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Flora to fawn over: can’t-miss area gardens Visiting over-the-top extravagance in Northwest Washington, eclectic topiaries in Maryland horse country and mountain views in Virginia, Weekend spent time in gardens of all shapes and sizes from Annapolis to the Shenandoah Valley to bring you our top picks.
An allee is like a long hallway that connects one landscape to another with trees or tall shrubs as walls. The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley ’s Glen Burnie Gardens is home to three allees: one grand and two pleached. This is an example of a pleached allee, in which branches are woven together to create a tunnel effect.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
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The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley ’s Glen Burnie Gardens is home to this grand allee, which is particularly interesting because the trees at one end were planted closer together, tricking the eye into thinking that the allee is longer than it is.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
An eastern tiger swallowtail lands on a cone flower as part of the 2010 “Wings of Fancy” exhibit at Brookside Gardens . Every summer for more than a decade, the gardens’ South Conservatory has been flooded with fluttering wings. This year is no exception, as the incredibly popular display returns May 5 and lasts through Sept. 16. Hundreds of butterflies from around the world will flitter freely, and visitors can learn how to attract butterflies in their own gardens.
Courtesy of George DeBuchananne
Brookside Gardens’ first landscape architect was Hans Hanses. Much of his work can still be seen today, including in this Japanese-style garden with rolling hills and an island.
Katherine Frey
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The Washington Post
Ladew Topiary Gardens , just north of Baltimore, has been named “the most outstanding topiary garden in America” by the Garden Club of America, and has appeared in Vogue magazine and the Anthropologie catalogs.
Courtesy of Ladew Topiary Gardens
Phillip Pasquariello and Lindsay Fontana of Pennsylvania enjoy the serenity of the Council Ring at Annmarie Sculpture Garden . The garden, in Solomons, Md., is an ideal date spot. In addition to being a quiet place for a picnic, the venue hosts monthly after-hour parties for adults where guests can enjoy food, wine and beer, and live music.
Ann Cameron Siegal for The Washington Post
Annmarie Sculpture Garden specializes in whimsical art. Here, a fairy house made of pine cones and twigs is on display as part of the annual “Fairies in the Garden” exhibit. The exhibit will run this year from May 11 to Oct. 8.
Ann Cameron Siegal for The Washington Post
The historic house at Green Spring Gardens in Fairfax is adjacent to 11 acres of manicured gardens. Feeling inspired? Green Spring offers classes for all interests and ages, from creating container gardens to landscaping with shade-loving plants.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
Green Spring Gardens offers plenty of places to sit and relax on its 11 acres.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
With the American Horticulture Society as a resident, it’s little wonder that the grounds of River Farm are so beautiful and diverse. Once owned by George Washington, the mansion and its grounds are set on a bluff overlooking a meadow that leads to the shores of the Potomac River.
Barry Stahl/Courtesy of the American Horticultural Society
Perhaps the most popular nook on River Farm ’s lush 25 acres is the children’s garden. It’s visually beautiful for grown-ups and interactive as a playground for juice-box-toting tots who can spend afternoons squirming through the Bat Cave, playing house in the Little House on the Prairie Garden and getting lost in the maze garden while parents picnic nearby. Here two friends play at the Little House on the Prairie home.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
An immediate standout for its striking view of Bull Run Mountain, Oatlands Historic House and Gardens was once the home of the prominent Virginian plantation owner George Carter and his family. The tea house has one of the most picturesque views of the grounds. In one direction you can see the mountains and, in the other, an expansive bowling green ending in a reflecting pool.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
Among the sweeping views of Bull Run Mountain, visitors to Oatlands can spot banana trees. Seemingly out of place, the trees are period appropriate in the second-oldest greenhouse in the country.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
Tucked away in a back corner of the U.S. Botanic Garden Conservatory , America’s 50th state is represented in all of its blooming glory. Unlike any other ecosystem on the mainland, Hawaii’s flora is made up of rare and endangered plants you can find only on the islands — and in this collection. The exhibit even has a mock lava flow.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
Constitution Gardens holds a subtly beautiful shrine to the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Each signer, grouped by home state, is represented by a stone inscribed with his signature, occupation and city of residence.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
Constitution Gardens lies in the shadow of the Washington Monument and is easy to miss if you’re heading to the Mall’s bigger and better-known monuments and memorials
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Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
Every Friday evening in the summer the sounds of jazz can be heard coming from the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden . The concerts bring in top jazz names (last year included Chuck Redd and Origem), and this year the series
Lavanya Ramanathan
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The Washington Post
Knot gardens — short, well-trimmed plants that form a geometric design — were especially popular during the age of Queen Elizabeth I, and it’s easy to see why they continue to be installed in modern gardens. The Folger Shakespeare Library ’s Elizabethan Garden is a perfect example, made ever more special by the fact that its plants are either mentioned in Shakespeare’s works or were popular during his time.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
The incredibly hip Dandies & Quaintrelles Seersucker Bike Ride and Post-Ride Social ended its spring 2011 ride at Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens .
Courtesy of Malek Naz Freidouni
Marjorie Merriweather Post, heiress to a cereal fortune, saw her gardens as an extension of her mansion and made sure every inch outside was as impressive as the inside. Her eclectic grounds were also inspired by the estates she had called home before moving to Hillwood . Not to be missed is the Japanese-style garden. Perfect for a lovely stroll, the garden features a babbling brook and mimics a Japanese mountainside with pines, maples and azaleas.
Courtesy of Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens
In the shadow of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a tranquil space called Mary’s Garden. It’s filled with plants associated with her, whether by name (pansy is “Our Lady’s Delight”), color (white camellias for her purity) or legend (bleeding heart).
Courtesy of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Visitors to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens can explore the regional highlights in the Potomac Valley Collection, walk along the Virginia Native Tree Trail and take a seat in the Hillside Gazebo, which is surrounded by native shrubs.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
A dragonfly rests on the tip of an east Indian lotus that is ready to bloom at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens . The gardens are home to a thriving ecosystem, rich with plants and wildlife, and is especially popular with bird watchers.
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
A blooming east Indian lotus stands out among the seed pods at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens . The ponds, which feature hearty waterlilies, lotus and tropical waterlilies, were the creation of one man: Walter Shaw. After the Civil War (during which he lost his right arm), Shaw bought land along the Anacostia River. A Maine native, he is said to have started growing waterlilies as a way to curb his homesickness.
Linda Davidson
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The Washington Post
The hearty waterlilies at Kenilworth begin blooming in mid-May and are followed by the lotus (mid-June) and the tropical waterlilies (mid-July). Because this winter was so mild, park rangers think the blooms might be early this year.
Bonnie Jo Mount
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The Washington Post
Historic London Town and Gardens in Edgewater has an exceptional peony collection, diverse in its forms and colors. Their show runs from late April through June.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
Libraries have nothing on the grounds at Gunston Hall in Lorton if you crave a silent place to relax with a book. Benches abound under shady magnolia trees, on the viewing mounts that overlook the Potomac River and even near the cemetery. Best times to get a little peace and quiet? Weekday afternoons after school groups have left.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
The English boxwoods at Gunston Hall are believed to have been planted between 1755 and 1765.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
President Barack Obama walks among cherry blossoms in the White House Rose Garden. Twice a year, in the spring and the fall, the most powerful garden in the free world is opened to visitors .
Jason Reed
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Reuters
A visit to Washington isn’t complete without a walk through all the Smithsonian museums, but the experience really begins just outside the museums’ doors. The landscaping is created so that the outside is as informative as the inside. For example, the National Museum of American History features an heirloom garden and victory garden. Perhaps the most lovely ones are the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden and the Enid A. Haupt Garden (shown here), both of which host weekly tours May through September.
Smithsonian Institution
The National Arboretum packs thousands of trees in its 446-acre campus in Northeast. Among the mammoth trees are some smaller, but no less spectacular, specimens. The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is home to more than 150 trees that have been tamed over decades (in some cases, centuries) of maintenance to invoke natural settings in miniature.
Benjamin C. Tankersley for The Washington Post
While digging through diaries of people who visited Mount Vernon in George Washington’s time, Dean Norton, the director of horticulture, found that four things were typically mentioned: what they ate, whether they met the general, the breathtaking view of the Potomac River and the posh landscaping. It’s easy to see why the last item made the list when you visit the upper garden, which has been painstakingly restored by Norton and his crew. Visitors can admire the fleur-de-lis-shaped boxwoods and take in the annual and perennial flowers that made up Washington’s garden.
Courtesy of Mount Vernon
George Washington’s upper garden at Mount Vernon had wide paths for women in large dresses to walk before and after dinner. The outer edges of the bed would be esthetically pleasing, while the inside would be used to cultivate food for the plantation.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
With its pastoral setting and countless ponds, Lilypons Water Gardens is more than a market for waterlilies, lotus and bog plants; it’s a destination for picnickers, bird-watchers and people looking for a pleasant stroll. It is 250 acres of greenery, with 80 percent of the plants sold there grown in-house. The lilies usually have their peak bloom all summer — Memorial Day through Labor Day — but with the warm winter, experts say they won’t be surprised if it arrives early.
Katherine Frey for The Washington Post
Dumbarton Oaks has a rich history of bringing contemporary art into its gardens, and the latest installation by Xavier Perrot and Andy Cao truly sparkles. “Cloud” is a mammoth, Swarovski-crystal-dripping display in the Arbor Terrace that drapes over a reflecting pool and resembles an abstract chandelier. Passersby can stand under the creation and watch as the light catches each drop, with dazzling results.
Amy Orndorff
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The Washington Post
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