etation. The gardens are spread over 60 acres, and hundreds of volunteers helped reclaim the Sunken Garden, which is a rock garden with alpine plants, and a secret garden that Klein built for his wife. The fairy forest is home to ferns, conifers, evergreens and tiny fairy houses, and the gardens have one of the largest collections of hellebores and hostas in the country. W W W . Y E W D E L L G A R D E N S . O R G
A castle at Yew Dell Botanical Gardens
HUNTSVILLE BOTANICAL GARDEN
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA
Courtesy Yew Dell Botanical Gardens
Huntsville Botanical Garden Courtesy Huntsville Botanical Garden
The population of Huntsville exploded in the 1950s with the coming of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The boom prompted city leaders to augment the cultural attractions in the area. They settled on a botanical garden. The land for the garden was leased from Redstone Arsenal, a U.S. Army post nearby, and with the help of many volunteers, some of whom were retired rocket scientists, the gardens opened in 1988. A work in progress, the facility has 11 distinct gardens and numerous trails, including a birding trail. Visitors can enjoy the fern glade, the children’s garden, the garden railway, the aquatic garden, the herb garden and the butterfly house. In 2017, the garden opened a new visitor center, which has helped the gardens become a major wedding destination. “It’s a beautiful facility that is open and airy and has three new rental areas in it for people to do receptions and weddings, and a gift shop that is twice the size of the previous one,” said Carol Casey, vice president of communications and programming for the Huntsville Botanical Garden. “It’s just beautiful. People love to come see the building.” The garden couldn’t function without its volunteers. With 112 acres, the garden has a relatively small staff. Different gardening societies have adopted sections of the gardens, and their members volunteer to plant them and keep them tended. The garden raises money through events like the Galaxy of Lights display during the holidays and the Chinese Lantern Festival in the spring. WWW.H SV B G . OR G
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GRACELAND.8C-O2M000 800-23
The Water Garden at Huntsville Botanical Garden Courtesy Huntsville Botanical Garden
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