- Memphis Botanic Garden
-
Botanic Garden (2008)
The Memphis Botanic Garden is a 96-acre (39 ha) botanical garden located in Audubon Park at 750 Cherry Road, Memphis, Tennessee.
Memphis Botanic Garden is open to the public daily, where guests can take a stroll through the many 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 big 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. Several plant sales are held each year at the garden to benefit its educational and horticultural programs.
Another big fundraiser for Memphis Botanic Garden is Live at the Garden concert series. Now in its 10th year, Live at the Garden is a popular event for thousands of Memphians.
Admission to Memphis Botanic Garden is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $3 for children ages 3 and older. Children under the age of 2 get in free.
Contents
History
The gardens have gradually been established in Audubon Park from 1953 onwards, including the creation of an arboretum (1957) and magnolia 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 completeted 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 varieties.
- Herb Garden (1986) - over 100 types of herbs.
- Japanese Garden of Tranquility (1965, 1989) - designed by Dr. P. T. Tono, Tokyo; redesigned by Dr. Koichi Kawana.
- Rose Garden - 75 rose varieties.
- Sensory Garden (1989)
- Anne Heard Strokes Butterfly Garden (1997)
- Memphis Garden Club Water Garden
Honors
The Garden has several unique features and was recently certified as a Level 4 Arboretum, the highest designation, making it one of four in Tennessee.
In 2006, the Garden's Hosta Trail was recognized by the American Hosta Society as one of fifteen nationally certified trails in the U.S and one of two certified trails in the South.
Charity
Charity Navigator 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 the National Garden Clubs.
See also
References
External links
Coordinates: 35°07′27″N 89°57′34″W / 35.124120°N 89.959487°W
Categories:- Botanical gardens in Tennessee
- Parks in Memphis, Tennessee
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
