Suggest A New MIX Metro Gardening Spot
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (http://www.nvrpa.org/meadowlark.html)
Beauty, conservation, education and discovery flourish throughout the year at this 100+ acre complex of large ornamental display gardens and unique native plant collections. Walking trails, lakes, more than twenty varieties of cherry trees, irises, peonies, an extensive shade garden, native wildflowers, gazebos, birds, butterflies, seasonal blooms and foliage create a sanctuary of beauty and nature.
Conservation and plant diversity displays in the Visitor Center invite guests of all ages to explore the natural world. The Atrium’s indoor tropical garden setting is a popular meeting, reception, wedding and workshop location. Interpretive displays accompany a restored 18th-century cabin. A picnic area beside the Gardens is available to visitors.
9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court
Vienna, VA 22182
703-255-3631
Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens (http://www.nps.gov/kepa/)
Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens constitutes some 700 acres and is part of Anacostia Park. The Park includes the "Gardens", Kenilworth Marsh, ballfields and recreational facilities. The origins of Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens lie not only in the 1791 L'Enfant Plan for the District of Columbia, but also the McMillan Plan of 1901 which specifically recommended extension of public parkland along both sides of the Anacostia River.
The Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is the only National Park Service site devoted to the propagation and display of aquatic plants. The Gardens were begun as the hobby of Civil War veteran and operated for 26 years as a commercial water garden. In 1938, the Gardens were purchased by the Federal Government. It was at that time that the facility ceased operating as a commercial enterprise and became part of the National Park system.
1644 31st St, NW
Washington, DC 20007
202-965-0400
Dumbarton Oaks (http://www.doaks.org/)
When Robert and Mildred Bliss purchased Dumbarton Oaks in 1920, the hillside property included cowpaths and farm buildings. Over the next twenty years, the grounds were transformed into gardens by Beatrix Jones Farrand, who also worked on the private gardens of John Rockefeller, Jr. and the grounds at Yale University. Now almost a hundred years after the Blisses’ purchase, the former cowpath is a pleasant walk through crocus, scilla, and narcissus, and visitors can wander though ten acres of beautiful landscape, through small formal gardens, past a Roman-style amphitheater, and down Lovers’ Lane.
1703 32nd St. NW
Washington, DC 20007
202-339-6401
McCrillis Gardens (http://www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/brookside/mccrilli.shtm)
McCrillis Gardens was donated to The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in 1978 by its owners, William and Virginia McCrillis. Managed by Brookside Gardens, the Gardens have been refined as a premier shade garden. Choice ornamental trees and shrubs extend the flowering season while bulbs, groundcovers and shade-loving perennials add ongoing color and texture. A pavilion and benches provide restful vantage points.
6910 Greentree Road
Bethesda, MD 20817
301-962-1455
Oatlands Plantation (www.oatlands.org)
Outside the main house, more than four acres of formal gardens beckon. Originally designed by George Carter, the gardens produced vegetables and fruits and featured many ornamental specimens. Later, they flourished as an ornamental showcase under the loving care of Edith Eustis. Today, they are carefully maintained by a professional garden staff which keeps the ideas and spirit of Mr. Carter and Mrs. Eustis in mind.
Beyond the gardens, a self-guided walking tour allows visitors to explore the plantation, aided by interpretive signs that explain the history and significance of Oatlands dependencies. Most notable of these buildings is the country's second oldest propagation greenhouse. Built in 1810 with bricks fired on the plantation, George Carter's greenhouse housed a variety of exotic fruits and plants. Today, the greenhouse fully restored.
20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane
Leesburg, VA 20175
703-777-3174
