Life > September 27, 2007

By Lizzie Rosen | News editor

Although the song goes “When you’re alone and life is making you lonely you can always go, downtown,” I say you should go to Reynolda Gardens. Just a five-minute jaunt from campus, Reynolda Gardens is a great place to relax, take a first date or to just stop and smell the roses.

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You can arrive at the Gardens via automobile and park in Reynolda Village; however, I suggest you walk there through a path behind Winston Hall.

It will really prepare you for your date with nature, as you most likely will have emerged from the 24-hour study rooms and this way your transition into this natural haven will be more pleasant.

Before I guide you through the Gardens, treats and treasures, many of you may ask, why or how they even exist?

These gardens were part of the 1,067-acre estate of Richard Joshua Reynolds and Katherine Smith Reynolds.

The Gardens were donated to the university in commemoration of Mary Reynolds Babcock, daughter of Joshua and Katherine and wife of, you guessed it, Charles H. Babcock.

With that historical tidbit in mind, we are prepared to stroll the grounds. I recommend taking a friend or significant other, as making fun of the awkward-looking plants is not as rewarding otherwise.

Nevertheless, if you enjoy studying outside, the Gardens has a plethora of benches scattered about. Furthermore, there are rarely more than three people there at the same time, making the scene more serene.

The main section of the Gardens is located up a lengthy hill, but there are some notable spots you should visit before entering the Gardens. These are the bath house and the foot trails.

The boathouse and dock served as a center for boating, fishing and swimming on what used to be Lake Katherine, but what now appears to be a swamp.

A pumping system from the lake fed water into an irrigation system, but construction carried silt into the waters in massive amounts, filling the main lake cavity with sediment by the 1990s.

The boathouse has a nice fountain and some stone benches and is a good secluded place to hide out in seclusion should you seek it.

To the right of the boathouse are two foot trails that make for a good walking route or a nice alternative to the cross country trails. The perimeter trail is 1.5 miles long , while the woodland trail is .75 miles in length.

And so we enter the Gardens. There is no “right way” to tour the Gardens and there is no path to lead you.

Thus, not only will you be thrust into nature, you will be thrust into navigating the area, which is about a football field in length.

The first thing you will notice is that the Gardens are antique in style. There are several hedges overgrown in vine that can’t help but give you an Anne of Green Gables feeling.

There are several general plant groupings in the Gardens to investigate.

Let us begin with the greenhouse rose garden. If you are standing in the middle of the Gardens, there is a big space of grass with trees lining the edges facing the Palm House, a white building with a dome at the top.

The Gardens will be toward the greenhouse to your left and right.

The interesting thing about the rose garden is that it is not the location with the most roses in the Gardens.

Here you will find small pruned shrubs some trees with pretty flowers but mostly green shrubs that you could mistake for aggressive weeds. A word of warning: don’t touch the plant that looks like those fuzzy mint leaves that everyone loves caressing. This plant is cactus-like in texture; don’t make the same mistake I did.

From here, make your way towards the gravel path on the far left. This will take you to the fruit, cut flower and nicer vegetable garden area where you will identify plants you are familiar with. Beets, spinach, cucumber, okra, lettuce and turnips cover what resembles a small farm.

In this mini-produce section you will also find your favorite herbs like chives and thyme. Keep an eye out for the elephant’s ears, which resemble petite palm trees.

Continue under the next gate and admire the angel’s trumpets to your left. These gorgeous yellow-colored flowers hang about five feet down. Press on to the back of the Gardens where the main attraction resides, the colossal collection of roses. There are roses in every color, scent and size. This is where I spend a majority of my time.

If you can manage to pull yourself away from the roses, check out the All-American Seed Selections. It is a small corner plot and is just captivating in its presentation of a pinwheel of colors.

Also, run by the Pollination Station, which is to the front of the left side of the rose section (when facing the Palm House), but only if you are not afraid of butterflies or bugs.

I always end my sojourns to the Gardens by walking through the Palm House.

It showcases plants grown in the Growing House (crazy, I know). Plants are available for purchase, including cactuses, typical houseplants and orchids.

Exit through the front because if you don’t you will miss my favorite feature of Reynolda Gardens – Milly.

Milly is a one-eared cat that lives in the Gardens, usually settling in the sun on the front step of the Palm House. She’s white-furred and extremely friendly, and who doesn’t want to see a one-eared cat?

Reynolda Gardens is open seven days a week during daylight hours. The Palm House is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Admission to the Gardens is free.

And as always, please keep watch for small children and sprinklers - both are feisty and unpredictable.