In the next couple of days, the latest Botanica newsletter should start arriving in mailboxes! Among the interesting articles you’ll find inside the newsletter is one highlighting some of the botanical tourism destinations in the great state of Ohio. While we’re eagerly awaiting the building of the Waterfront Botanical Gardens, there is plenty to see and do just up the river in Ohio that can satisfy your itch for all things green and leafy! Check out some of these botanical tourism destinations in Ohio!
AKRON AREA
Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
714 North Portage Path
Akron OH 44303
(330) 836-5533
http://www.stanhywet.org
The former estate of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. co-founder, F.A. Seiberling, sits on 70 acres of artfully landscaped grounds designed by Warren Manning. The estate includes an English garden designed by Ellen Biddle Shipman, Japanese garden, conservatory and more.
Secrest Arboretum
1680 Madison Ave
Wooster, Ohio 44691
(330) 263-3761
The Secrest Arboretum was begun in 1909 by Edmund Secrest, and includes largest collection of crabapples in the nation. Plantings include a large variety rhododendrons of various types and a large rose garden with over 500 varieties.
Kingwood Center Garden
900 Park Avenue West
Mansfield, OH 44906
(419) 522-0211
http://www.kingwoodcenter.org/
The elegant gardens, grounds and historic buildings of this former estate of industrialist Charles Kelley King delights gardeners throughout the year, beginning with a riotous spring flower display featuring tulips, daffodils, flowering trees and much more. Gardens are intertwined with natural settings and ponds, with ducks and peacocks that roam the property.
CINCINNATI AREA
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
3400 Vine Street
Cincinnati OH 45220
(513) 281-4700
800.94.HIPPO
http://www.cincyzoo.org
The country’s second oldest zoo houses 3,000 plant varieties in gardens such as the Dinosaur Garden, sure to delight the young and old alike.
Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati
2715 Reading Road
Cincinnati, OH 45206
(513) 221-0981
http://www.civicgardencenter.org/
The Civic Garden Center delivers education in horticulture to children, adults and communities throughout the Cincinnati region. Resources include a library with more than 2,000 books, videos and other resources pertaining to gardening and floral topics. The Center has been instrumental in beautifying Greater Cincinnati with its urban gardening projects and community gardens. The Civic Garden Center sponsors community outreach and learning opportunities on “going green.”
Hauck Botanic Garden
2625 Reading Road
Cincinnati OH 45206
(513) 475-9600
http://cincyparks.com/parks-events/central-region/hauck-botanical-gardens/
An 8-acre urban site that features 900 types of trees, evergreens and shrubs, a wildflower garden, daylily collection, a hosta garden and the “All-American Dahlia Garden.”
Krohn Conservatory
1501 Eden Park Drive
Cincinnati OH 45202
(513) 421-4086
http://www.cincinnatiparks.com/krohn-conservatory/index.shtml
Located in Eden Park near the Cincinnati Museum of art, the Krohn Conservatory is a nationally recognized showcase of more than 3,500 plant species from around the world, including an indoor rainforest and waterfall, Tropical House, Floral Display House, as well as orchid and bonsai displays.
Mount Airy Forest and Arboretum
5083 Colerain Avenue
Mount Airy, OH
(513) 541-8176
http://cincyparks.com/parks-events/west-region/mt-airy-forest/
Part of the first municipal reforestation project in the country at the beginning of the 20th century, more than one million trees were planted on 1,500 acres in the nation’s largest municipal park. The Craftsman-inspired visitor center displays magnolias, azaleas, lilacs, dwarf conifers, rhododendrons and perennial gardens.
CLEVELAND AREA
Cleveland Botanical Garden
11030 East Boulevard
Cleveland OH 44106
(216) 721-1600
http://www.cbgarden.org
Located in downtown Cleveland at University Circle, the conservatory showcases plants from two of the world’s most endangered environments – Madagascar’s Spiny Desert and the Costa Rican Cloud Forest – and includes 10 acres of themed gardens, including an award-winning children’s garden.
Rockefeller Park, Cultural Gardens and Greenhouse
750 E. 88th Street
Cleveland, OH 44108
(216) 664-3103
http://www.culturalgardens.org/
Four acres of “talking” garden exhibits provide self-guided garden tours in a public garden where visitors are urged to touch and smell the foliage. Outdoor gardens include Japanese and peach gardens and seasonal displays. Indoor greenhouse gardens feature a water garden, tropical plants, fruits and seasonal flowers. In addition, there’s a Cactus House, Fern Room and much more. Nearby Cleveland Cultural Gardens feature some 25 gardens representing different nationalities.
Holden Arboretum
9500 Sperry Road
Kirtland, OH 44094
(440) 946-4400
http://www.holdenarb.org/home/
The Holden Arboretum houses a variety of themed gardens both for display and research. The Butterfly Garden is stocked with many colorful flowers, such as the purple coneflower, bee-balm, and catmint, all of which will attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Trained horticulturists offer guided tours through one-of-a-kind gardens, special collections, and natural areas.
COLUMBUS AREA
Franklin Park Conservatory
1777 East Broad Street
Columbus OH 43209
(614 ) 645-TREE
800.214. PARK
http://www.fpconservatory.org/
Experience the plantings of the Himalayan Mountains, a rainforest, desert and Pacific island water garden inside the conservatory building. Franklin Park features the largest collection of Dale Chihuly’s glassworks in botanical garden setting, and offers many visual arts related programming events.
The Ohio Governor’s Residence and Heritage Garden
358 North Parkview Avenue
Columbus OH 43209
(614) 644-7644
http://www.governorsresidence.ohio.gov/garden/gardenmaps.aspx
The grounds of the residence feature native plants in gardens representative of Ohio ’s diverse ecosystems including a cranberry bog, formal prairie, Lake Erie sand dunes, and more.
Ohio State University Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens
2001 Fyfee Court
Columbus, Ohio 43210
(614) 688-3479 or (614) 688-5869
www.chadwickarboretum.osu.edu/
The Ohio State University Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens has extensively planted gardens in three locations throughout the OSU campus properties, ranging from ornamental plantings, as well as tropical, container gardens, wildflowers, hostas, and more. A labyrinth garden with a replica of the 11-circuit labyrinth from Chartres Cathedral in France is also featured in this garden.
Dawes Arboretum
7770 Jacksontown Rd. SE
Newark, OH 43056
(800) 44-DAWES
Dating from 1929, the Dawes Arboretum showcases 1,800 acres of trees, history and nature. The grounds are accessible by an almost five-mile auto route and more than eight miles of hiking trails. Some feature attractions and visitor favorites are include a cypress swamp, Japanese Bonsai Garden and topiary displays.
Inniswood Metro Gardens
940 S. Hempstead Road
Westerville, OH 43081
(614) 895-6216
Inniswood Metro Gardens, located in central Ohio near Westerville,offers 121 acres of beautiful wildlife and plants, cultivated in ten distinctive landscape gardens that feature more than 2,000 species of plants in a beautiful estate setting.
Park of Roses
Whetstone Park
3923 High Street
Columbus, OH 43214
(614) 645-3222
This 13-acre treasure is located just north of the OSU campus in Columbus contains more than 11,500 rose bushes representing more than 400 varieties of roses. It is one of the largest municipal rose gardens in the U.S. The park also features herb, perennial and daffodil gardens as well. An annual rose festival is held in June.
The Topiary Park
Old Deaf School Park
480 E Town St.
?Columbus, OH
(614) 645-0197
Walk amongst the subjects of Georges Seurat’s 1887 A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grand Jatte, presented in life-size topiary form In downtown Columbus’ Old Deaf School Park. Artist James T. Mason created the only topiary garden in existence based on a work of art. The meticulously trimmed and maintained living topiaries of depict 54 people, eight boats, three dogs, a monkey and cat in a seven-acre urban park.
DAYTON AREA
Cox Arboretum Metropark
6733 Springboro Pike
Dayton, OH
(937) 434-9005
http://www.metroparks.org/Parks/CoxArboretum/Home.aspx
The Cox Arboretum is home to 189 acres of gardens and nature, and a hands-on adventure in horticulture. Highlights include The Edible Landscape garden, Butterfly Meadow and House, Shrub Garden, Water Garden & Rock Garden, and Wildflower Garden.
Wegerzyn Gardens & Horticulture Center
1301 E. Siebenthaler Avenue
Dayton, Ohio
(937) 277-6545
http://www.metroparks.org/Parks/WegerzynGarden/Home.aspx
The Wegerzyn Gardens and Horticulture Center features Victorian, English, Federal and Children’s Rose gardens and has a boardwalk that allows visitors to see rivers and forest as natural habitats for plant and animal life. One popular main attractions is the Children’s Discovery Garden, which includes a preschool area, two ponds, individual garden plots, wildlife area, perennial and rock gardens for children to explore.
TOLEDO AREA
Toledo Botanical Garden
5403 Elmer Drive
Toledo OH 43615
(419) 936-2986
http://www.toledogarden.org
Known for its magnificent hosta collection and a fragrant herb garden, the site also hosts working artisans, the Blare Museum of Lithophanes and an annual arts festival.
Stranahan Arboretum
4131 Tantara Road
Toledo, OH 43623
(419) 841-1007
http://research.eeescience.utoledo.edu/lees/arboretum/
This 47-acre site features an excellent collection of rare trees, ravine, wetlands and restored prairie. Plan a visit in May to see the wildflowers in full bloom or in October to see the autumn colors. The more than 1,500 trees include a variety of North American pine, oak, maple and buckeye, as well as more uncommon varieties from China, Japan, Norway and Serbia.