Norfolk Botanical Garden
Encyclopedia
The Norfolk Botanical Garden (155 acres) is a botanical garden
with arboretum
located at 6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk, Virginia
.
October 16th - April 30th
Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Boat Tours:
Sunset Boat Tours:
. Norfolk Botanical Garden opened in 1938, when the city of Norfolk set aside a 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) of high, wooded ground plus 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) of reservoir for a city garden. In 1938, under a Works Progress Administration
(WPA) grant, 200 African-American women and 20 men cleared the site. By March 1939, 4,000 azalea
s, 2,000 rhododendron
s, several thousand miscellaneous shrubs and trees, and 100 bushels of daffodils had been planted. In 1958 the Old Dominion Horticultural Society took over maintenance and changed the garden's name to Norfolk Botanical Garden. The garden did at one point contain 175 acres, but the neighboring Norfolk International Airport
expanded and took away 20 acres. A number of gardens were added through the 1950s and 1960s, including a Japanese garden
, desert plants garden, colonial garden and rose garden. Today the grounds include numerous theme gardens, including:
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
with arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
located at 6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
.
Hours of operation
April 1st - October 16th- Gate is open from 9am - 7pm
- Garden is open from 9am - 7pm
October 16th - April 30th
- Gate is open from 9am - 5pm
- Garden is open from 9am - 7pm
Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Admission to the garden
- Members Free
- Adults $9
- Seniors and Military $8
- Children & Youth (3-18) $6
- Toddlers (2 and under) Free with Parent or Guardian
Boat Tours:
- Adults $5
- Toddlers (2 and under) Free
Sunset Boat Tours:
- Adult Members $10
- Adult Non-members $18
- Toddlers (2 and under) Free
History
The Norfolk Botanical Garden was first called the Norfolk Azalea Garden, is listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Norfolk Botanical Garden opened in 1938, when the city of Norfolk set aside a 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) of high, wooded ground plus 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) of reservoir for a city garden. In 1938, under a Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
(WPA) grant, 200 African-American women and 20 men cleared the site. By March 1939, 4,000 azalea
Azalea
Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
s, 2,000 rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s, several thousand miscellaneous shrubs and trees, and 100 bushels of daffodils had been planted. In 1958 the Old Dominion Horticultural Society took over maintenance and changed the garden's name to Norfolk Botanical Garden. The garden did at one point contain 175 acres, but the neighboring Norfolk International Airport
Norfolk International Airport
-Baggage Claims:Southwest Airlines #1,Delta Airlines #2,US Airways | American Airlines #3,Continental Airlines|United Express #5- Facilities and aircraft :...
expanded and took away 20 acres. A number of gardens were added through the 1950s and 1960s, including a Japanese garden
Japanese garden
, that is, gardens in traditional Japanese style, can be found at private homes, in neighborhood or city parks, and at historical landmarks such as Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and old castles....
, desert plants garden, colonial garden and rose garden. Today the grounds include numerous theme gardens, including:
- All-American Selections Display Garden - features All-America Selections (AAS) of new annual varieties.
- Annette Kagan Healing Garden - medicinal plants, stream, and pools.
- Bicentennial Rose Garden (1976) - over 3,000 rose plants representing more than 430 varieties.
- Border Walk - traditional English-style border, with tulipTulipThe tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
s, daffodils, pansiesPansyThe Pansy is a large group of hybrid plants cultivated as garden flowers. Pansies are derived from Viola species Viola tricolor hybridized with other viola species, these hybrids are referred to as Viola × wittrockiana or less commonly Viola tricolor hortensis...
, as well as azaleaAzaleaAzaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
s, hibiscusHibiscusHibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world...
'Diane', impatiensImpatiensImpatiens is a genus of about 850–1,000 species of flowering plants, widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere and tropics. Together with the puzzling Hydrocera triflora, this genus makes up the family Balsaminaceae...
, petuniaPetuniaPetunia is a widely cultivated genus of flowering plants of South American origin, closely related with tobacco, cape gooseberries, tomatoes, deadly nightshades, potatoes and chili peppers; in the family Solanaceae. The popular flower derived its name from French, which took the word petun, meaning...
s, and gomphrenaGomphrenaGomphrena the Globe amaranths, is a genus of plants in the family Amaranthaceae.Species include:*Gomphrena globosa - Globe amaranth*Gomphrena haageana - Strawberry globe amaranth*Gomphrena perennis - Glyphosate resistant...
.
- Bristow Butterfly Garden (2 acres) - a habitat for butterfliesButterflyA butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
and mothMothA moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s.
- Colonial Herb Garden - American herbHerbExcept in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
garden of the 18th and 19th centuries, hedged with boxwoodBuxusBuxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood ....
.
- Conifer Garden - dwarf and large conifers, including arborvitae, cryptomeriaCryptomeriaCryptomeria is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae; it includes only one species, Cryptomeria japonica . It is endemic to Japan, where it is known as Sugi...
, False Cypress, juniperJuniperJunipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
, and spruceSpruceA spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
.
- Fern Glade - numerous fernFernA fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
species.
- Flowering Aboretum (17.5 acres) - a collection of 336 flowering trees.
- Four Seasons Garden and Wildflower Meadow (1994) - more than 50 wildflowerWildflowerA wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
species and 10 species of grassGrassGrasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es.
- Fragrance Garden (1963) - fragrance plants, including bayberry, fringetree, lavenderLavenderThe lavenders are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India...
, osmanthusOsmanthusOsmanthus is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae, mostly native to warm temperate Asia but one species occurring in North America . It is sometimes included in Nestegis.They range in size from shrubs to small trees, 2-12 m tall...
, peppermintPeppermintPeppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
, wintersweet, and fragrant flowering bulbs.
- Hofheimer Camellia Garden (1992) - one of the region's largest camelliaCamelliaCamellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
collection; more than 500 varieties. Predominant types are varieties of CamelliaCamelliaCamellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
japonica and C. sasanqua.
- Holly Garden & Turner Sculpture Garden (1950s, 3 acres) - evergreen holliesHollyIlex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
in garden "rooms". The garden contains 121 varieties of hollies, including more than 20 types of American and Asiatic hollies and a dozen English hollies are grouped by geographic regions.
- Japanese Garden (1962) - created to honor Norfolk's sister city, Moji, Japan, and rededicated in 1962 to Kitakyushu, formerly Moji; redesigned and refurbished in 1995.
- Kaufman Hydrangea Garden - nearly 200 varieties of hydrangeaHydrangeaHydrangea is a genus of about 70 to 75 species of flowering plants native to southern and eastern Asia and North and South America. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Japan, and Korea...
and close relatives.
- Matson Garden (0.25 acres) - large sweeps of perennials and smaller mixed groups.
- Mirror Lake (1939) - lake with paved trail and small woodland trails.
- NATO Overlook - view of garden, with redwoods and blue atlas cedars; named in honor of the nearby NATO installation.
- Norfolk International Airport Overlook - detailed map of Norfolk International AirportNorfolk International Airport-Baggage Claims:Southwest Airlines #1,Delta Airlines #2,US Airways | American Airlines #3,Continental Airlines|United Express #5- Facilities and aircraft :...
with a description of how planes work. Visitors can monitor airport ground communications.
- Purity Garden - Cataldi's sculpture of Madonna and Child, with backdrop of camelliaCamelliaCamellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
s.
- Renaissance Garden (1994) - patterned upon Italian RenaissanceRenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
gardens of the late 16th century, with vista, terraces, stone fences, statues of the seasons, and reflective pool and fountain.
- Rhododendron Glade - more than 175 azaleaAzaleaAzaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
and rhododendronRhododendronRhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
varieties.
- Sarah Lee Baker Perennial Garden (1 acre) - more than 200 varieties of perennials, in a formal setting with limestone fountain and canals.
- Statuary Vista - eleven, seven-foot heroic sized statues carved from CarraraCarraraCarrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....
marble by Sir Moses Jacob EzekielMoses Jacob EzekielMoses Jacob Ezekiel was an American sculptor who lived and worked in Rome for the majority of his career. In the American Civil War, he was a highly-decorated soldier in the Confederate States Army.-Biography:...
in Rome, 1879–1884, for William Wilson CorcoranWilliam Wilson CorcoranWilliam Wilson Corcoran was an American banker, philanthropist, and art collector.-Early life:Corcoran was born in Georgetown in the District of Columbia, the son of a well-to-do father whom the electors of Georgetown twice chose as mayor. His father, Thomas Corcoran, came to Georgetown in 1788...
, founder of the Corcoran Gallery of ArtCorcoran Gallery of ArtThe Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
in Washington, D.C. These statues were originally designed to be set in second-story niches in the Corcoran Gallery, and depict notable artists (Rembrandt, Rubens, Canova, PhidiasPhidiasPhidias or the great Pheidias , was a Greek sculptor, painter and architect, who lived in the 5th century BC, and is commonly regarded as one of the greatest of all sculptors of Classical Greece: Phidias' Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World...
, MurilloBartolomé Estéban MurilloBartolomé Esteban Murillo was a Spanish Baroque painter. Although he is best known for his religious works, Murillo also produced a considerable number of paintings of contemporary women and children...
, Dürer, da Vinci, etc.).
- Sunken Garden (1963) - small pool with shade and sun plants.
- Tropical Garden - bananaBananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s, elephant earElephant ear-Botanical:*A plant with leaves shaped like an elephant's ear, with large, thick leaves.** Several related genera in the family Araceae :*** Alocasia, occurring in Tropical & Subtropical Asia to Eastern Australia and widely cultivated in Oceania and South America.*** Caladium, ornamental plants...
s, eucalyptusEucalyptusEucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
, gingerGingerGinger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
s, etc.
- Virginia Native Plant Garden (6 acres) - four plant communities that once covered much of southeastern VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
: bald cypress / tupeloTupeloThe tupelo , black gum, or pepperidge tree, genus Nyssa , is a small genus of about 9 to 11 species of trees with alternate, simple leaves...
swamp; bottomland hardwood forest; longleaf pine flatwoods; and Atlantic white cedar forest.
- Winter Garden - plants of winter interest.
- World of Wonders (3 acres) - for families and children.