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The Norfolk Botanical Garden features a dedicated Rhododendron Garden showcasing more than 175 varieties of rhododendrons thriving in a mature woodland setting.
The Arid House at Norfolk Botanical Garden is part of the new Garden of Tomorrow expansion. Housed inside the glass-covered Perry Conservation, the environment replicates dry climate conditions and features cacti, succulents, and other rare arid-climate plants shipped from regions like Arizona, California, and Florida.
This garden is located on a peninsula of land at the north end of Norfolk Botanical Garden. The mature overstory of oak, hickory, and pine creates a wonderful secluded retreat for walkers, birdwatchers and nature lovers. The treasures of this garden can be enjoyed by strolling along on a paved trail or a woodland trail, which also offers scenic views of Lake Whitehurst.
The 2.5-acre Bristow Butterfly Garden provides habitat to attract and support butterflies and moths native the Coastal Virginia. It also provides visitors a chance to see which nectar plants and which host plants they can grow in their own gardens to support these beautiful creatures. The centerpiece of this garden is the Butterfly House, which is open seasonally, but the surrounding gardens are open year-round, including the Butterfly Maze, and the Butterfly Gazebo, a popular waterfront wedding venue.
Visit our Butterfly House page for more detailed information.
The Flowering Arboretum fills 17.5 acres in the center of the Botanical Garden. In 1982, a section of Crapemyrtle trees was added to the original acreage. Today the arboretum contains 336 different flowering trees. Because it displays a wide variety of fragrant and colorful flowering trees, homeowners and horticultural students look to the Arboretum as an excellent reference.
This meadow features a mixture of more than 50 species of wildflowers and 10 species of grasses. The area is an outdoor classroom where one can observe wildflowers and the birds and insects they attract.
It demonstrates an alternative to traditional high maintenance urban landscaping. Most importantly, the flowers and grasses present a constantly changing vista of natural beauty for those who stroll along its pathways or relax near the flowing fountain in the shade of the gazebo.
Perry E. Morgan donated money for the establishment and maintenance of The Bunny Morgan Memorial Wildflower Meadow, now the Four Seasons Garden, in honor of his late wife, who had long been a wildflower enthusiast.
This garden invites you to explore four historic plant communities indigenous to the southeast coastal plain of VA. Included in this garden is the R.W. Cross Nature Trail, which features a boardwalk that winds through a bottomland hardwood forest, a bald cypress /water tupelo swamp, an Atlantic white cedar swamp, and a longleaf pine stand.
Each community features an interpretive sign highlighting the featured plants and their importance to people and wildlife. The boardwalk also offers beautiful views of Lake Whitehurst and the wildlife that frequent its shores.
This garden also features native plants rescued from the wild due to the imminent destruction of their habitat.
In the 1970s Isaac Baker donated money to the Garden to create Baker Overlook, in honor of the place where he proposed to Sarah Lee Baker. They had had so much love for each other and the Garden!
Created with excavated soil from the canal, this peaceful spot offers visitors a view of the waterway and surrounding gardens from its two-tier deck and gazebo.
Relax under the shade of a mature oak tree overlooking broad sweeps of plants selected especially for their color and texture.
One of the secret gems of Norfolk Botanical Garden, the Winter Garden is situated between the Colonial Garden and the Annette Kagan Healing Garden. Plants which flower or are showy through the winter are displayed along this shady path. Look for plants with interesting branches, foliage, fragrance or fruit as well as those that flower.
There are more than 2,300 plants representing 350 different species and cultivars of conifers found at Norfolk Botanical Garden. A concentration of them can be found in the Conifer Garden, which is a designated Reference Garden for the Southeast as determined by the American Conifer Society. This is a good area to see the variety of conifers – to compare their sizes, colors, forms, and unique characteristics.In this area we have combined conifers with companion plants such as Agapanthus, Sedums, daylilies, and ornamental grasses. Cheery daffodils punctuate the perennial plantings in late winter and spring.