Summer Blossoms & Events
Stroll the gardens and enjoy the peak season of flowers during the summer months. Favorite summer spots include the Hummingbird Garden, Stumpery Garden (featuring the staghorn fern living wall), the Menu and Villandry gardens within the Heartland Harvest Garden, Children’s Garden, Butterfly Meadow, Millstone Garden, Fountain Garden, Marlese Lowe Gourley Island Garden, and Wildflower Meadow.
Go off the beaten path and explore the grove of bald cypress knees by the Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel, take the path to the wetlands, walk the 1-mile Family Discovery Loop, or hike the Prairie Ridge Trail on the Byron Shutz Trail System.
Festival of Butterflies has been a summer favorite for over 25 years! During this seasonal festival, butterflies and moths fill the Martha Jane Starr Phillips Conservatory while the Butterfly Meadow and Native Butterfly Habitat come alive with native winged pollinators.
Head to the Gardens to see caterpillars, butterflies, and moths and learn about the plants that sustain them.
Look for featured summer horticultural exhibits and displays in 2023:
- Perennial Lounge rotating collections displays (March – December)
- Grand Hall Terreriums (April 1-October 15)
- Staghorn Fern Living Wall (May 26-September 30)
- Midwest Foraging (April 1-October 15)
- Desert Days (June 24-25)
- Festival of Butterflies (July 20-August 6)
- Waterlily Wonders (August 12-13)
4 Don't Miss Spots to Stay Cool During Your Visit
Carl and Jean Chinnery Lower Deck Garden
Location: David T. Beals III Woodland & Stream Garden
After exiting the Marlese Lowe Gourley Island Garden, follow the path into the cool cover of the David T. Beals III Woodland & Stream Garden. To your right you will notice an observation deck surrounded by shade-loving perennial plants and directly adjacent to the flowing water for which the Woodland & Stream Garden was named.
The Fountain Garden
Location: Visitor Center Landscape
This 42-foot diameter water feature showcases a refreshing spray for cooling off. Sit on the low walls surrounding the fountain and enjoy the beauty of the display beds in this garden space.
Location: Visitor Center Landscape
This new garden invites you in for shade and bird-watching. Trees and ferns provide greenery in this quiet space.