Alabama Gardens

 Aldridge Gardens:  3530 Lorna Road,  Hoover, AL 35216 (205)682-8019.

Alabama’s newest botanical garden, this lovely 30 acre former estate feature hydrangeas, a shade garden, a 7 acre lake, with more to come.

Alyce McKenzie Wildflower Garden:Cheaha State Park, 196444 Highway 281, Delta, AL, 36258 (205)488-5115 or (800)846-2654.

This garden, located in a state park, showcases wildflowers, native shrubs and ferns. Of special beauty in bloom are the azaleas and catawaba rhododendrons.

 Arlington Antebellum Home and Gardens: 331 Cotton Avenue SW, Birmingham, AL 35211 (205)780-5656.

Six acres of grounds with gardens surround a fully restored Greek Revival Mansion, the former home of the one of the founders of Birmingham, now a decorative arts museum.

 Ave Maria Grotto: St. Bernard Abbey, 1600 Saint Bernard Drive SE, Cullman, AL 35055 (205)734-4110.

Brother Joseph, a talented and industrious monk, built 125 miniature replicas of churches, shrines and other famous buildings from around the world preserved on this delightful 3 acre site.

 Battleship Memorial Park:Another web site. 2703 Battleship Parkway (Highways 90/98 off Interstate 10, Exits 27 or 30), Mobile, AL 36601 (800)-GANGWAY or (334)433-2703.

This 155 acre park, site of the aircraft carrier USS ALABAMA, a submarine, vintage aircraft and other military memorabilia, also features an All-America Rose Selections memorial garden.

 Bellingrath Gardens and Home: 12401 Bellingrath Road, Theodore , AL 36582 (334)973-2217.

The Bellingraths transformed this 60 acre fishing camp property, purchased for health reasons, into a lovely estate with elaborate public gardens. Included among the many gardens are a rose garden, a bridal garden, a mermaid pool, an Oriental garden, and a conservatory. Guests may also take a river cruise. Comments

 Birmingham Botanical Gardens:  2612 Lane Park Road, Birmingham, AL 35223 (205)414-3961.

This extraordinary public garden comprises over 67 acres displaying over 1,500 species of plants. Many gardens are devoted to individual flowers: roses, daylilies, irises, ferns, rhododendrons, magnolias, crape myrtle, while others such as the Japanese Garden, the Conservatory and Greenhouse, the wildflower garden in a rock quarry, showcase a multitude of lovely plants.

Cullman Native Plant Society Wildflower Garden:Sportsman Lake Park, 1536 Sportsman Lake Road, Cullman, AL 35055 (205)734-3052.

A 4 acre site featuring native plants, shrubs and trees.

 Donald E. Davis Arboretum: Auburn University, Intersection of S. College and Garden Drive, Auburn, AL 36849 (205)844-5770.

The Arboretum, a 14 acre site with over 200 different kinds of plants and tree, specializes in trees native to Alabama. Of special interest are a vinery of native climbers and plants indigenous to sand, alkaline Black Belt prairie, coastal bog and swamp habitats.An article discusses the controversy about siting an art museum in the Arboretum.

  Dothan Area Botanical Gardens: Houston County Road 105 (Off US Highway 431 near Landmark Park) P.O. Box 5971, Dothan, AL 36301 (334)793-3224.

The Gardens' focus is preserving the spirit and beauty of the early southern garden by balancing native plants with traditional botanical garden features. The 50 acre facility, partially wooded, includes a rose garden, a camellia garden, a daylily area, a demonstration garden, a nature trail, an herb garden -- with more to come.

 EcoScape/Southern Environmental Center: Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, AL 35254 (205)226-4770.

A unique outdoor classroom presenting ecological issues in layperson's terms, EcoScape features a wildflower garden, an edible flowers and plants area, outdoor sculpture, and Wetland and Tree Trails. Don't be intimidated by the giant praying mantis!

 Fairhope City Rose Garden: 1 Fairhope Avenue, Fairhope, AL 36532

This park on the bay features a lovely fountain and an All-America Rose Selections rose garden.

Gulf States Paper Corporation: 1400 Jack Warner Parkway, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 (205)553-6200.

The buildings of the corporate headquarters surround a Japanese Garden. A collection of fine American art collected by the former CEO Jack Warner may also be viewed. Call for schedule of tours.

 Huntsville-Madison County Botanical Garden: 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35805 (256)830-4447.

This stunning young botanical garden features the spectacular 5 acre Central Corridor Gardens, with annual and bulb, perennial and aquatic gardens, in addition to daylily, herb and butterfly gardens, a Dogwood Trail, a Nature Trail, a fern glade, a demonstration garden and a reflecting pool.

 Jasmine Hill Gardens & Outdoor Museum: Jasmine Hill Road (Off US 231 North), P.O. Box 210792, Montgomery, AL 36121-0792 (334)567-6463.

20 acres of gardens, classical statues and Greek temple ruins offer lovely vistas at every turn.

 Mobile Botanical Gardens:City Parks Web Site. Pat Ryan Drive (Off 5151 Museum Drive), P.O. Box 8382, Mobile, AL 36608 (334)342-0555.

This 64-acre City Park displays native plants, azaleas, camellias, hollies, magnolias, ferns and herbs, as well as providing extensive nature trails.

 Noccalula Falls Park: 1500 Noccalula Road, Gadsden, AL 35999 (205)549-4663.

This state park is named after a lovely Indian princess who, according to legend, threw herself into the falls rather than marry a man she didn't love. The park contains extensive botanical gardens displaying over 25,000 azaleas.

 Peach Park Garden: Exit 205 Off I-65, Clanton, AL 35045 (205) 755-2065.

Peach Park is a retail establishment offering an ice cream parlor, a pastry shop and a fruit bar. After all these delights, there are also flowers.

Prattvillage Gardens: First Street, Daniel Pratt Historic District, Autauga County, AL.

The Gardens feature an herb garden, a butterfly and hummingbird walk, a Grandparent's Garden, a perennial sampler garden, an annual garden, a native and old favorites garden, a small fruit demonstration garden and a composting facility.

 Shakespeare Gardens and Amphitheatre: Another web site. Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park, 6055 Vaughn Road, P.O. Box 949, Montgomery, AL 36116 (334)274-0062.

This unique znc beautiful garden features trees, shrubs, flowers and herbs mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare and provides common and botanical plant names along with Shakespeare quotations. The willow arbors, medlar and pomegranate trees, roses, narcissi, honeysuckle and many, many more elements of the richly planted garden offer beauty to the eyes as well as literary interest.

 Troy State University Arboretum: Troy State University, Troy, AL (334)670-0848.

Nature trails through the two Troy State Arboreta allow the visitor to enjoy the work of the Arboretum, which is dedicated to preservation, recreation, research and education.

 University of Alabama Arboretum: P.O. Box 870344, 4400 Arboretum Way off Pelham-Loop Road and Fifteenth Street, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (205)553-3278 or (888)349-1815.

This arboretum and botantical garden, comprising 60 acres, features native and exotic woody plants and native herbaceous plants. Meadow, bog and woodland gardens complement the 2-1/2 miles of nature trails through the mature oak-hickory forest. For a change in pace and interest, tour the two greenhouses featuring tropical plants, orchids and cacti.

 University of Alabama in Huntsville: Facilities & Operations Bldg., Huntsville, AL 35899 (256)890-6482.

The 360 acre campus includes over 300 different ornamental trees (many labelled), with a goal to increase the number to 500. The web site furnishes a comprehensive list of campus trees with botanical name, common name and detailed horticultural information.

 Whitey Hall Memorial Garden: Renaissance Tower, One Hightower Place, Florence, AL 35630 (256)764-5900.

The Alabama Wildflower Society maintains this garden in a ravine near the Tower, featuring labelled Alabama wildflowers and a small water garden. The 26 story Tower offers breathtaking views of the surroundings countryside.

 William Bartram Arboretum: off East Boulevard, Fort Toulouse/Jackson Park, Route 6, Box 6, Wetumpka, AL 36092 (334)567-3002.

The Garden Club of Alabama started this Arboretum featuring wildflower fields, bogs and forest. A boardwalk (handicapped-accessible), runs from the Visitor Center to the Fort to a river overlook, with glades for resting and plant identification markers.