Plant Collection Gardens Tour
- Blanke Boxwood Garden
- Lehmann Rose Garden
- Jenkins Daylily Garden
- Goodman Iris Garden
- Kassabaum Dwarf Conifer Garden
- Samuels and Heckman Bulb Gardens
- Shields Hosta Garden
- Lopata Azalea-Rhododendron Garden
- Kiefer Magnolia Walk
- Gladney Rose Garden
Blanke Boxwood Garden
Visitors enter the Blanke Boxwood Garden through a handsome walled brick courtyard, catching glimpses of the center of the garden through circular window openings. The entry walk, flanked by perennial borders and boxwoods, leads visitors to a formal, oval boxwood parterre accented with colorful flowers and ground cover, with low hedges of boxwood shaped to form the initials of Henry Shaw, the Garden's founder.
Lehmann Rose Garden
The Lehmann Rose Garden contains historic cultivars, miniature roses, modern hybrid tea, floribunda and shrub roses, and test roses. Horticulturists evaluate new rose hybrids in conjunction with the All American Rose Selection, Inc.'s yearly trials for the best new rose of the year. A gazebo with a fountain and small pool, built in 1976, can be found near the south end of the garden; Birds, a bronze cast in 1975 by American Robert Lee Walker is seen on the east side of the garden; towards the center, the Kercheval Fountain, built in 1975, entertains visitors near the test roses; while the dramatic Shapleigh Fountain, built in 1974 and located at the north end of the garden, is a favorite with children.
Jenkins Daylily Garden
South of the Goodman Iris Garden, the Jenkins Daylily Garden provides a link between the Iris Garden and the Victorian area of the Garden. Daylilies are hardy and tolerate the summer heat very well. They display a wide range of colors and flower prolifically. Hydrangeas and ornamental grasses accent the massive drifts of daylilies, traversed by grass paths. Peak season of flower is June and July.
Goodman Iris Garden
Irises display their flags near the path south of Spink Pavilion. Dozens of wild species complement hundreds of cultivars in the rainbow-shaped Goodman Iris Garden. In May, the irises fill the garden with glorious color.
Kassabaum Dwarf Conifer Garden
The Kassabaum Dwarf Conifer Garden contains a collection of conifers including spruce, pine, hemlock, cypress, and cedar. Dwarf conifers make excellent plants for home landscaping because they do not require much space and are relatively low maintenance. Planted among the conifers are complimentary low and spreading perennials and groundcovers, acting as “living” mulch.
Samuels and Heckman Bulb Gardens
South of the Gladney Rose Garden, thousands of bulbs herald the spring in the Samuels Bulb Garden and the Heckman Bulb Garden.
Both gardens feature summer and fall-flowering bulbs and bulbous plants such as autumn crocus, lilies, cannas, caladiums, dahlias, and many more. Peak season of bloom is from early spring through autumn.
Shields Hosta Garden
Southeast of the Zimmerman Scented Garden, hostas with green, blue, yellow, and bi-colored foliage thrive below stately trees. Ten wild species and over forty cultivars are featured. Flowering bulbs, magnolias, and witch hazel accent the area in the spring; astilbes and hydrangeas in summer; and viburnums in fall.
Lopata Azalea-Rhododendron Garden
The Lopata Azalea-Rhododendron Garden features rhododendron species and cultivars as well as hardy shade tolerant companion plants beneath a high canopy of native trees. An enchanting garden throughout the year, late April is peak flowering and late October is peak fall color.
Kiefer Magnolia Walk
The Kiefer Magnolia Walk is lined with Saucer Magnolia trees. The trees
bloom in mid-spring. The walk connects the Lopata Azalea-Rhododendron Garden with the Gladney Rose Garden.
Gladney Rose Garden
Shaped in a giant wheel, the Gladney Rose Garden displays over one hundred varieties of hybrid tea and floribunda roses. Many varieties of climbing roses are featured on the formal fence and arbors enclosing the garden. Peak display lasts from early summer through autumn. The Gladney Rose Garden, along with the Lehmann Rose Garden, received both a 2003 and 2004 Certificate of Achievement for Outstanding Maintenance from All-America Rose Selections. All-America Rose Selections is an association of growers dedicated to the introduction and promotion of exceptional roses.