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This area is the oldest part of the garden, where WPA workers began clearing for azalea plantings in 1939. These original azaleas still put on a show stopping display every spring. In 2008, the 70th anniversary of Norfolk Botanical Garden, a memorial garden was created to honor the legacy of the WPA workers.

This garden is best explored on foot. There are several well manicured woodland trails, as well as a paved road, that lead visitors through our vast collections of azaleas and mountain laurels. Mirror Lake is also home to several species of native orchids, ferns, and other unique native woodland plants.

This is a prime garden for viewing wildlife, especially birds. Be on the lookout for wood ducks, owls, hawks, and warblers.

The Matson Perennial Garden is located next to Renaissance Court and the Border Garden.

The Garden was created in honor of Pat and Kay Matson, who were known in the Hampton Roads community for bringing new perennials into the area.

The Matson Perennial Garden is about a quarter of an acre in size and is filled with new cultivars of the same plants that the Matsons first introduced in the Hampton Roads area and some of the original plants that they donated to Norfolk Botanical Garden.

This garden includes both shady and sunny spots, a stream, a dry stack wall and stone pathways. Sweeps of perennials border the canal and smaller plants are tucked into niches along the paved road.

The Figure 8 Garden is a meandering shady path through impressive azaleas and other woodland shrubs. Surprises are tucked into hidden corners throughout this informal garden.

One of the Garden’s main pathways leads through the Border Garden. A variety of flowering shrubs including a row of white-flowering ‘Diana’ hibiscus provide a backdrop to mixed plantings of perennials and annuals.

Inspired by the soft and romantic gardens of renowned landscape designers Beatrix Farrand and Gertrude Jekyll, this garden is filled with flowers in pastel hues.

Perennials like gayfeather, peonies, roses, verbena and phlox tumble together reminiscent of the Impressionistic style of painting.

The Norfolk Botanical Garden features a dedicated Rhododendron Garden showcasing more than 175 varieties of rhododendrons thriving in a mature woodland setting.

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 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.