3 GARDEN VARIETY
From formal hedge mazes to naturalized wildflower meadows, from delicately beautiful butterfly gardens to acres of old-growth forests, Virginia’s public gardens and arboretums will inspire and delight. As with so much in Virginia, many of the Commonwealth’s gardens are deeply connected to history. At Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the gardens reflect his inquiring mind, with a botanical laboratory of beautiful and useful plants. The Lynchburg home and gardens of Anne Spence, a civil rights activist and poet of the Harlem Renaissance, offer an intimate look into her life and work. For intergenerational travellers, kids will love the WOW Children’s Garden at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, with its plant safaris and hands-on adventures.