The East Coast is home to some of America’s most spectacular gardens, ranging from world-famous botanical gardens overflowing with roses and orchids to historic estates designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and peaceful sculpture gardens.

Whether you’re planning a road trip through New England, the Mid-Atlantic, or the South, these gardens offer beautiful landscapes, seasonal blooms, and fascinating history. I’ve personally visited many of these destinations and have written detailed guides to help you make the most of your visit.

Because I live in Washington, D.C., this guide includes extra depth on gardens in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, where I have personally explored many of the region’s most beautiful public gardens, historic estates, and sculpture landscapes.

New England

New England’s historic estates, coastal landscapes, and charming small towns provide the perfect backdrop for some of the most beautiful gardens in the United States.

Maine

Asticou Azalea Garden

Most famous for: Japanese garden and azaleas

Asticou Azalea Garden in Northeast Harbor is best known for its Japanese-inspired landscape, tranquil pond, carefully placed stones, and brilliant displays of azaleas and rhododendrons.

This Japanese-style garden is where East Meets West. Today, the Mount Desert Land and Garden Preserve and a committee of volunteers own and maintain the garden. But Asticou Azalea Gardens is the creation of Charles Savage, a resident of Northeast Harbor. Built in 1956 and 1957, it incorporates the architecture of a “Japanese stroll garden” with native Maine vegetation, rocks and water features.

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens

Most famous for: Giant wooden trolls and native Maine landscapes

Perched along the rocky coast of Boothbay, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is New England’s largest botanical garden and one of the finest public gardens in the United States. Walking trails wind through colorful perennial borders, a tranquil waterfront, a children’s garden, and forests filled with native plants. 

The internationally acclaimed giant troll sculptures created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo have become one of the garden’s biggest attractions, drawing visitors from around the world. Dambo describes his trolls as “stewards of nature.” Their purpose is to save the humans. These trolls teach humans to save seeds and plant more trees, reduce and reuse, and discover and share stories of the woods.

When my friend and I visited, we were on a mission to find all five of the trolls hidden in the woods. Dambo created these giant wooden sculptures from salvage wood as part of a larger project focused on biodiversity and sustainability.

Massachusetts

Rose Kelleher Rose Garden

The Kelleher Rose Garden is a tranquil retreat in Boston’s Back Bay Fens, where more than 1,500 roses bloom from late spring through early fall, creating one of New England’s finest public rose displays. Landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff designed this rose garden. A passion for public rose gardens swept the country in the early 1900s. 

But this famous Boston rose garden was in decline by the late 20th century. Thankfully, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy and the Boston Parks and Recreation created a master plan for the Kelleher Rose Garden revitalization. The planting beds and walking paths were recut using the original landscape drawings. New rose plantings required soil rejuvenation and a new irrigation system.

New Hampshire

Fuller Gardens

Most famous for: Roses and formal Colonial Revival gardens

Located just steps from the Atlantic Ocean in North Hampton, Fuller Gardens is a hidden gem featuring elegant English-style borders, thousands of roses, Japanese gardens, and beautifully clipped hedges. The formal design and intimate setting make it one of New England’s most romantic gardens.

One of the highlights of Fuller Gardens is its impressive collection of roses, which bloom throughout the summer in beautifully designed formal beds. As you wander the pathways, you’ll also discover colorful perennial borders, a tranquil Japanese garden, a tropical conservatory, and elegant English-style plantings.

Connecticut

Elizabeth Park Conservancy

Most famous for: America’s oldest municipal rose garden

Elizabeth Park is internationally known for its magnificent Heritage Rose Garden. It features more than 15,000 rose bushes representing hundreds of varieties. Peak bloom in June transforms the park into one of the most colorful destinations in New England.

Elizabeth Park is on the National Register of Historic Places. The venue offers just over 100 acres of formal gardens, green space, recreational facilities, walking loops, and the Pond House Café. 

Mid-Atlantic

The Mid-Atlantic features a remarkable collection of botanical gardens, historic estates, and public parks filled with seasonal blooms.

New York

High Line

The High Line is a one-of-a-kind elevated park and garden built on a former freight railway. The naturalistic plantings, public art, and sweeping views of Manhattan create one of New York City’s most memorable green spaces.

This is the wild side of Manhattan, elevated 30 feet above the ground. The High Line is open to the city sky and caressed by the breeze coming off the Hudson River. Everywhere there are dense plantings that sprawl, twist, and break out of their containers. It is controlled chaos that mirrors the natural cycles of life and death. 

The inspiration for the High Line’s planting design is the self-seeded plants that grew wild for 25 years along the abandoned train tracks. There are trees, bushes, shrubs, and grasses—chosen for their hardiness and sustainability—that change their “costume” each season.

Delaware

Winterthur Garden

Most famous for: Naturalistic landscapes, azaleas, and March Bank

Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library features rolling meadows, ancient trees, and one of the country’s finest collections of azaleas, rhododendrons, and spring wildflowers.

When I toured Winterthur Gardens, everything looked wild to me. Squirrels raced across tree branches—the leafy titans of their domain. Large drifts of bushes spread across hills. Moss crept across slate steps. The birds serenaded me from the treetops.

There must be thousands of naturalized exotics planted at Winterthur. It all looks so spontaneous. But this effect is calculated. They must harmonize in form and color. Each season will give way to new colors and plants that define the garden canvas.

Maryland

Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center

Most famous for: Outdoor sculpture trails and fairy houses

Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center is best known for its scenic woodland trails and outdoor sculpture collection. Its rotating art exhibitions blend creativity with the natural beauty of southern Maryland. This botanical garden features wooded walking trails dotted with outdoor art installations, seasonal flower displays, and fairies year-round.

Annmarie Sculpture Garden is whimsical, wonderful, and wild. It’s a place where you take your dog for Art 101 classes. And your children will dance with the tiny people at the Fairy Garden each year.

I never felt crowded, shoved, or hurried at the whimsical AnnMarie Sculpture Garden. Picture a wooded walking path that meanders past large sculptures set in a lawn. Stop at the “Council Ring” to meditate. Explore 30 acres where art blooms. 

Brookside Gardens

Located in Wheaton Regional Park, this public garden is famous for its tulip collection. Admission is free. Choose among the following separate garden areas: Aquatic Garden, Azalea Garden, Butterfly Garden, Children’s Garden, Rose Garden, Japanese-Style Garden, Trial Garden, Rain Garden, and the Woodland Walk. 

The Formal Garden areas include a Perennial Garden, a Yew Garden, the Maple Terrace, and a Fragrance Garden. Brookside Gardens also features two conservatories for year-round enjoyment. 

Glenstone Museum

Most famous for: Landscape architecture, sculpture, and immersive gardens

Glenstone seamlessly blends modern art with beautifully designed landscapes, meadows, ponds, and woodland gardens, creating one of the country’s most unique outdoor museum experiences.

You can find an “oasis of art” in suburbia. Glenstone Museum is located in affluent Montgomery County, Maryland. It marries landscape architecture, outdoor sculpture, and gallery art. Glenstone Museum is a pastoral “exburb” escape for Washingtonians. Yet it is located only 16 miles from the nation’s capital. 

Virginia

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Most famous for: Korean Bell Garden and lakeside walking trails

Meadowlark is known for its peaceful lakes, colorful seasonal flowers, native Virginia plants, and one of the nation’s largest Korean Bell Gardens. It is located just outside Washington, D.C.

This serene oasis in northern Virginia spans 95 acres of lush greenery and vibrant blooms. Its goal is to celebrate the beauty of nature while fostering a deeper understanding of plant diversity and conservation.

In the winter, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens offers a half-mile trail transformed by holiday lights. Winter Walk of Light also welcomes dog owners on select nights. My dog Parker and I discovered holiday magic through the illuminations.

Monticello

Most famous for: Jefferson’s vegetable terraces and heirloom plants.

Thomas Jefferson transformed Monticello into a living laboratory filled with hundreds of varieties of vegetables, fruit trees, vineyards, and ornamental flowers that continue to inspire gardeners today.

Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, the UNESCO World Heritage site is a must-see for any tourist visiting the city. It costs $22 for one adult to buy the Grounds Pass, plus your dog’s admission is free. You can roam all over the estate, visit the cemetery, and sit on the benches. In addition, your pass includes a free 45-minute tour on “Gardens.”

River Farm

Most famous for: American Horticultural Society headquarters and perennial gardens.

River Farm’s gardens overlook the Potomac River.

Formerly owned by George Washington, this property in Alexandria, Virginia has been the headquarters of the American Horticultural Society (AHS) since 1973. Its mission is to be “America’s Home for Horticultural Excellence.” The children’s garden includes all the elements for fantasy play, such as a miniature house, a shanty, and a wooden boat. A “wee gardener” can grab a sturdy orange watering can to soak the zinnias in her garden.

Tiptoe barefoot across the lawn, walk among the flowers, or meditate on a bench. Oh, and don’t forget to bring your dog! Unlike most private gardens in Washington, DC, dogs are permitted on leashes.

Washington, D.C.

Planning a trip to the nation’s capital? Don’t miss my guide to the 15 best gardens in the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia region, featuring everything from Hillwood Estate and the U.S. National Arboretum to hidden neighborhood gardens and historic estates. You can also explore my Top 50 Free Things to Do in Washington, DC, where you’ll find many of the city’s beautiful gardens and parks that are free to visit.

Dumbarton Oaks

Most famous for: Formal terraces and spring cherry blossoms.

One of America’s greatest private gardens, Dumbarton Oaks features Italian-inspired terraces, secret pathways, fountains, and magnificent spring displays.

Georgetown gardens are numerous, but there is a century-old specimen that outshines all the others. Dumbarton Oaks is a country estate built in a city. Located on R Street NW in Washington, DC, it nestles between Rock Creek Park and Georgetown homes.

The forest grove could hide elves and sprites. The wooded pathways take me in and out of the afternoon light. At times, I feel lost in the country, yet this Georgetown garden is only 2.1 miles from the White House. The magnificent primeval grounds thrill me. 

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

Most famous for: French parterre and Japanese Garden.

Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens is best known for its elegant French and Japanese gardens, magnificent orchid collection, and beautifully landscaped grounds surrounding Marjorie Merriweather Post’s historic mansion.

Post had a “lifelong love affair” with orchids. It was her favorite flower. In fact, Hillwood’s collection contains over 2,000 orchids of approximately 1,200 different species, hybrids, and clones. Hillwood is one of the few public gardens in Washington, D.C. that offer daily access to a working greenhouse. Orchid Month focuses on these exotic beauties with workshops, tours, and colorful displays.

If you visit during the holiday season, Hillwood’s festive Christmas decorations, twinkling lights, and beautifully adorned mansion make it one of Washington, DC’s most enchanting winter destinations.

Tudor Place

Most famous for: Historic boxwood gardens

This Federal-era estate preserves nearly six acres of historic gardens filled with mature boxwoods, flowering shrubs, and seasonal blooms. Stroll through the garden at Tudor Place to see the beautiful blooms, historic boxwood, specimen trees, open lawns, and heirloom shrubs. You’ll see trees that have remained in place for decades or even centuries.

The garden is made up of two parts: the North Garden, a collection of European-style formal gardens on the north side of the property, and the English-landscape-style South Lawn on the south side.

U.S. National Arboretum

Most famous for: National Capitol Columns, bonsai collection, and azaleas

The National Arboretum spans 446 acres and showcases one of the country’s finest collections of bonsai, flowering trees, azaleas, and the iconic National Capitol Columns.

Just like encountering “blossom fever” at the Tidal Basin in March, expect crowds flocking to admire the Arboretum’s azalea collection in April. The National Arboretum declares it “a premier spring attraction.”

Thousands of azalea bushes blossom on Mount Hamilton in the Arboretum’s Azalea Collection. Picture an abstract painter dripping gobs of brightly hued oil paint onto a dirt canvas.

U.S. Botanic Garden

Most famous for: Tropical conservatory and orchid collection

Located beside the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. Botanic Garden houses thousands of plants from around the world inside its stunning conservatory, including orchids, desert plants, and tropical rainforest species.

I think of the USBG’s National Garden as the “secret garden,” walled away by gates and concrete walls. It is a place of seclusion and solitude. I walk the curving paths like a labyrinth, gliding past billowing summer flowers, deadheaded roses, and willow-white blossoms.

The National Garden includes the Rose Garden, Butterfly Garden, Lawn Terrace, Hornbeam Court, Regional Garden, Amphitheater, and the First Ladies Water Garden. The latter is the only memorial recognizing First Ladies.

The South

The South showcases colorful gardens, centuries-old trees, and subtropical landscapes that can be enjoyed nearly year-round.

North Carolina

Biltmore Estate Gardens

Most famous for: Formal Italian garden and spectacular Azalea Garden

The Biltmore Estate Gardens are best known for their stunning landscape design by Frederick Law Olmsted, featuring a formal Italian Garden, a vibrant Walled Garden, a spectacular Conservatory, and thousands of colorful seasonal blooms.

Biltmore’s landscape consists of airy garden “rooms.” They create a pervading sense of time gone by. The garden’s sense of intimacy is a signature of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. He considered his plan for the Biltmore as “the most permanently important public work” of his career. (This living landscape that has been recognized as a National Historic Landmark.)

Georgia

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Most famous for: Canopy Walk and giant mosaic plant sculptures

Located beside Piedmont Park, Atlanta Botanical Garden is famous for its elevated Canopy Walk through the treetops, spectacular orchid displays, seasonal exhibitions, and whimsical living sculptures that have become iconic photo spots.

I fell in love with the garden’s plant collections, beautiful displays, and spectacular exhibitions on my recent visit to Atlanta. It is truly an urban oasis in the heart of Midtown. The Garden includes 30 acres of outdoor gardens, an award-winning Children’s Garden, the serene Storza Woods, and the picturesque Skyline Garden.

Florida

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Most famous for: Orchids, bromeliads, and tropical plants

Overlooking Sarasota Bay, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens houses one of the world’s finest collections of orchids, bromeliads, and other epiphytes. Its tropical setting and waterfront location set it apart from any other botanical garden in the country.

My visit to Marie Selby Botanical Garden was sublime. It is the #1 garden to visit in Sarasota. Picture a simple white home tucked away on a side street. You might reach it on foot, by bike, or by car. Behind the fence, tall flowers and roses bloom. A thick grove of trees provides a canopy of shade. Benches beckon for a moment of solitude.

It is the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads and ferns, and other tropical plants.”

Final Thoughts

From Maine’s coastal beauty to Florida’s subtropical landscapes, the East Coast offers an extraordinary range of gardens. Whether you’re drawn to rose gardens, Japanese gardens, native wildflowers, grand estates, or urban spaces like New York City’s High Line, there’s something to inspire every traveler.

Many can be explored in just a few hours, making them ideal for weekend getaways or road trips. In any season, you’ll find beautiful blooms, rich history, and peaceful places to enjoy nature. I hope this guide inspires you to visit some of the East Coast’s most spectacular gardens and discover new favorites along the way.