Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden marks 40 years with four extraordinary exhibits open through October.
Natural Connection, Sensory Garden
By Elizabeth Fogel, Associate Director Of Horticulture
Find the plants that make our lives possible—from the food we eat to the clothes we wear—in the Sensory Garden. Then, explore the bustling Children’s Garden, where okra, cotton, pineapple, rosemary, and funky-shaped gourds sprouting here offer an education on the inextricable connection between plants and humans, for both little ones and lifelong learners.
Shaded Serenity, Flagler Perennial Garden
By Megan Lacey, Horticulture Section Leader
Shaded beauties have the chance to shine in full bloom on the living arch welcoming guests to the Flagler Garden. Begonias, creeping wire vine, Australian sword fern, dichondra, and more decorate the structure shaded by looming trees, hinting at the tranquil pathways onwards, where scattered spots of dappled sunlight offer a cool, calming retreat from direct, sweltering sun.
Tropical Treasures, Central Garden
By Horticulturists Danny Cox, Dean Dietrich, Jayton Howard, and Claire Reines
A slice of paradise awaits in the Central Garden, where an impressive living sculpture of a turtle hosts an array of bromeliads and other enchanting, tropical plants across its head and back and spouts water from its mouth into an idyllic fountain pool. Colorful florals encircle the peaceful waters where water lilies rhythmically float and bob around the mythical looking creature.
Victorian Splendor, Grace Arents Garden
By Elizabeth Fogel, Associate Director Of Horticulture
Take a step back in time entering the Grace Arents Garden, designed to convey what a Victorian garden might look like in Arents’ own lifetime. In that age, exotic, tropical plants, particularly from far off places, showed off one’s wealth and status. Bright shades of dahlias, zinnias, and pentas, and tall, vibrant green ferns here reflect that elite, eye-catching look.
by Sarah Hauser / @virginiaflair (courtesy of Virginia Tourism Corp.)
Read all about LGBG’s 40th anniversary here!
This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue.
