Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden is nestled amidst 450 acres of meadows, woodlands and lakefront property in Belmont, North Carolina. Both a botanical garden and a nature center, DSBG is a place where nature and horiticulture blend into one.

A 40-year Master Plan by eminent landscape architect Geoffrey Rausch  calls for a world-class garden with walled English garden, conservatory complex, Asian garden, rose pergola, natural wetland, waterfall, Piedmont garden, library and reading garden, home demonstration complex, auditorium and full-service restaurant.

 Right now, 110 acres are developed, offering seven themed gardens, a dozen fountains, Gift & Garden Shop, Woodland Trail and Visitor Pavilion. Guests are welcomed to the site through the Visitor Pavilion, a striking structure with elegant Tuscan columns, copper roof, and magnificent stained glass dome. Beyond the Pavilion are the four gardens.

The Four Seasons Garden offers year-round interest through plant form, bloom, structure and foliage, with a special emphasis on winter. Plantings feature unusual bloom times, showy fruit, beautiful bark, evergreen foliage and interesting growth habits.

Heirloom plants in the Cottage Garden might have been grown by your grandmother. Many are considered "pass-alongs" and are not readily available in the trade. A mix of both familiar and unusual bulbs, annuals, shrubs, hollyhock and roses cover 8,000 square feet.

Guests are greeted in the Visitor Pavilion by the golden light cast by this stained glass dome. Seasonal flowers fill the Canal Garden, one of DSBG's most popular garden rooms. The Tunnel Fountain connects the tree-lined Allée Garden to the snail-patterned Scroll Garden. Fossil fish sculptures leap through the waterway in the Canal Garden.

Magnificent dancing fountains highlight the Canal Garden features. Palms line the walkway, and the outer beds contain large, leafy plants in vibrant colors. Tropical flora such as elephant's ear, hibiscus, banana, iris, canna, and curcuma add to the summer paradise.

The Perennial Garden is by far the largest, and contains four "rooms" separated by hedges of trees and shrubs. Each section contains a unique blend of artfully arranged shades that contribute to an overall canvas of color. Exquisite fragrances, fountains and waterways add to the relaxing atmosphere and please the senses.

The Conifer garden features cone-bearing plants, both wild types and ornamental selections that thrive in this area, as well as a few closse allies, Cycads and Gingko. Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica 'Butter and Sugar') offer springtime blooms at the end of the Allée Garden in front of the Tunnel Fountain.

The West Garden has two intimate courtyard gardens and the Nellie Rhyne Stowe White Garden grace the west side of the Robert Lee Stowe Pavilion. The White Garden features only the purest of whites in blooms as the headliners of this garden. Dramatic companion plants create a complementary backdrop that showcases the enchanting innocence of white. The White Garden is the perfect setting for wedding ceremonies and receptions.

The Fall-Flowering Azalea Garden - These special azaleas bloom for months, starting mid to late summer continuing up to frost. They bloom again in mid spring. This garden features 25 plants of each of the 20 cultivars as well as Autumn Flowering Cherries and many other complimentary plants. The Visitor Pavilion looks out on a half-acre manicured lawn surrounded by plants with special winter interest and two vine-covered pergolas.

A meandering water feature runs through the center of the Scroll and Ribbon Gardens, two of the garden rooms that make up the larger Perennial Garden. The Canal Garden features tall, brightly-colored, semi-tropical plantings. A Floribunda Rose (Rosa ‘Nearly Wild’) blooms near a wooden bench in the Scroll Garden. The Garden's Education and Horticulture staffs conduct a number of guided tours each week to adults as well as children.

The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden site has a long history of use. Originally, Native Americans of the Catawba and Cherokee tribes trapped, fished, hunted and raised families here. Later, the area served as home to early European settlers. In recent years, the garden's were used as pasture for farm animals, although much of the site is covered by mature deciduous woodlands and pine forest. A triangular pool and fountain spill into the Canal Garden.

In, 1989, Daniel J. Stowe, a retired textile executive from Belmont, North Carolina, reserved 450 acres of prime rolling meadows, woodlands and lakefront property and established a foundation to develop a world-class botanical garden. He and his wife, Alene, lifelong nature lovers and gardening enthusiasts, envisioned an escape where visitors could enjoy the beauty and splendor of nature while learning more about gardening, botany, and preservation.

Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden offers many classes, lectures, workshops, and children's programs emphasizing horticulture, botany, gardening, and natural conservation. The facilities are open year round, and are available for special events such as weddings, meetings, parties or retreats.

DanielStowe Botanical Garden is located at 6500 S. New Hope Road in Belmont. Admission is free for members and for individuals (not groups) on Tuesdays until noon.

Call 704-825-4490 for more information or visit the website at http://www.dsbg.org/