The State Arboretum of Virginia is located in Clarke County, Virginia in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. Originally the property was a 900 acre estate that was established by Colonel Tuley in 1810 and called the Tuleyries. This property was purchased by Mr. Graham Blandy in 1905. Upon his death in 1926, 700 acres of the Tuleyries estate was bequeathed to the University of Virginia. This parcel included the Quarters, an 1830's brick structure once used as servant quarters.

Upon acquiring the property, the University of Virginia hired Dr. Orland E. White, Curator of Plants at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, to establish a biological research field station which would be called Blandy Experimental Farm. Dr. White began planting the Arboretum in 1929 and organized it according to the Engler-Prantl system of plant classification. The plants came from all over the world and were used in research. Dr. White kept extensive written and photographic documentation of the plants he included in the Arboretum, which still exist today. Upon his retirement in 1955, the Arboretum was named the Orland E. White Arboretum in his honor. In 1986, the Virginia General Assembly designated the Arboretum to be the State Arboretum of Virginia. The property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992 under the theme of agriculture as it relates to horticulture and education for the time period of 1926 - 1939.

The Arboretum currently has 6,435 shrub and tree specimens comprising 1,149 taxa. The conifer collection is the largest target plant group, with 1,635 specimens in 243 taxa. The largest single plant collection within the gymnosperms is the ginkgo, with 324 specimens. The Arboretum serves as a research collection for its parent institution (the University of Virginia's Blandy Experimental Farm), an educational tool for outreach and K-12 programs, and as a large display garden for the public. Recent collection expansions have focused and will continue to focus of regional and national plant species currently lacking in the collection and additions of greatest interest to our mission of environmental research and education.

The Rare and Unusual Southern Conifer Garden at the Atlanta Botanical Garden was originally planted in 1994 and consisted of two beds located immediately in front of the conservatory. An additional two beds were added in 1998. Several people were instrumental in the planning and planting of this garden - Ron Determann, Director of the Fuqua Conservatory; Mildred Pinnell Fockele, Director of Horticulture; and renowned horticulturalist Ozzie Johnson. All had been collecting plants for many years and wanted a garden in which to display them. Many of the original plants were from the JC Raulston Arboretum and many were from plant collection trips made from around the globe and especially Asia. One of the primary goals of the conifer collection is evaluation of plants for their suitability for use in landscapes here in the Southeast.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden also has a large number of tropical conifers in their conservatory including conifers Ron Determann has obtained from New Caledonia where all of the 43 conifer species are endemic and many are threatened at this time.

ABG is also leading the way in the conservation of one of the Southeastern native conifers - Torreya taxifolia, the stinking cedar, which has been decimated by habitat loss and a fungal disease. ABG's staff is working with several conservation groups to reestablish populations outside of their normal range where it is hoped they will not be susceptible to the fungus.

ABG's conifer collection currently exceeds over 700 specimens.

The Norfolk Botanical Garden has grown from humble beginnings as a Work Progress Administration project to a 155-acre garden filled with thousands of plants. There are more than forty themed gardens spread across the site. Some gardens focus on a single plant (camellias, hydrangeas, roses), others look at a plant from a specific region (Japan, Virginia), while others provide homeowners with great ideas and or new plants to use in their own garden. The garden has over 12 miles of paved trails and 250,000 visitors annually. NBG mission is to enrich life by promoting the enjoyment of plants and the environment through beautiful gardens and education programs.

The permanent plant collections consist of six primary collections and several other noteworthy collections. These primary collections are Camellia, Crepe Myrtle, Hydrangea, Holly, Rhododendron and Rose. Our Camellia, Crepe Myrtle and Hydrangea collection are certified by North American Plant Collection Consortium (NAPCC). Other noteworthy collections include Begonias, Conifers, Iris, Magnolia and Viburnum.

The Norfolk Botanical Garden conifer collection features 28 different conifer genera and 70 species. The conifer garden features 46 different species in 21 different genera. The Norfolk Botanical Garden has many large Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) on the property including the state champion. The R.W. Cross Nature Trail in the Virginia Native Plant Garden 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. In addition, Loblolly Pine is one of NBG's dominant canopy species.

Norfolk Botanical Garden History

The idea for what would eventually become Norfolk Botanical Garden came from Frederic Heutte, a young horticulturalist, and Thomas P. Thompson, Norfolk City Manager 1935-1938. Heutte and Thompson believed that Norfolk could support an azalea garden to rival those of Charleston, S.C., which even during the depression years drew thousands of tourists annually. The city of Norfolk provided Heutte and Thompson with a seventy-five acre section of high, wooded ground and another seventy-five acres of the Little Creek Reservoir to establish a city garden.

On June 30, 1938, Representative Norman R. Hamilton announced a Works Progress Administration (WPA) grant of $76, 278 for the Azalea Garden project. A group of more than 200 African American women and 20 men were assigned to the Azalea Garden project. They labored from dawn till dusk clearing dense understory vegetation. Within less than a year, a section of underbrush had been cleared and readied for planting. By March of 1939, four thousand azaleas, two thousand rhododendrons, several thousand miscellaneous shrubs and trees and one hundred bushels of daffodils had been planted.

To show the city's support for the Garden, the name was changed in 1955 from Azalea Garden to Norfolk Municipal Gardens. On February 18, 1958, the Old Dominion Horticultural Society took over maintenance of Norfolk Municipal Gardens and changed the name to Norfolk Botanical Garden. The Norfolk Botanical Garden strived to "promote for the people of Tidewater, Virginia, a Garden that will always remain an inspiration, and lead the home gardener to greater enjoyment and accomplishment in his own yard"... and to "present rare and exotic plants in variety only exceeded by few other sections of the world" (NBG mission statement, 1958).

Additions throughout the 1950's and 1960's focused on increasing the variety of collections in the Garden. A Japanese Garden, a Desert Plants Garden, a Colonial Garden and a Rose Garden, which featured All-American Rose Selection winners, were among the new gardens constructed. With increased attendance and public support, the Garden has continued to expand. Our latest garden completed in 2006 is World of Wonders which is a three-acre children's adventure garden where kids explore the connections between plants, international culture and the environment.

Conifer Garden History

The original conifer garden was probably built sometime in 1960's. In 2009, expansion began to prepare for the replacement of the canal's bulkheads by transplanting a number of dwarf conifers to new areas. New beds were designed by Director of Horticulture Brian O'Neil to feature these conifers among a variety of companion perennials such as grasses, bulbs, daylilies and sedums. These new beds occupied the space of former All American Selection beds and turf grass areas. Granite staircases and changes in a gravel path were also added to better showcase these dwarf conifers. The Conifer Garden has 46 different conifer species in 21 different genera. It features a large number of Chamaecyparis obtusa, Chamaecyparis pisiferaand Cryptomeria japonicacultivars. Norfolk Botanical Garden is working on building its collection.

To find out more about Norfolk Botanical Garden

Website: norfolkbotanicalgarden.org

Location: 6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk, VA 23518-5337

Contact: Renee Frith, Curator of Woody Plants

Phone: (757) 441-5830, ext. 455

The Norfolk Botanical Garden has grown from humble beginnings as a Work Progress Administration project to a 155-acre garden filled with thousands of plants. There are more than forty themed gardens spread across the site. Some gardens focus on a single plant (camellias, hydrangeas, roses), others look at a plant from a specific region (Japan, Virginia), while others provide homeowners with great ideas and or new plants to use in their own garden. The garden has over 12 miles of paved trails and 250,000 visitors annually. NBG mission is to enrich life by promoting the enjoyment of plants and the environment through beautiful gardens and education programs.

The permanent plant collections consist of six primary collections and several other noteworthy collections. These primary collections are Camellia, Crepe Myrtle, Hydrangea, Holly, Rhododendron and Rose. Our Camellia, Crepe Myrtle and Hydrangea collection are certified by North American Plant Collection Consortium (NAPCC). Other noteworthy collections include Begonias, Conifers, Iris, Magnolia and Viburnum.

The Norfolk Botanical Garden conifer collection features 28 different conifer genera and 70 species. The conifer garden features 46 different species in 21 different genera. The Norfolk Botanical Garden has many large Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) on the property including the state champion. The R.W. Cross Nature Trail in the Virginia Native Plant Garden 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. In addition, Loblolly Pine is one of NBG's dominant canopy species.

Norfolk Botanical Garden History

The idea for what would eventually become Norfolk Botanical Garden came from Frederic Heutte, a young horticulturalist, and Thomas P. Thompson, Norfolk City Manager 1935-1938. Heutte and Thompson believed that Norfolk could support an azalea garden to rival those of Charleston, S.C., which even during the depression years drew thousands of tourists annually. The city of Norfolk provided Heutte and Thompson with a seventy-five acre section of high, wooded ground and another seventy-five acres of the Little Creek Reservoir to establish a city garden.

On June 30, 1938, Representative Norman R. Hamilton announced a Works Progress Administration (WPA) grant of $76, 278 for the Azalea Garden project. A group of more than 200 African American women and 20 men were assigned to the Azalea Garden project. They labored from dawn till dusk clearing dense understory vegetation. Within less than a year, a section of underbrush had been cleared and readied for planting. By March of 1939, four thousand azaleas, two thousand rhododendrons, several thousand miscellaneous shrubs and trees and one hundred bushels of daffodils had been planted.

To show the city's support for the Garden, the name was changed in 1955 from Azalea Garden to Norfolk Municipal Gardens. On February 18, 1958, the Old Dominion Horticultural Society took over maintenance of Norfolk Municipal Gardens and changed the name to Norfolk Botanical Garden. The Norfolk Botanical Garden strived to "promote for the people of Tidewater, Virginia, a Garden that will always remain an inspiration, and lead the home gardener to greater enjoyment and accomplishment in his own yard"... and to "present rare and exotic plants in variety only exceeded by few other sections of the world" (NBG mission statement, 1958).

Additions throughout the 1950's and 1960's focused on increasing the variety of collections in the Garden. A Japanese Garden, a Desert Plants Garden, a Colonial Garden and a Rose Garden, which featured All-American Rose Selection winners, were among the new gardens constructed. With increased attendance and public support, the Garden has continued to expand. Our latest garden completed in 2006 is World of Wonders which is a three-acre children's adventure garden where kids explore the connections between plants, international culture and the environment.

Conifer Garden History

The original conifer garden was probably built sometime in 1960's. In 2009, expansion began to prepare for the replacement of the canal's bulkheads by transplanting a number of dwarf conifers to new areas. New beds were designed by Director of Horticulture Brian O'Neil to feature these conifers among a variety of companion perennials such as grasses, bulbs, daylilies and sedums. These new beds occupied the space of former All American Selection beds and turf grass areas. Granite staircases and changes in a gravel path were also added to better showcase these dwarf conifers. The Conifer Garden has 46 different conifer species in 21 different genera. It features a large number of Chamaecyparis obtusa, Chamaecyparis pisiferaand Cryptomeria japonicacultivars. Norfolk Botanical Garden is working on building its collection.

To find out more about Norfolk Botanical Garden

Website: norfolkbotanicalgarden.org
Location: 6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk, VA 23518-5337
Contact: Renee Frith, Curator of Woody Plants
Phone: (757) 441-5830, ext. 455