1. Draffan Fountain: Dedicated to George Draffan, our first Chairman of the Board, the fountain is a focal point for the view down the Allee from Kingwood Hall and a popular gathering place.
2. Allee: In Mr. King’s time the Allee was an unadorned long vista into the woods. It has now become a trademark feature of Kingwood’s gardens. Tulips, daffodils, annuals, flowering trees and shrubs, an emerald green long lawn, and a fountain combine to make this area a visitor and wedding favorite throughout the seasons.
3. North Terrace: Perched between the long Allee and Kingwood Hall, this is a popular intermediate spot to get a perspective, stage a wedding, or admire the colorful seasonal plantings that decorate the terrace in the growing season.
4. Woodland Garden: Here we offer a shady retreat where visitors can simply relax in this comfortable out-of-the-way garden or take in the colorful diversity of shade tolerant plants.
5. Kingwood Hall: Built in 1926, Kingwood Hall is the French provincial inspired former home of Charles Kelley King. Today it houses administrative offices on the third floor, a horticultural library, and many of Mr. King’s furnishings in period arrangements. It is open most days May through September, but for limited hours.
6. Naturalized Spring Garden: have a burst of glory in this area in April, May and into June and then go dormant. The garden steps off the stage for the summer.
7. South Lawn and Terrace: Enjoy the framed open view of the south terrace, a favorite for wedding receptions.
8. Trial & Cutting Beds: If you like your plants all in a row this is the place for you. All the plants we are testing and the plants we use for cut and dried flowers are lined out and labeled. It is one of our most popular gardens.
9. Perennial Garden: Parallel to the Allee the perennial garden offers an experimental and horticultural contrast to its more formal neighbor. The perennial garden offers interest in the minutiae of its complex plantings, its larger groupings of perennials and an attractive overview from multiple strategic spots. Each aspect of the perennial garden changes and evolves throughout the season.
10. Duck Pond: An artifact from Mr. King’s day and probably predating Kingwood Hall, Mr. King is said to have enjoyed skating on the pond. Today it is a favorite stop for feeding the ducks and an attractive terminus for the Terrace Garden. The ever popular peacocks and peahens can be found most anywhere in the gardens.
11. Terrace Garden: In the 1990’s, with funds from the Ohio Brass Foundation, the area in which Mr. King had his tennis court, vegetable and cut gardens, and orchard a new garden was created as part of the ongoing expansion of gardens since a public garden was created from a former estate.
12. Historic Formal Gardens: These gardens were designed with Kingwood Hall in 1926 and represent the only gardens specifically designed in Mr. King’s time. Revolving around the swimming pool that was once there a visitor could not reach the pool without going through at least one of three arts & crafts style gardens.
13. Daylily & Perennial Gardens: Accompanying the path in this area is an assortment of gardens beds with various themes. Currently we offer daylilies, Siberian irises, a bed for plants requiring sharp drainage, repeat blooming bearded irises, annuals, and three mixed perennial beds.
14. Carriage House: Previously Mr. King’s garage for maintenance equipment, this building was transformed early on in the history of Kingwood Center as a site for meetings, shows, plant sales, and gatherings of all sort.
15. Workshop: Once the barn, stable and office for Mr. King’s service buildings, today the Workshop offers our visitors restrooms, beverages, and a site for information about our events and activities.
16. Exhibit Hall: Once the most upscale poultry house imaginable, this building, like the Meeting Hall, was long ago remodeled as a center of activities. With its beautiful windows overlooking the rose garden this is a favorite room for rentals.
17. Courtyard Garden: This inviting courtyard offers lots of chairs, benches, tables, gardens, shade and a fountain. Come and relax or enjoy special events staged in this area.
18. Garden Shop & Greenhouse
Garden Shop:
- Many different plants including perennials, tropicals, cacti, herbs, annuals, and seasonal plants
- Gardening tools and garden art, e.g. bird baths, bird feeders, wind chimes, fairy garden accessories and other garden accents
- Kingwood mementos, e.g. post cards, greeting cards, magnets, peacock feather and other peacock themed garden accessories
- Friendly knowledgeable staff
- Open every day from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Greenhouse Displays:
- A tropical display house that has several hundred varieties of tropical plants.
- A succulent house with several hundred old world and new world plants.
- The Orangery which was added on in the 1980’s leads out into the greenhouse court yard garden.
- Carnivorous Plant Display, learn about their adaptations, where they are native, and what they “eat”.
19. Rose Garden: Roses and more! We are in transition as we add more vigorous roses and accompany them with more companion plants to eventually achieve a fully integrated garden that features roses.
20. Herb Garden: The most intensively cultivated garden at Kingwood, the Herb Garden offers many different plants of historic or current herbal value for culinary, medicinal, dyeing, strewing, fragrance and drying uses. Collectively this enormous diversity of plants transforms the enclosed space into a very pleasant and attractive place to study, enjoy, or take refuge in one of the four covered sitting areas.
21. Gazebo Garden: This is a little vignette featuring a vine covered gazebo, a rill of water and a wide assortment of flowering plants, especially annuals. It is particularly popular for some of the smaller weddings.
22. Peony Garden: This garden goes back to the early days of Kingwood Center when the emphasis was all on plant collections. The peony garden features many of peony breeder William Krekler’s creations and provides a glorious swath of color in late spring when they are in bloom.