By Karen Olson House | March 2006

• North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville
• Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Durham
• Gardens at Tryon Palace, New Bern
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Gardens at Tryon Palace, New Bern

A part of the past grows here at Tryon Palace Historic Sites and Gardens, with its 18th century-style gardens of native plants that greeted European settlers, its Victorian-era displays, and 20th century interpretations of earlier periods.
Tryon is a North Carolina State Historic Site that includes seven major buildings and 14 acres of gardens. The main palace was built between 1767 and 1770 as the home for William Tryon, the British governor of the North Carolina colony, in the colony’s first permanent capital at New Bern.

Each spring, tulips are a big Palace draw. About 10,000 of these colorful, fabled flowers should be in bloom the first two weeks in April.

With 14 acres of grounds and gardens, visitors can choose from 13 themed gardens. Some of the more popular Palace gardens include:

The Kitchen Garden

The kitchen garden, with 18th century varieties of vegetables, herbs and fruit trees, offers produce almost year-round. Cool-weather crops visible in March include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and kohlrabi. Herbs include several varieties of mint, lavender, oregano and rosemary. In summer you’ll see beans, cucumbers, eggplant, tomatoes, melons, artichokes and watermelons. Fruit trees include apple, plum, pear and fig.

The Kellenberger Garden

The walled Kellenberger Garden includes plants that might have appeared in original Palace gardens. Mostly perennials are displayed here, including hellebores and dianthus. Spring annuals include violas, johnny jump-ups and pot marigolds.

Latham Garden

The Latham is a formal English garden where clipped hedges, flowers and paths form patterns that define the distinctive “parterre” garden. Statues of the four seasons survey displays of spring bulbs, summer annuals, annuals and fall chrysanthemums. The center beds, edged in yaupon holly, overflow with colorful tulips and daffodils in the spring. The garden also displays many species of irises.

Stoney Garden

The Stoney Garden features old-fashioned perennials and antique roses of varieties known to have graced New Bern gardens in the 19th-century.

Visitor Information

• Wheelchair Access: The gardens are accessible to all visitors. Call ahead to discuss special needs.
• Hours of Operation: Now until Memorial Day weekend Palace buildings and gardens are open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The last guided tour begins at 4 p.m. daily. Summer hours (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend) are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The last guided tour begins at 4 p.m. daily. The gardens are open until 7 p.m. Tickets are sold until 4:30 p.m.
• Admission: Admission to all gardens, the blacksmith shop, stables and kitchen office, is $8 for adults and $3 for students grades 1–12. Admission to all buildings and gardens is $15 for adults and $5 for students.
• Location: New Bern, in the heart of historic downtown. Tryon Palace’s Visitor Center is at the corner of Pollock and George Streets.
• (800) 767-1560 www.tryonpalace.org/gardens.html