The Memphis Botanic Garden is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe 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, an ...

located in Audubon Park at 750 Cherry Road,

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. Memphis Botanic Garden is open to the public daily, where guests can take a stroll through various gardens on the grounds. There is also a children's garden, called my Big Backyard, which is very popular with Memphians and out of towners. Memphis Botanic Garden hosts many community events each year, such as the Daffodil Dash Race, The Family Egg Hunt, and Mother's Day Jazz Brunch. The garden also offers a range of educational programs for youth and adults. Plant sales and a concert series are held throughout the year to benefit its educational and horticultural programs.

History

The gardens have gradually been established in Audubon Park from 1953 onwards, including the creation of an

arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

(1957) and

magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

garden (1958), as well as the movement of an existing rose garden to the area (1958). The Goldsmith Civic Garden Center, housing the Garden's administrative offices, an auditorium and the Water Garden Room, was completed and dedicated in 1964. The gardens were formally named the Memphis Botanic Garden in 1966.

Gardens

Today the garden contains 23 specialty gardens, including: * Tennessee Bicentennial Iris Garden - hundreds of varieties of bearded irises, plus other iris types from Louisiana, Japan, Siberia and Spuria. * Conifer Collection (1981) - including many dwarf

conifer Conifers are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single ...

varieties. * Herb Garden (2011) - over 500 types of

herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

s. * Japanese Garden of Tranquility (1965, 1989) - designed by Dr. P. T. Tono,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

; redesigned by Dr. Koichi Kawana. * Rose Garden - 75

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

varieties. * Sensory Garden (1989) * Anne Heard Stokes Butterfly Garden (1997) * Memphis Garden Club Water Garden

Honors

The Garden has several unique features and was recently certified as a Level 4

Arboretum An arboretum (plural: arboreta) in a general sense is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, man ...

, the highest designation, making it one of four in Tennessee. In 2006, the Garden's

Hosta ''Hosta'' (, syn. ''Funkia'') is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name gibōshi. Hostas are widely cultivated as shade-tolerant foliage plants. The genus is currently placed in the fa ...

Trail was recognized by the

American Hosta Society ''Hosta'' (, syn. ''Funkia'') is a genus of plants commonly known as hostas, plantain lilies and occasionally by the Japanese name gibōshi. Hostas are widely cultivated as shade-tolerant foliage plants. The genus is currently placed in the fa ...

as one of fifteen nationally certified trails in the U.S. and one of two certified trails in the South.

Charity

Charity Navigator Charity Navigator is a charity assessment organization that evaluates hundreds of thousands of charitable organizations based in the United States, operating as a free 501(c)(3) organization. It provides insights into a nonprofit’s financial s ...

has awarded the Memphis Botanic Garden as a Four Star Charity making it in the top 14% of all non profit organizations in the U.S. for financial management. In 2006, the Memphis Botanic Garden became a Blue Star Memorial Garden in cooperation with th
National Garden Clubs

Gallery

Image:Japanese-style bridge over Lake Biwa, Memphis Botanic Garden.jpg, Japanese-style bridge over Lake Biwa Image:Fountain inside the Memphis Botanic Garden.jpg, Fountain by the main entrance building Image:Main building of the Memphis Botanic Garden.jpg, Main building Image:Tree House in the Memphis Botanic Garden.jpg, Tree House Image:Sunflower art piece in the Memphis Botanic Garden.jpg, Sunflower art piece by Elisha Gold Image:The "Guest House" inside the Memphis Botanic Garden.jpg, The "Guest House" Image:Statue of a child made of vines in the Memphis Botanic Garden.jpg, Statue of a child made of vines

References

External links

Memphis Botanic Garden

History of the Memphis Botanic Garden
{{Memphis, Tennessee Botanical gardens in Tennessee Parks in Memphis, Tennessee Japanese gardens in the United States Protected areas established in 1953 1953 establishments in Tennessee