Brookside Gardens Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Brookside Gardens
Gude Garden teahouse in July 2007
Established	1969
Location	Wheaton, Maryland
Type	Botanical garden

Brookside Gardens is a beautiful public garden in Wheaton, Maryland. It's about 50 acres big and is part of Wheaton Regional Park. You can visit the gardens every day for free! Sometimes, special events might have a small fee. During the holidays, Brookside Gardens lights up with a "Garden of Lights" display. It's a magical place to explore nature.

History of Brookside Gardens

The land where Brookside Gardens now stands was once a small farm. It was owned by Stadler Nurseries, a company that sold plants and helped with landscaping.

Brookside Gardens first opened its doors to the public on July 13, 1969. Back then, it had a special glass building called a conservatory. About 25 acres were developed as gardens. Hans Hanses and Carl Schoening designed the gardens and conservatory. Over time, more gardens were added. Today, the gardens cover about 54 acres. They show off many local plant species.

In June 1998, a new Visitors Center opened. This was made possible by a kind gift from Elizabeth Turner. The center has rooms for classes and meetings.

What You Can See at Brookside Gardens

Brookside Gardens has many different areas to explore. Each one offers unique plants and designs.

Aquatic Garden

This garden is home to plants that love water. It has two peaceful ponds and a lovely gazebo.

Azalea Garden

You can find over 300 types of azaleas here. There are about 2,000 azalea plants in total! You'll also see rhododendrons, witchhazels, and hollies.

Butterfly Garden

This garden is open only in the summer. You might need to pay a small fee to enter. It's a great place to see beautiful butterflies.

Children's “School's Outside” Garden

This special garden is designed for kids. It's a fun place to learn about plants and nature.

Conservatories

These are large glass buildings that protect plants. They have changing displays and special exhibits. Outside the conservatories, you can see unusual conifers and groundcovers.

Dry Stone Sphere

This is a unique sculpture made of stacked stones. It was created by stone artist Devin Devine.

Fragrance Garden

This garden is filled with plants that smell wonderful. It's a treat for your nose!

Gude Garden

This garden has a peaceful Japanese style. It features bamboo, beech trees, and unique conifers. You can also see dogwood trees and different groundcovers. There's even an island teahouse overlooking the ponds.

Maple Terrace

This area has raised garden beds. It is surrounded by beautiful ‘Suminagashi’ Japanese maple trees.

Japanese Teahouse

There is a lovely Japanese teahouse here. It overlooks a pond filled with colorful koi fish.

Perennial Garden

This garden has many plants that come back year after year. You can see wisterias, roses, and Jasmine stephanense. Other plants include allium, geranium, and sedum.

Reflection Terrace

This area is a special memorial. It honors ten people who lost their lives in October 2002. It is a quiet place for reflection.

Rock Garden

In spring, this garden is full of flowering bulbs. It also features grasses and conifers.

Rose Garden

This garden is dedicated to all kinds of roses. You can find hybrid tea roses, climbing roses, and miniature roses.

Trial Garden

This garden shows off new and unusual plant varieties. It has spring flowers and summer displays.

Woodland Walk

This is a forested wetland area. You can see bald cypress and tulip poplar trees. There are also native plants like mayapple and ferns. About 124 types of Maryland native plants grow here.