Blog Post

Williamsburg Botanical Garden: A Haven for Habitats

Sally Kirby Hartman ’20 • Jul 11, 2023

The small but mighty Williamsburg Botanical Garden is worth a visit next time you conquer tunnel traffic and drive to the Peninsula.

Within the garden’s fenced two acres are 800 species of plants in 18 habitats. James City County Master Gardeners and other volunteers maintain the habitats, which include a wetlands garden, a wildflower meadow, Monarch waystation, and a green roof garden. Plants are meticulously labeled – even poison ivy – and signs at each habitat highlight plants that thrive in it.

Large, green habitat signs feature plant photos and names, key details, QR codes for more information, and Did You Know statements. In the Heirloom Garden, for example, the DYK tidbit says: “Lily of the Valley can be forced in just 3 to 4 weeks for much-needed middle-of-the-winter fragrance.”

The Williamsburg garden is full of ideas for a variety of soil, moisture and light situations gardeners deal with at home. It also includes labeled compost bins, a raised-bed therapy garden, and a fairy garden.

 

Among the intriguing habitats are the:

 

  • Native Grasses area that showcases tall grasses that enhance landscapes and give winter interest as their leaves and seed heads fade. Grasses include Purple Muhly Grass, Switchgrass and Ponytail Grass.
  • Calcareous Ravine where Zig Zag Goldenrod, American Bellflower and Yellow Lady’s Slippers grow. Adjacent to the above-ground ravine created by volunteers is a berm where plants like Alternate-leaf Dogwood and Rue Anemone flourish.
  • Fernery in Young Pine Woods with 15 species of native ferns rescued from a Williamsburg construction site. The ferns thrive in a garden section cleared of all vegetation and topsoil about 20 years ago. Loblolly pines that sprung up in this barren spot now shade ferns that flourish in coastal Virginia.


Volunteers started the Williamsburg Botanical Garden in 2001. The 501(c)3 nonprofit is part of the 600-acre Freedom Park Arboretum, which includes one of the country’s first Free Black Settlements. The arboretum has trails for hiking and biking with some pathways wheelchair accessible.

In 2022, the Arboretum and Garden achieved Level I accreditation from The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum. There are more than 150 documented woody species on the property – many of them indigenous to James City County.

 

Know-before-you-go details:

  • The garden is open daily from 7 a.m. to dusk. Admission is free.
  • It is in James City County, but has an official address of 5547 Centerville Road, Williamsburg. On your GPS, search for Freedom Park so you are guided to the correct parking lot and entrance for the botanical garden.
  • Learn more: https://williamsburgbotanicalgarden.org/visit-the-botanical-garden/.
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