Message from the Garden Director
6/14/2007
Welcome to Garvan Woodland Gardens, the botanical garden of the University of Arkansas. Nestled in the picturesque Ouachita Mountains of Southwest Arkansas, the Gardens are a wonderful gift to all people from local industrialist and philanthropist Verna Cook Garvan. Our mission is to serve as a unique, and uniquely beautiful, woodland garden that illustrates landscapes celebrating sense of place and appropriate to forested areas throughout eastern North America.
With its spectacular views to Lake Hamilton, celebrated architecture by the renowned architectural firm of E. Fay Jones and Maurice Jennings, 40 acres of landscaped displays, and a 60-acre nature preserve, The Gardens offer an engaging experience at any time of year. Join us for acres of tulips, dogwoods, azaleas, and daffodils in spring and see summer shine with a wonderful array of roses, perennials, dramatic tropical plants, and annuals. In fall, feast your eyes on thousands of chrysanthemums and woodland trails filled with autumn foliage. Winter brings fragrant sweet olive, fruit covered beautyberry and holly, and a display of almost one million holiday lights. If you're lucky, you might even see the delicate, rose-like flowers of a camellia peeking out from their blanket of snow.
Avail yourself of special events and educational workshops offered on major holidays, during peak periods for garden displays, and on general topics throughout the year. 'Arkansas' Botanical Garden' is truly a garden for all seasons and we hope you'll include us in all your visits to historic Hot Springs National Park and the beautiful Diamond Lakes Region.
