Cherry Tree Walk
The Cherry Tree Walk offers splendor along the Lake. The beauty of Lake Sydnor is no longer limited to its waters. Now the perimeter boasts flowering cherry trees that eventually will blanket the setting with boughs of exquisite spring cherry blossoms. This walk also takes you through the Lucy Payne Minor Garden, featuring daylilies, daffodils and flowering shrubs; the Margaret Streb Conifer Garden, with dwarf conifers and ornamental grasses; the Vienna Cobb Anderson Meadow, a hillside meadow attractive to birds and pollinators; and a Constructed Wetland.
Cherry Tree Walk
Lovely complements of other flowering trees and layered plantings deliver year-round interest, while visually linking the central lake with nearby gardens. Improved walkways and lighting enhancements invite evening strolls. Two floating docks invite visitors out onto the surface of the lake to discover aquatic life and new views of the garden.
The improvements to these walkways, plantings, lighting and irrigation, completed in 2014, were funded by a generous anonymous donor. The two floating docks are a gift from garden volunteer Karen Whelan.
Lucy Payne Minor Garden
The Lucy Payne Minor Garden hosts a wide variety of conifers, hydrangeas, small flowering trees, and unusual perennials all favoring the part shade created by towering Loblolly pines. Several seating areas offer magnificent views of the lake and one of the Garden’s floating docks is located here. Philip M. Minor originally funded this garden in memory of his wife, Lucy Payne Minor.
Lucy Payne Minor Garden
The Lucy Payne Minor Garden is home to one of the Garden’s two floating docks.
Margaret Johanna Streb Conifer Garden
With a diverse collection of dwarf conifers, the Margaret Johanna Streb Conifer Garden demonstrates how conifers provide structure, color and texture in a garden, and shows the wide range of forms, colors and sizes available to the home owner. This area is an official Conifer Reference Garden through the American Conifer Society. Also home to a collection of hydrangeas, ornamental grasses, and spring blooming bulbs, this garden is beautiful in every season. The lovely gazebo design took architectural inspiration from Bloemendaal House. The boulders in this garden provide a stark contrast to the reflective lake. Inspired by the Gotelli Collection of dwarf conifers at the U.S. National Arboretum, Jacquie and Ben White provided funding for this garden in honor of Mrs. White’s mother, Margaret Johanna Streb.
Margaret Johanna Streb Conifer Garden
The Margaret Johanna Streb Conifer Garden hosts an array of beautiful colors through all four seasons.
Margaret Johanna Streb Conifer Garden
A view of the lake through snowy conifers.
Vienna Cobb Anderson Meadow
Evolving season by season, The Vienna Cobb Anderson Meadow graces the scenic slope from the Conservatory down to Sydnor Lake. This hillside is home to colorful flowering annuals and perennials that peak late spring through summer. A focus on native plantings attracts a wide range of wildlife, including birds, butterflies, bees, and small vertebrates.
Constructed Wetland
A Constructed Wetland sits between the foot of the rose garden and Sydnor Lake, serving to filter stormwater runoff before it enters the lake. This is one example of the Garden’s efforts to demonstrate the importance of protecting our water quality. A series of interpretive signage highlights the importance of clean water.