On a beautiful spring day who doesn’t enjoy relaxing in the garden? And around here, we can always head over to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden (LewisGinter.org) at 1800 Lakeside Ave. Lewis Ginter was voted the 4th best botanical garden in the country by USA Today in 2019 and it’s no wonder why. Fifty acres of beautiful gardens, shopping, and dining are what make Lewis Ginter so special whether you’re a local or a visitor. There are twelve beautiful gardens open year-round including a garden especially designed for the kids.
The Conservatory, known as the “Jewel of the Garden,” is an 11,000 square-foot complex housing exotic plants from around the world. You’ll find a variety of different plants in each of the building’s sectors. The East Wing is home to the tropical plants and an orchid collection featuring more than 200 orchids. The West Wing displays the succulent and cacti collection, and the North Wing showcases changing seasonal themed displays. It is also home to the iconic Butterflies LIVE! exhibit. In the center of the building discover the Central Palm House showing off the palm and cycad collection. The Conservatory blooms year-round, so you can enjoy it any time you visit.
As you can probably gather from the name, the Asian Valley is a garden displaying plants native to Asia. In spring, the Asian valley is filled with blooming Iris flowers along with such trees as the beautiful Japanese maple, a dwarf tree.
“A Million Blooms, ” the Garden’s celebration of spring, continues through June. Daffodils, tulips, peonies, azaleas, lotuses, and roses are all blooming during this event.
Running concurrently with A Million Blooms is “Butterflies LIVE!” This indoor exhibit allows you to view beautiful tropical and native butterflies up close and personal. Butterflies LIVE! continues until October 9 and is a must-see exhibit for children or anyone captivated by the natural beauty of butterflies.
Each exhibit at Lewis Ginter enhances your appreciation of both the garden, itself, with its amazing variety of plants, as well as the abundance of natural beauty throughout the earth.
(Dates and events subject to change.)
Editorial by Andrew Cheshire; May 2023