled with art, collectibles and even a movie theater. The gardens were designed as a series of outdoor rooms, including a formal French parterre garden (Mrs. Post’s favorite), a crescent-shaped lawn that gives a spectacular view of the Washington Monument, a multi-level Japanese garden, a putting green, cutting gardens, a greenhouse and even a pet cemetery.
George’s Take: I like the Japanese garden best here. It’s on a hillside and involves navigating steps and slopes, but it’s a beautiful setting with water everywhere. Spring is especially nice.
Contact info: www.info@HillwoodMuseum.org. 202-686-5807.
Ginter's beautiful conservatory.
LEWIS GINTER BOTANICAL GARDEN
Location: 1800 Lakeside Ave., Richmond, Va., off I-95 near I-64 and I-295.
Overview: 50 acres of gardens on land once owned by Patrick Henry. Maj. Lewis Ginter, who made his fortune in cigarettes, bought the property in 1884, and his niece, Grace Arents, built a convalescent home for kids there and added gardens. She willed it to the city of Richmond for use as a botanical garden. Gardens didn’t actually start developing until 1984, so this is a fairly young, up-and-coming public garden.
Highlights: Best visitor center anywhere – a spacious Colonial mansion-style brick building with a café, large gift shop and meeting room. More than a dozen theme gardens (Healing Garden, Rose Garden, Sunken Garden, Asian Valley, etc.) along with beautiful conservatory patterned after Longwood, a butterfly house, a tea house and Children’s Garden with lots of water and a big treehouse.
George’s Take: Unsung and not nearly as regarded as it should be, probably because of its young age. Much to see here, and it’s very well groomed. Excellent variety. One of my top 10.
Contact info: www.lewisginter.org. 804-262-9887.
Vegetables in the Upper Gardens at Mount Vernon.
MOUNT VERNON
Location: 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, Va.
Overview: Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, is considered the most popular historic estate in America. The Colonial mansion sits on 8,000 acres along the Potomac River and includes 50 acres of fruit, flower and vegetable gardens, a greenhouse and many outbuildings. There’s also a museum, shops and dining at the entrance of the property.
Highlights: The lawn on the opposite side of the mansion has breathtaking views of the Potomac. Trek down a winding path to see GW’s 16-sided barn and a 4-acre pioneer farmer site, where there are hands-on demonstrations. George and Martha are both buried on the grounds. Especially worth seeing are the restored Colonial-era vegetable and flower gardens.
George’s Take: You’ll get lost in time here. I’m particularly fascinated by gardening in the past. This place and Colonial Williamsburg and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello make up the Big 3 Garden-History Holy Grail.
Contact info: www.mountvernon.org. 703-780-2000.
Norfolk Botanical Garden's Japanese Garden.
NORFOLK BOTANICAL GARDEN
Location: 6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk, Va.
Overview: 155 acres with a nice variety of settings, including wooded walks, formal beds, native plantings and several overlooks. Built in 1930s as a WPA project by Norfolk.
Highlights: One of the biggest and best rose gardens I’ve seen, a large and action-packed “World of Wonders” children’s garden, Japanese garden, flowering-tree collection, conifer collection, forest of camellias, butterfly house, cut-flower garden, nice perennial garden, boat ride and more.
George’s Take: Lots to see. It’s a big place with many gardens and good plant variety. I’d rate it a notch below New York, Missouri and Chicago botanical gardens, but still excellent.
Contact info: www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org. 757-441-5830.
The Enid Haupt Garden behind the Smithsonian Castle.
SMITHSONIAN GARDENS
Location: National Mall, Washington, D.C.
Overview: Everyone knows the Smithsonian museums, but not all are aware of how many impressive gardens are tucked between and behind many of the buildings. All are free and have their own themes – usually related to the museum nearby.
Highlights: Eight main gardens. Examples: a butterfly garden next to the Natural History Museum, a “Victory Garden” of edibles at the American History Museum, a lake surrounded by native plantings next to the American Indian Museum, and formal gardens behind the Smithsonian Castle. You’ll also find a sculpture garden, a rose garden, a mixed collection of cutting-edge shrubs, annuals and perennials in the Ripley Garden and flower pots and hanging baskets galore.
George’s Take: You could spend a day on the mall just looking at these under-appreciated gardens – plus the U.S. Botanic Garden and grounds at the Capitol end of the mall.
Contact info: www.si.edu. 202-633-1000.
View of U.S. Botanic Garden conservatory from Bartholdi Park.
U.S. BOTANIC GARDEN
Location: National Mall, Washington, D.C.
Overview: First established by Congress in 1820, the U.S. Botanic Garden has been in its current location at the foot of the U.S. Capitol since 1933. The recently renovated glass and aluminum conservatory is a D.C. landmark, filled with tropicals and specimens from all over the world. The National Garden right outside features native plantings of the region, a large rose garden, a butterfly garden and a formal pond. The USBG staff also maintains Bartholdi Park across the street – a beautifully landscaped city block well worth strolling through.
Highlights: The conservatory has more than 5,000 orchid varieties and is home to settings ranging from rainforests to deserts with plants native to each. It’s lush, impressive and welcomingly warm in winter. Check out the 30-foot-tall fountain in Bartholdi Park that was sculpted by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi at the same time he was working on the Statue of Liberty (an obvious over-achiever there). Admission is free.
George’s Take: Along the lines of Longwood’s conservatory, you’ll see plant after plant you’ve never even heard of. I like Bartholdi Park better than either the conservatory or the National Garden.
Contact info: www.usbg.gov. 202-225-8333.
