The Norfolk Botanical Garden (158 acres) 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 ...

with arboretum located at 6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk, Virginia.

History

The Norfolk Botanical Garden was founded through the collaboration between Norfolk City Manager Thomas P. Thompson and horticulturalist Frederic Heutte. In 1938, the pair were granted of high, wooded ground plus of reservoir for a city garden. Later that year, under a

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(WPA) grant, 200 African-American women and 20 men cleared the site. By March 1939, 4,000 azaleas, 2,000 rhododendrons, several thousand miscellaneous shrubs and trees, and 100 bushels of

daffodil ''Narcissus'' is a genus of predominantly spring flowering perennial plants of the amaryllis family, Amaryllidaceae. Various common names including daffodil,The word "daffodil" is also applied to related genera such as ''Sternbergia'', ''Ism ...

s had been planted. and another grant was quickly secured to expand the garden. 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 is seven miles (11 km) northeast of downtown Norfolk, an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is owned and operated by the Norfolk Airport Authority: a bureau under the municipal government. The ...

expanded and took away 20 acres. A number of gardens were added through the 1950s and 1960s, including a

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desi ...

, desert plants garden, colonial garden and rose garden. an
''Accompanying four photos''
/ref> It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2005.

Gardens

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

tulip Tulips (''Tulipa'') are a genus of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly coloured, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in warm ...

s, pansies, as well as azaleas,

hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species ...

'Diane', impatiens,

petunia ''Petunia'' is genus of 20 species of flowering plants of South American origin. The popular flower of the same name derived its epithet from the French, which took the word ''petun'', meaning "tobacco," from a Tupi–Guarani language. A tende ...

s, and gomphrena. * Bristow Butterfly Garden (2 acres) - a habitat for butterflies and

moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

s. * Colonial Herb Garden - American herb garden of the 18th and 19th centuries, hedged with

boxwood ''Buxus'' is a genus of about seventy species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost South ...

. * Conifer Garden - dwarf and large conifers, including

arborvitae ''Thuja'' ( ) is a genus of coniferous tree or shrub in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia. The genus is monophyletic and sister to '' Thujopsis''. ...

cryptomeria ''Cryptomeria'' (literally "hidden parts") is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae, formerly belonging to the family Taxodiaceae. It includes only one species, ''Cryptomeria japonica'' ( syn. ''Cupressus japonica'' ...

, False Cypress, juniper, and spruce. * Fern Glade - numerous

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

species. * Flowering Aboretum (17.5 acres) - a collection of 336 flowering trees. * Four Seasons Garden and Wildflower Meadow (1994) - more than 50

wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the ...

species and 10 species of

grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns a ...

es. * Fragrance Garden (1963) - fragrance plants, including

bayberry ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from Australi ...

, fringetree,

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...

osmanthus ''Osmanthus'' ''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae. Most of the species are native to eastern Asia ( China, Japan, Korea, Indochina, the Himalayas, etc.),and wa ...

peppermint Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a hybrid species of mint, a cross between watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in many regions of the world.Euro+Med Plantba ...

, wintersweet, and fragrant flowering bulbs. * Hofheimer Camellia Garden (1992) - one of the region's largest

camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controv ...

collection; more than 500 varieties. Predominant types are varieties of ''

Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controv ...

japonica'' and ''C. sasanqua''. * Holly Garden & Turner Sculpture Garden (1950s, 3 acres) - evergreen

hollies The Hollies are a British pop rock band, formed in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Allan Clarke and Graham Nash founded the band ...

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

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, ...

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 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

installation. * Norfolk International Airport Overlook - detailed map of

with a description of how planes work. Visitors can monitor airport ground communications. * Purity Garden -

Cataldi Cataldi is an Italian surname, and may refer to: * Angelo Cataldi, American radio personality * Anna Cataldi, Italian humanitarian and journalist * Annaclara Cataldi Palau, Italian paleographer * Danilo Cataldi, Italian footballer * Lee Cataldi, Au ...

's sculpture of Madonna and Child, with backdrop of

s. * Renaissance Garden (1994) - patterned upon Italian

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

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 azalea and rhododendron 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

Carrara Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence. Its mot ...

marble by Sir

Moses Jacob Ezekiel Moses Jacob Ezekiel, also known as Moses "Ritter von" Ezekiel (October 28, 1844 – March 27, 1917), was an American sculptor who lived and worked in Rome for the majority of his career. Ezekiel was "the first American-born Jewish artist to r ...

in Rome, 1879–1884, for William Wilson Corcoran, founder of the

Corcoran Gallery of Art The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. Overview The Corcoran School of the Arts & Design ...

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 Antonio Canova (; 1 November 1757 – 13 October 1822) was an Italian Neoclassical sculptor, famous for his marble sculptures. Often regarded as the greatest of the Neoclassical artists,. his sculpture was inspired by the Baroque and the cl ...

Phidias Phidias or Pheidias (; grc, Φειδίας, ''Pheidias''; 480 – 430 BC) was a Greek sculptor, painter, and architect. His Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Phidias also designed the stat ...

, Murillo, Dürer,

da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on h ...

, etc.). * Sunken Garden (1963) - small pool with shade and sun plants. * Tropical Garden - bananas, elephant ears,

eucalyptus ''Eucalyptus'' () is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including '' Corymbia'', they are commonly known as e ...

, gingers, etc. * Virginia Native Plant Garden (6 acres) - four plant communities that once covered much of southeastern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

bald cypress ''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide ...

tupelo Tupelo , genus ''Nyssa'' , is a small genus of deciduous trees with alternate, simple leaves. It is sometimes included in the subfamily Nyssoideae of the dogwood family, Cornaceae, but is placed by other authorities in the family Nyssaceae. In ...

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.

Tours offered

Tram

The tram starts in front of Baker Hall Visitor Center, in the designated tram circle. The tram tour takes approximately 25 minutes, and has nine stops around the garden. On weekdays the tram runs at the top of the hour, and on weekends the trams runs every half hour. The tram is driven by a Garden Guide that will explain the different gardens passed by during the tour.

Rose Walking

This tour is an in depth view of the Bicentennial Rose Garden. It was completed in 1976 in honor of America's 200th birthday. Inside the 3.5 acres there are 3,000 individual rose bushes representing roughly 400 cultivars. It was previously one of 23 testing sites for the All-American Selection for roses (All American Rose Selection), and now it is a designated display site only.

Boat

A 45-minute tour that starts and end at the boat basin right behind Baker Hall and next to the Japanese Garden. The tour goes out onto Lake Whitehurst, where you learn about the lake and all the inhabitants.

Sunset Boat

These tours are only offered about once a month. It is a tour that lasts for an hour and a half out on Lake Whitehurst. It is a more in-depth look into the body of water and all its inhabitants than the daily boat tour.

Gallery

File:Passion Vine NBG LR.jpg, ''Passiflora incarnata'' (Passion Flower) in the Butterfly House File:Plectranthus scutellarioides NBG LR.jpg, Two types of ''Plectranthus scutellarioides'' (Coleus). File:Cleome hassleriana NBG 2 LR.jpg, ''Cleome hassleriana'' "White Pink Spider Flower" File:Bell in Japanese Garden NBG 100 crop LR.jpg, Japanese style bell at the Japanese Garden File:Japanese Garden Stone Cistern Fountain NBG 6 LR.jpg, Japanese style cistern fountain at the Japanese Garden File:NorfolkBotanicalGardenJapanese.jpg, Japanese Garden waterfall File:NorfolkBotanicalGardenPerennial.jpg, Fountain in the Perennial Garden File:NorfolkBotanicalGardensWOW.jpg, Entrance to World of Wonders File:NorfolkBotanicalGardenBorder.jpg, Border Walk File:Plum Rose Rosa Aroplumi Rosaceae.jpg, Plum rose specimen

References

External links

Norfolk Botanical Garden
{{Authority control Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Arboreta in Virginia Botanical gardens in Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Norfolk, Virginia Virginia municipal and county parks Works Progress Administration in Virginia Parks in Norfolk, Virginia