Anne Cox Chambers Garden
The Anne Cox Chambers Garden is the first room to welcome guests as they begin their journey through the Garden's many biodiverse spaces.
The three-acre space displays a broad diversity of ornamental plants suited to the southeastern Piedmont, including ferns, maples, hostas, toad lilies, camellias, shade-loving conifers, native azaleas and hydrangeas. Cédric Le Borgne's Luminous Wire Birds complete the vista.
A multiphase renovation that began in 2022 brought a blend of art and nature inspired by ukiyo-e, or Japanese woodblock prints.
Ukiyo-e often depicts mountainous landscapes with a meandering river running through the composition. The Garden's interpretation uses sweet flag, Acorus gramineus 'Ogon', as a grand, winding "river" through a landscape of dwarf mondo grass, Ophiopogon japonicus 'Nanus', phlox, irises, ferns and more.
The sweet flag "river" has been extended into this new space to guide guests through a meandering landscape anchored by a contemporary water feature. The sparkling, solid sheet of water seems to float from the sky and runs throughout the garden.
Along the pathways, look for many botanical treasures, from spring-blooming Epimedium 'Sulphureum' and toad lilies to summer-blooming Iris fulva, the copper iris, and Lobelia cardinalis. As summer turns to autumn, be sure to see Rhododendron 'Southgate Grace', Phlox 'Sweet Summer Dream' and Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'.
The garden is named in honor of the late Anne Cox Chambers, one of the Garden's leading supporters and a lifetime trustee.