Neighborhood Guides April 20, 2023

Local Gardens Worth A Visit

April is a busy month for garden-related events including Virginia Historic Garden Week, but we want to highlight some area gardens that are beautiful any time of the year. Whether you want a long ramble or a quick refresh, check out these great options.

 

WASHINGTON, DC

Photo courtesy of: United States Botanic Garden

 

United States Botanic Garden

100 Maryland Avenue SW Washington, DC 20001

Steeped in history, the United States Botanic Garden is a living plant museum that informs visitors about the importance, and often irreplaceable value, of plants to people and Earth’s ecosystems.

Free Admission

 

U.S. National Arboretum

3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC 20002

Established in 1927 by an Act of Congress. The Arboretum is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service for the public to enjoy a wide range and variety of plants and flowers. Click Here To Use Their Plant Finder & Interactive Map.

Free Admission

 

Hillwood Museum & Gardens

4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008

Hillwood’s spectacular gardens capture the vision Marjorie Post conceived when building the estate in the 1950s. She designed the gardens to flower in the spring and fall, when she was in residence at Hillwood. Today, they offer something beautiful in every season on their 13 acre property.

Tickets

 

Kenilworth Park Aquatic Gardens

1900 Anacostia Ave, SE, Washington, DC 20020

Deep within Kenilworth lies an oasis, hidden behind trees and cattails. It’s a place where beavers build their homes and turtles sleep on logs. Lotus blooms rise from the muck and lilies sit on the water. The wind dances with the dragonflies, rustling through the trees, carrying the song of the birds until it brushes across your face, fading to a whisper, saying “come join.”

Free Admission

 

Washington National Cathedral Gardens

3101 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016

The grounds consist of cultivated gardens, including the Bishop’s Garden; the Olmsted Woods, an oak and beech forest; manicured lawns; a prayer path; and the landscaped grounds and athletic fields of the Cathedral schools.

Free Admission

 

Dumbarton Oaks

1703 32nd Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007

In 1920, after a long and careful search, Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss found their ideal country house and garden within Washington, DC. They eventually purchased a fifty-three-acre property, described as an old-fashioned house standing in rather neglected grounds, at the highest point of Georgetown.

Daily Tickets | Season Passes

 

Tudor Place Historic House and Garden

1644 31st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007

Tudor Place Historic House & Garden preserves the stories of six generations of descendants of Martha Washington, and the enslaved and free people who lived and worked at this Georgetown landmark for nearly two centuries. The estate was designed and continually improved upon by six generations of the Peter family between 1085 and 1983. The primary layout of the 5 ½ acre landscape is divided into two parts: the North Garden and the South Lawn.

Tickets

 

MARYLAND

Photo courtesy of: Brookside Gardens

 

Brookside Gardens

2425 Reedie Drive, 12th Floor, Wheaton, MD 20902

Brookside Gardens is Montgomery County’s incomparable, award-winning 50-acre public display garden within Wheaton Regional Park. Included in the gardens are several distinct areas: Aquatic Garden, Azalea Garden, Butterfly Garden, Children’s Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese Style Garden, Trial Garden, Rain Garden, and the Woodland Walk.

Free Admission

 

McCrillis House and Gardens

6910 Greentree Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20817

The Gardens feature paths that wind through the remarkable collection of ornamental trees and shrubs, along with bulbs, groundcovers and shade-loving perennials that add year-round color and texture.  A pavilion and benches provide restful vantage points. McCrillis Gardens is reminiscent of a secret garden, hidden in the heart of Bethesda!

Free Admission

 

VIRGINIA

Photo courtesy of: River Farm

 

Meadowlark Gardens

9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct, Vienna VA 22182

Meadowlark is a garden for all seasons. An emotive open space carefully tended to enhance and conserve nature. It can only be appreciated fully when one steps into its embrace. It’s a Garden for education, conservation aesthetics and community. Click Here To View A Map Of The Gardens.

Tickets | $3 – $6

 

River Farm

7931 E Boulevard Dr, Alexandria, VA 22308

The natural beauty of this 25-acre historic site along the Potomac River is enhanced by a blend of formal and naturalistic gardens, including woodlands, a meadow and award-winning children’s gardens, along with many breathtaking views.

Free Admission

 

Green Spring Gardens

4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA, 22312

Green Spring Gardens is a must-visit park, a year-round gold mine of information and inspiration for the home gardener. It’s an outdoor classroom, a museum, and a national historic site. Its mission is to connect the community to natural and cultural resources through horticulture, education, and stewardship.

Free Admission

 

Mount Vernon Estate 

3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121

George Washington oversaw all aspects of the landscape at Mount Vernon. He extensively redesigned the grounds surrounding his home, adopting the less formal, more naturalistic style of 18th century English garden landscape designer Batty Langley. Click Here To Use Their Plant Finder Feature!

 

Morven Park

17195 Southern Planter Lane, Leesburg, VA 20176

Visitors can walk through scenic formal gardens, picnic under the boughs of old oak trees, and hike miles of beautiful nature trails. Your furry friends are always welcome at Morven Park with you!

Free Admission 

 

Oatlands Historic House & Gardens

20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg, VA 20175

Explore Oatlands’ 4 1/2 acre walled garden at your leisure with friends and family. The structure of the garden consists of terraces carved into the hillside to provide level areas for abundant plantings of fruit and vegetables along with trees, shrubs, and flowers.

Grounds Pass | Mansion Tour |Garden Tour

 

 


 

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