Aldridge Gardens is a 30-acre (121,000 m²)

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

, prominently featuring

hydrangea ''Hydrangea'', () commonly named the hortensia, is a genus of over 75 species of flowering plants native to Asia and the Americas. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Korea, and Japan. Most are shrubs tall, ...

s, located on the former Aldridge Estate in

Hoover, Alabama Hoover is a city in Jefferson and Shelby counties in north central Alabama, United States. Hoover is the largest suburban city in Alabama and the 6th largest city in Alabama. The city had a population of 92,606 as of the 2020 US Census. Hoover ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Local nurseryman Eddie Aldridge purchased the property from the Coxe family in 1977 as a residence. Aldridge, who along with his father, Loren L. Aldridge, found and patented ''Hydrangea quercifolia'' 'Snowflake', a double-flowering form of Oakleaf Hydrangea. In 1997 the gardens were conveyed to the City of Hoover and formally dedicated to the public. The site is now managed by a non-profit organization. A new master plan was approved in 1997 to guide the future development of the gardens. The gardens contain extensive

plantings, as well as a five

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

(20,234 m²) lake with walking trails. Public lectures and educational activities are scheduled throughout the year.

See also