Need beauty? These are 7 of the most gorgeous gardens in the D.C. area.

Need beauty? These are 7 of the most gorgeous gardens in the D.C. area.

Washington has no shortage of places to surround yourself with nature: the plants growing on mountains and glens at the National Arboretum; the water lilies and lotuses at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens; the meadows of Rock Creek Park.

In the midst of spring, with summer’s heat on the horizon, our thoughts turn to other landscapes: carefully tended gardens that educate while they delight with colors and scents, and parks where visitors wander from a themed Korean garden to a display of native plants, past ponds where blue herons hide. But there are more reasons to visit than pretty displays: Put your feet in the grass, and your nose in a flower. Feel the warmth of the sun on your face as you read a book. This selection of local gardens has much to offer, whether on a day trip or for a quick mental health break after work.

Important reminders: First, gardens serve as popular wedding venues over the warm-weather months, so check venue websites and social media before making plans to visit, especially on weekends. Also, picnics are forbidden at some gardens, including at private locations like Dumbarton Oaks and county-run facilities such as Brookside Gardens. Make sure eating and drinking are allowed before packing snacks. Finally, while it’s generally okay to take photos of yourself or your friends with your phone at gardens, most locations require permits for professional photo shoots — basically, if you’re bringing a photographer to take photos for your engagement, senior portrait or quinceañera, or creating content that requires another person to take photos or video of you. When in doubt, ask.

And, most importantly, enjoy!

1. Bon Air Memorial Rose Garden

Flowers bloom at the Bon Air Memorial Rose Garden in Arlington.

Arlington is filled with tributes to veterans: the somber monuments at Arlington National Cemetery, the Marine Corps War Memorial, the locally focused Clarendon War Memorial. But the most colorful of all is found in Bon Air Park along Wilson Boulevard. The Bon Air Memorial Rose Garden, which opened in 1951 and moved to Bon Air Park in 1964, was created by Arlington resident Nellie Broyhill to honor “our valiant and courageous men and women who bore the colors of their country in the conflict of World War II.” More than 120 varieties of roses grow in a compact, neatly ordered garden located between the tennis courts and the playground — think of it as the best example of how beautiful your neighborhood park could be.

Star garden: The main attraction is the rose garden, laid out in a linear north-south fashion with a flagpole and memorial plaque in a circular plaza at the center. Everywhere you look, there are roses: delicate small white flowers and larger, Barbie-pink blooms atop arches that are perfect for a photo op. Reddish-pink roses in the beds and on the walls of bushes along the borders. Ruby red and blushing pink roses dangling down from the trellises along the main avenue. Sure, there are other plants, such as the delightful purple puffballs of alliums, but roses are the draw. There are frustratingly few labels, however, telling visitors what kind of rose they’re looking at.

On a recent Friday afternoon, the crowds reading in the park or wandering through in workout attire quickly gave way to crowds posing in prom attire and quinceañera dresses, or squeezing multiple generations of the family under an arch, waiting in turn at each of the features. It’s one of the more colorful, accessible backdrops around.

What not to overlook: Because the rose garden is so small — less than the length of a football field, measured with Google Maps — there’s little chance you will miss anything here. If you have time, wander around the park, which also features demonstration gardens tended by the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia. Visit the Sunny Garden, just north of the Rose Garden, to see shrubs and perennials that flourish seasonally, or the Shade Garden, located amid trees farther into the park, which boasts a wide variety of native plants.

Best bench: The benches framed by roses around the flagpole and at the north end of the garden are frequently in demand for group photos. You’ll be disturbed less often if you snag one of the wooden benches under the trellis, where the roses are still barely over your head.

Essential info: The park is open daily from sunrise to sunset. 850 N. Lexington St., Arlington. arlingtonva.us/parks. Free admission.

2. Brookside Gardens

Visitors take in the view from a bridge at Brookside Gardens.

The sprawling 50-acre Brookside Gardens are only three bus stops from the Glenmont Metro station, but they feel much farther from Washington. A wander through the park covers a variety of environments — a lakefront Japanese Teahouse, formal gardens, a leafy forest of azaleas, a reconfigured rose garden, butterfly habitats and a tropical conservatory. Kids can play in a Maryland-themed area with gardens, a boat and a tot-size farmhouse.

Star gardens: The first time a visitor walks into the Fragrance Garden, they’re likely to stop and sniff. A wave of scents comes from the plants here: tulips, peonies, lavender, abelia and other plants selected for their delightful perfume. It’s fun to go from plant to plant to figure out what, exactly, you’re smelling, and that interaction is by design: A marker explains that this garden was originally developed for blind visitors.

What not to overlook: The Rose Garden received a revamp this spring, with more than 200 new roses amid beds with 800 different perennials and flowering grasses, as well as a new irrigation system to keep the plants blooming longer into the year. (Don’t worry — the benches under the wisteria arbors are still there.) Head around the corner to the formal gardens, each with its own personality: the cool blue, yellow and white flowers and ornamental grasses surrounding a pool in the Perennial Garden, leading to the more structured clipped hedges of the Yew Garden, and finally the searing scarlet colors of the Japanese maples in the Maple Terrace.

One of the many tucked-away benches at Brookside Gardens.

Best bench: The benches in the formal gardens offer a mix of shade, birdsong and the buzz of insects — as mentioned earlier, the benches in the Rose Garden offer more shade than those in the Yew or Perennial gardens. Those seeking contemplation, and a view over an undulating green lawn, should head for the benches near the Reflection Terrace, which holds a memorial for the victims of the 2002 D.C. sniper attacks, and the lake by the Japanese Teahouse.

Events and tours: There are regular programs ranging from guided garden tours to yoga and tai chi classes. On May 31, the park hosts “Ready, Set, Go,” an evening nature-themed scavenger hunt for adults. A free “Pride in the Park” comedy show takes place on the lawn next to the visitor center on June 6, with food trucks and a hard cider garden. Montgomery Parks’ Summer Twilight Concert Series returns to Brookside Gardens every Tuesday in June — the rare occasion when picnics are allowed. The series begins with the Latin rock band Ocho de Bastos on June 4. Monthly plant clinics with master gardeners offer free office hours in the visitor center from July through November.

Essential info: Outdoor gardens open daily from sunrise to sunset; visitor center open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton. montgomeryparks.org. Free admission.

3. Dumbarton Oaks Gardens

Daffodils bloom along a path at Dumbarton Oaks.

Dumbarton Oaks’ surging popularity is an example of how historic gardens can attract completely different audiences. Amateur and professional gardeners are drawn to the breathtaking 16 acres of terraced and natural gardens, designed by Beatrix Farrand, the only woman among the founders of the American Society of Landscape Architects, beginning in the 1920s. In recent years, however, a new generation of social media influencers have discovered that the rose garden, wisteria-covered arbors and shifting displays of color make for beautiful photo opportunities — so much so that you sometimes have to wait to see certain plants up close because there’s a line of phone-toting visitors in front of them. Still, there’s enough to see that if you encounter crowds, you can wander off, find yourself alone in a different area and go back.

Star garden: Before heading off into the gardens and lawns, pause for a moment in the Green Garden, the open entertaining space behind the Orangery. From here, the sweeping vista shows the brilliant design scheme: a mix of formal gardens toward the house shifting toward natural landscape as the property drops steeply, embracing the topography. Once you’ve taken in the scene, head for the Rose Garden, which will be full of color and scent over the summer, and the Fountain Terrace, a grassy flower garden bordered by tulips and perennials, with a pair of fountains as the central feature.

Best bench: The Fountain Terrace features a gorgeous Arts and Crafts oak bench, designed by Farrand, with a view of the flowers and the sound of water. Far from the house (and, often, the crowds), the Lilac Circle contains rustic wood and stone benches with fewer disturbances.

What not to overlook: Everything is in the details, notes Jonathan Kavalier, Dumbarton Oaks’ director of gardens and grounds, from the layering of trees and plants to Farrand’s original designs for benches and balconies. “Farrand’s seamless blending of old and new world styles, her attention to the finest details, and her iterative and adaptive design process are all still thriving a century after she began creating these cherished spaces.”

Events and tours: A free docent-led tour is offered every Wednesday through Saturday at 2:10 p.m., just after gates open, but it is limited to 10 people, so you’ll want to be toward the front of the general admission line to guarantee a space.

Essential info: Dumbarton Oaks tickets can be the hottest in town. All tickets must be purchased in advance; no tickets are sold at the gate. Admission is allowed at 2 or 4 p.m., with the last entry at 5:30. The gardens shut promptly at 6. Dumbarton Oaks closes regularly for meetings and events. (It’s closed to the public this Thursday to Saturday, and again July 9 to 12.) 1703 32nd St. NW. doaks.org. $11; free for children age 2 and younger.

4. Green Spring Gardens

A gazebo at Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria.

There are more than 20 demonstration gardens at Fairfax County’s Green Spring Gardens, as well as a garden designed by landscape gardener Beatrix Farrand of Dumbarton Oaks fame, but at its core is a vast grassy lawn where, on a recent weekend afternoon, parents and toddlers were happily playing. Green Spring has education at the heart of its mission, with regular weekend garden tours, talks and family activities. Stop by the visitor center and you’ll find not just a list of what’s in bloom, but cuttings showing the plants and where they’re located. Plant tags throughout list not just names, but QR codes that take you to the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia website for more information. You’ll definitely leave knowing more than when you came in.

Star gardens: The Virginia Native Plant Garden features wildflower meadows and a path through sun-dappled woods, running next to a stream. Other highlights include the children’s garden, with hands-on activities; the colorful arbor gardens; and the Edible Garden, which hosts classes on the third Saturday of the month and donates all the produce grown there to local food banks.

Best bench: Farrand’s designs for the garden behind Green Spring included a large outdoor “room” for entertaining, with a quartz wall topped by a semicircular boxwood. Duck behind this hedge for two of the best places to sit and think: on the steps looking down at the informal landscape with azaleas, and on a bench behind the mixed border, a breezy overlook that offers a view of ponds through the trees.

What not to overlook: The historic Green Spring home, which dates from 1784, is open for visits and contains a history of the site and artifacts that have been found on the grounds. The visitor center hosts art shows and is home to a conservatory with tropical plants, as well as a plant shop.

Events and tours: Green Spring is a hive of activity for curious gardeners. This Saturday features a spring garden tour and a talk about natural gardens. Monday is the monthly Garden Sprouts play group for preschoolers. May 18 brings “the Big Plant Sale,” with dozens of vendors, talks with master gardeners and a bake sale. Summer highlights include a Pride Month poetry workshop (June 1), a concert in the garden (June 20) and the annual begonia show (Aug. 17-18).

Essential info: Open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. (Visitor center and house close 30 minutes earlier.) 4603 Green Spring Rd., Alexandria. fairfaxcounty.gov/parks. Free admission; activities may have additional charges.

5. Hillwood Museum and Gardens

Karen Egbert sketches the grounds at Hillwood Estate.

Is Hillwood, the estate owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post, best known for its collection of imperial Russian art and Fabergé eggs, or for the lush grounds and gardens that surround it? For many people, it’s the latter. Hillwood is known for azaleas that burst to life in the spring, which, a guide explained on a recent tour, is intentional: Post spent winters at Mar-a-Lago and summers in New York, so the gardens were designed to look their best when she was in Washington in the spring and fall. But don’t think it’s empty now: More than 11,000 warm-season annual and tropical plants are in the process of going into summer displays, says Jessica Bonilla, Hillwood’s director of horticulture, in addition to seasonal blooms in other gardens.

Star gardens: The Rose Garden is one of the most beautiful spots on the estate, with beds of colorful floribunda roses and a flower-covered pergola surrounding the column containing Post’s ashes. The Cutting Garden, located in a prominent position between the greenhouse and the mansion, was designed to supply the mansion with fresh-cut flowers year-round, so it’s constantly in bloom, to the delight of bees and butterflies.

Best bench: The Four Seasons Overlook, a small, circular plaza on the Friendship Walk between the Rose Garden and the woods, is a quiet spot with several benches among the statues and bushes. There are also chairs in the French Parterre, a formal garden with ivy-covered walls surrounding a long central fountain and elaborate plantings.

What not to overlook: Pay a visit to the greenhouse to enjoy vibrant displays of orchids and tropical plants, and make your way down the hillside beyond the lawn to the Japanese Garden, which has cascading waterfalls, Japanese lanterns and sculptures, and where the contemplative setting seems removed from the bustle of tour groups.

Events and tours: Gardener’s Focus tours, led by staff horticulturists, are included with admission and provide far more detail than the guidebooks alone; the next series is focused on the Cutting Garden (June 11-21), but get to Hillwood early: Space on the tour is limited, and tickets are first-come, first-served. Hillwood offers programs for families with preschoolers every other week, with upcoming themes including “Colors in the Garden” (May 14-15) and “Sensational Scents” (June 11-12).

Essential info: Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. hillwoodmuseum.org. Adults $15-$18; college students $10; $5 for ages 6 to 18; free for ages 5 and younger.

6. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

A pond at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna.

Coming out of Meadowlark’s visitor center, your first views might make you think this is a public park rather than a botanic garden. Green lawns roll down a valley toward a pair of lakes. Next to the water, people lie on blankets, reading, shaded by tall trees. Couples stroll along a dock to a picturesque gazebo that sits over the larger lake. Benches and Adirondack chairs nestled into the grassy hills offer views of it all, next to wisteria and flower beds.

Yes, there’s plenty of nature on the way to those lakes — a conservatory holding Mediterranean plants; a butterfly-friendly pollinator garden; a collection of plants whose chemicals are used in cancer treatments — and Meadowlark’s size and beauty make it a garden that rewards exploration.

Star gardens: The only Korean Bell Garden in the Western Hemisphere is the place to start: The centerpiece is a natural wooden pavilion — built entirely without nails — holding a three-ton bell, handmade in South Korea and decorated with flora and fauna. The garden also contains a mix of plants native to Korea and Virginia, protective figures carved from volcanic rock called dol hareubangs, walls decorated with images of flowers and symbols of longevity, and a koi pond with a fountain.

Best bench: There are benches everywhere: Walk up a curving path to the top of a spiral mound for an overview of the lakes, or grab a chair in the Butterfly Garden for views of the lawns. Two stood out on our last visit, though: a pair of Adirondack chairs overlooking the wetlands pond and bog gardens, where you might see a blue heron sitting in the water or turtles sunning themselves on logs, and the Azalea Woods Gazebo, tucked away in a wooded area home to native wildflowers and trees of the Potomac Valley.

What not to overlook: Meadowlark is home to the Stout Medal Garden, which is a collection of day lilies that have been awarded the Stout Medal, “the highest honor a day lily can receive,” dating back to 1950. Day lilies are featured in multiple beds, and even if the gorgeous flowers aren’t in bloom, it’s still fun to look at the names: “Explosion in the Paint Factory,” “Stop the Car,” “Radiation Biohazard” and “Mayor of Munchkinland” are a few of the hybrids that made us do a double take. If the kids get tired of looking at plants, take them to the lakeside Toddler’s Tea Garden to run around.

Events and tours: The park regularly hosts events, including the Music in the Gardens concert series, which features “Music for Our Mothers” with the Virginia Chamber Orchestra this Sunday; twice-monthly Pup Days for dog owners; a monthly Sunrise in the Gardens event, with gates opening at 5:30 a.m.; and weekend “Bonsai Chats” with gardeners. Special events include the annual Korean Bell Garden Celebration on May 18, with traditional music and dancing, games, complimentary Korean food, and the ringing of the garden’s monumental bell. (Garden admission is free from 10 a.m. to noon for the celebration.)

Essential info: Open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The visitor center closes 30 minutes earlier. 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Ct., Vienna. novaparks.com. $8 for ages 18-54; $4 for ages 6 to 17 and over 55; free for children age 5 and younger.

7. William Paca House and Garden

The reconstructed 18th-century pleasure garden at the William Paca House and Garden in Annapolis.

The existence of many gardens is due to the hard work of landscapers and horticulturists. At the William Paca House in downtown Annapolis, you also have to thank archaeologists, historians and 18th-century portraitist Charles Willson Peale.

Paca — signer of the Declaration of Independence, governor of Maryland — designed and built the house that bears his name in the 1760s. In 1901, Paca’s former home became one of Annapolis’s most fashionable hotels, and his beloved terraced pleasure garden was covered with a building containing 200 rooms. After the hotel closed in 1965, the building was purchased by the preservation group Historic Annapolis, and historians and landscape designers became interested in restoring the gardens. Some key details came from Peale’s 1772 portrait of Paca, currently hanging a block away at the Maryland State House, which showed the Founding Father in his garden in front of a two-story summerhouse, a pond and a bridge. More evidence came from archaeological excavations, which revealed the locations of structures and the falls of the garden terraces. It might not be exactly the view Paca would have seen in the heady days before the Revolution, but we should be grateful to have this glimpse into a long-disappeared Annapolis.

Star gardens: Paca’s Garden is split into different garden rooms, separated by stepped terraces. But the focal point of the garden is the summerhouse, a whimsical, octagonal folly at the very back, separated from the formal areas by a fish-shaped pond and a romantic, whitewashed Chinese Chippendale bridge. This has been the backdrop for countless weddings and proposals, and is best observed while taking a stroll along the pathways in the Wilderness Garden, among a selection of native plants grown during Paca’s time.

Best bench: The four parterres, with their ornamental displays, each have a different character — the Rose Parterre is fragrant and attractive when in bloom — but there’s a lovely wooden bench in the corner of the Boxwood Parterre, among the carefully shaped hedges, shaded by a cedar tree, that’s particularly attractive. Want to soak in the sun? Head across the main walk, where the “Governor William Paca holly” — a giant, pine-cone-shaped shrub — sits surrounded by boxwood and benches.

What not to overlook: The Kitchen and Physic gardens offer displays of the kinds of plants grown for practical purposes, not beauty, when the house was built. The Physic Garden’s collection of medicinal herbs is especially interesting.

Events and tours: Guided garden tours are offered at 9:30 a.m. Fridays. This weekend is the 50th annual William Paca Garden Plant Sale, which allows the public to purchase native flowers, shrubs and heirloom specimens, including plants propagated or grown in the Paca Garden itself. (Doors open at 10 a.m. Saturday and noon Sunday; see annapolis.org for details.)

Essential info: Open daily through August. Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 186 Prince George St., Annapolis. annapolis.org. Garden entry $5 for ages 3 and older. House tour and garden entry $7-$12.