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Lakeside Gardens

Curving along the land north of Evening Island, the Lakeside Gardens continue the style of Evening Island with serpentine curves, seasonal highlights and a juxtaposition of sun and shade gardens.

A much-anticipated moment will be the blooming of the Lakeside Gardens’ 130 crab apple trees framing the Great Basin and reflected in its waters. Designed to complement Evening Island, the Lakeside Gardens draw in distinctive plants and color schemes from nearby Main Island gardens, such as the English Walled Garden and the Sensory Garden.

The Lakeside Gardens also showcase an array of perennials, grasses and flowering trees selected for their color and textural interest in various seasons. To the west, sweeps of crab apples, daffodils, tulips and perennials bloom in succession along the water’s edge. An alder grove provides a cool, reflective garden area in deep shade. At Dudley’s Point near The Serpentine bridge, visitors can descend to a water-level terrace and experience a close view of the waterlilies and thousands of other aquatic plants. All along the banks, perennials such as daylilies, geraniums and asters will provide color in broad sweeps—with a palette of cool colors to the west and warm tones to the east.

Adjacent to the Lakeside Gardens, outside the English Walled Garden, is a new overlook created in the English style. This 1,300-square-foot brick terrace with limestone balustrades provides a panoramic view of the Gardens of the Great Basin.

Pedestrian pathways make the circuit of the Great Basin, and two distinctive bridges join the Main Island with Evening Island—The Arch to the east and The Serpentine to the west. The internationally renowned landscape architecture firm Oehme, van Sweden of Washington, D.C., designed the new complex of gardens.

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Last revised on 9/27/02

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