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Ladew Topiary Gardens, Monkton

4.6

#14 of 99 in Historic Sites in Maryland

Must see · Garden · Historic Site

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Ladew Topiary Gardens (22 acres (8.9 ha)) are nonprofit gardens with topiary located in Monkton, Maryland. The gardens were established in the 1930s by socialite and huntsman Harvey S. Ladew (1887–1976), who in 1929 had bought a 250-acre (100 ha) farm to build his estate. The house and gardens are open April through October, weekdays and weekends; an admission fee is charged.

The grounds contain 15 garden rooms, each devoted to a single color, plant or theme, arranged around two cross axes with vistas. The axes meet in an oval swimming pool. The garden is particularly noted for its topiary, which was strongly influenced by Ladew's extensive travel in England, where he frequently went fox hunting. Ladew designed topiaries depicting a fox hunt with horses, riders, dogs, and fox clearing a hedge, a Chinese junk with sails, swans, and a giraffe, among others. It was proclaimed an "exquisite garden estate" by The New York Times. The Garden Club of America has described it as "the most outstanding topiary garden in America." The grounds also contain a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) nature walk.

The house was built in stages, starting in the late 18th century, with a mid-19th century addition and other additions in the 20th century. The oval library is particularly noteworthy, and has been called "one of the 100 most beautiful rooms in America". Both the grounds and house, which contains a good collection of antique English furniture, opened to the public in 1971.

Take a look at our Monkton attractions planner to schedule your visit to Ladew Topiary Gardens and learn about what else to see and do during your holiday.
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Ladew Topiary Gardens reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating

251 reviews

Google

4.7

By JessicaGP

Ladew is a beautiful garden to walk through any season of the year. Worth the trip and the price of admission. So many different species of plants and the individual gardens are just stunning...

Ladew is a beautiful garden to walk through any season of the year. Worth the trip and the price of admission. So many different species of plants and the individual gardens are just stunning... more »
By nashtonA1

What a wonderful place. The topiaries are amazing and the gardens are beautiful. It's well worth the additional cost (only $5) to tour the house. I've been to many, many botanical gardens and this.... more

What a wonderful place. The topiaries are amazing and the gardens are beautiful. It's well worth the additional cost (only $5) to tour the house. I've been to many, many botanical gardens and this.... more »
By Blgcanada

What a fun time we had visiting Ladew Topiary Gardens. Like visiting fabulous (millionaire ) friends huge garden. Very distinctive point of view with different garden “rooms”, creative informal...

What a fun time we had visiting Ladew Topiary Gardens. Like visiting fabulous (millionaire ) friends huge garden. Very distinctive point of view with different garden “rooms”, creative informal... more »

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Google

By Liz Wilson

What a gorgeous and surprising delight this place is! Multiple different themed gardens, a whimsical theatre box office-turned cottage, and topiary plants scattered throughout the property, this was such a wonderful place to meander about and to enjoy the beautiful plants and architecture. Definitely a must-visit if you're a garden lover!

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By Rob A.

Nice place to visit on a pleasant day. We were looking forward to eating at the cafe but it was closed and opens in early June if I remember correctly. Beautiful grounds and plenty of shady spots and benches for relaxing and taking it all in. The 1 mile nature walk was a nice thing to do so don't forget to check out the trail while you're there.

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By Savan Dounde

Nice Experience. Good place to spend a day. This place is beautiful. Lot of beautiful topiary and flowers. You can also bring in your own food and have a picnic. We visited in early April. I think best time is after early-mid May.

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By Don Rogers

Went here recently for a friend's birthday and had a picnic it was fun but we weren't able to see everything because I'm heavily pregnant and walking around was hard. I wish there was an option to rent a golf cart. I do plan on coming back when my feet and ankles don't swell to the size of softballs. It was beautiful and I'm happy we were able to see the butterfly house before the end of the season

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By Rosey

This place is beautiful from start to finish. Your eye never gets tired seeing one more plant or flower so much color It also smells heavenly. It was my first time going I saw a snake and a chipmunk. They have a butterfly garden that opens in June. It really feels like you stepped back in time. They also offer tours of the home of Mr Ladew. So much fascinating history. We were there about 4 hours and totally worn out. You wont regret it.

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