What was once an unremarkable 250-acre Maryland farm, purchased in 1929 by Harvey Smith Ladew, has become a renowned destination for visitors from all over the world. Over the past 50 years, Ladew Topiary Gardens has become a nationally recognized destination for nearly 50,000 guests each year. Ladew Topiary Gardens this year celebrates 50 years as a public garden.
Visitors come to explore the gardens, tour the historic Manor House, discover seasonal and year-round surprises on the Nature Walk, and learn about the mysteries of metamorphosis in a native Butterfly House. Both the House and Gardens are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Over the past 50 years:
Gardens: More than half of the original gardens have been restored with the help of archival information, the benefits of new technology, and the generous support of the community. The Woodland Garden will be restored in 2021; its pathways will returned to the original whimsical checkerboard pattern.
Manor House: The house interiors have undergone significant historic restorations enabling visitors to experience the charm and genius of Harvey Ladew’s interior design. Drawing room, bedroom suite restorations were made possible by archives; they reflect the incredible style and unique taste of Ladew and his talented friends, including Billy Baldwin.
Nature Walk: The Nature Walk, which opened in 1999 and was enhanced in 2019, offers visitors a natural landscape that provides an intentional contrast to the cultivated formal gardens. With pathways through a natural landscape, the walk serves as a living teaching aid for Ladew’s educational programming. Guests can experience the various wildlife habitats, which are particular to the Piedmont Plateau. In addition to educational signs along the one-mile trail, visitors enjoy a birdwatching blind, floating wetlands on the quarry pond, and a short boardwalk which threads through the wetland forest and freshwater marsh.
Butterfly House: Opened in 2014 and the first of its kind in the region, the Butterfly House showcases native plants and the native butterflies and caterpillars that depend on them for food and shelter. The Butterfly House provides an up-close, educational experience of the natural history and life cycle of over 20 species of local butterflies and caterpillars. The recent addition of interpretive signage enhances the visitor’s experience.
Art in the Gardens: Amateur painter and sculptor Harvey Ladew had a keen appreciation of art in many forms — painting, traditional sculpture, garden design, and, of course, the art of topiary. Over the years, Ladew Gardens has welcomed local, national and international artists to the Gardens to exhibit and sell their work. In 2021 Ladew features an exhibition of the natural realism sculptures by internationally renowned J. Clayton Bright and meticulous artistic botanical compositions by Anne Blackwell Thompson.
EVENTS
Garden Glow Event will be held from October 21 through October 23, 2021, from 5pm – 9pm. The event showcases hundreds of creative jack o’ lanterns, live music, performers, sculptures and installations, food, and family-friendly activities for children. Garden Glow tickets for general public will go on sale on September 6, 2021. For locals, you can participate as a Garden Glow pumpkin carver. (Please check the garden website for more details)
Tours
The historic Manor House has reopened with 30-minute docent-guided tours. House tours are offered Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays (10:00, 11:00, 12:00 & 1:00) and Weekends (10:00-1:30, every half hour) The cost is an additional $5. First-come, first-served tickets are sold in the Gift Shop. Free for Ladew Members. (Tickets are not sold online. Reservations are not accepted).
Butterfly House
The native Butterfly House is open for the season with 20-minute docent guided tours through late September (9 am – 3 pm). (Dates and hours are subject to change.) First-come, first-served timed tickets are required and can be picked up upon your arrival to Ladew The Butterfly House is included in your general admission. Face masks are required for unvaccinated guests.
Ladew Gardens Hours
Thursday through Tuesday (closed Wednesdays)
9am to 4pm
All Gates (including parking lot) are locked at 4 pm
Admissions:
Adults: $15
Seniors (62+) & Students: $10
Children (2-12): $4
Children under 2: Free
Ladew is located on Jarrettsville Pike (MD 146), 14 miles north of the Baltimore Beltway (I-695), exit 27B (Dulaney Valley Road North)
Directions
From the North or South Via I-95
Take Exit 74 to MD Route 152. Follow MD Route 152 northwest to the dead end
at MD Route 146 (Jarrettsville Pike) and go left.
Ladew Gardens is approximately 1 mile ahead on your left.
From York, Pennsylvania
Take I-83 south to Exit 36 (MD Route 439).
Follow MD Route 439 East for about 6 miles to a dead end at MD Route 23.
Turn right on MD Route 23 for approximately 3 miles to the junction of MD Route 146 (Jarrettsville Pike).
Turn right on MD Route 146.
Ladew Gardens is 3 miles ahead on your left.
Travel time to Ladew Gardens from:
Baltimore, MD – 30 minutes
Wilmington, DE – 1 hour
Washington D.C. – 1.5 hours
Philadelphia, PA – 1.5 hours
New York, NY – 3 hours
Annapolis, MD – 1.25 hours
