A serene garden of dappled shade, winding paths, and carefully composed plantings, the Hydrangea Garden is a perfect place to rest on a sunny summer day. Stately hollies punctuate the garden beds and provide shade for an underplanting of hydrangeas and other shade-loving shrubs including azaleas, aucubas, mahonias, camellias, isu tree (Distylium), plum yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia), and viburnums.
Former curatorial graduate student Jason Veil (2013-2015) transformed this area from a mass of over-crowded plants into a beautiful garden of diverse and unique shrubs. The garden renovation started in 2014 with the removal of several large hollies, and was finished in the summer of 2016 with the planting of many of the understory plants. Although this garden is appealing in all seasons, be sure to visit it during the summer when the hydrangeas are blooming and the garden is at its peak.