Flourishing arboretums, award-winning tulip gardens, and shared community spaces are just a few of the lush gardens you’ll find in Baltimore.
While Charm City is known to be a bustling hub of government buildings, private offices, and entertainment and retail spaces, you’ll be surprised at the number of calm and peaceful gardens that can be found there.
Whether amidst a concrete jungle or the suburbs, you’ll find the following gardens in Baltimore to be the perfect haven to unwind.
Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory
- Address: 3100 Swann Dr, Baltimore, MD 21217
The Rawlings Conservatory opened in 1888 and continues to be one of the most beautiful spaces to this day. There are five greenhouse rooms and a garden full of flowers and plants spanning over half an acre.
While there are many different flowers in bloom at the conservatory, the Les and Carol Kirkegaard Orchid Collection are absolutely remarkable.
Cylburn Arboretum
- Address: 4915 Greenspring Ave, Baltimore, MD 21209
Home to wooded trails, hundreds of species of plants and trees, and colorful gorgeous gardens, Cylburn Arboretum is an urban oasis that can be found right in the heart of the bustling city. The space spans over two hundred acres and the woodland trails wind through the grounds for four miles.
It’s a wonderful place to spend time with friends and family as you can observe birds and wildlife, get some exercise on the paths, or even have a picnic amidst the gardens.
Sherwood Gardens
- Address: 4310 Underwood Rd, Baltimore, MD 21218
Sherwood Gardens is a historical space that dates back to 1913. Although it is a privately-owned community park, there is no gate surrounding it and everyone is invited to enjoy the gardens at no cost.
You’ll find various varieties of trees and plants, but Sherwood Gardens is most famed for its tulips and over 50,000 bulbs are planted annually. This makes the end of April/ beginning of May one of the best times to visit even though the gardens are beautiful all year long.
Preston Gardens Park
- Address: St. Paul Street & E Saratoga Street, Baltimore, MD 21202
Found alongside the busy St. Paul Street and surrounded by private offices, government buildings, and hospitals, Preston Gardens Park is a small but much welcome oasis in the city. The park spans three blocks and sits between two parallel roadways.
The centerpiece of the park is a limestone fountain with staircases that connect the lower and upper levels of the park. There are additional flower and plant gardens as well as seasonal floral displays.
Exeter Gardens
- Address: 103 S Exeter St, Baltimore, MD 21202
Exeter Gardens is a small and homely space that was founded in 2011 in an attempt to convert one of Baltimore City’s many abandoned lots into a space where the community can come together.
Neighbors surrounding the garden come together to share bits of their ethnicity and culture through plants grown there. It’s also a place for people to learn about local gardening, nutrition, and more as you walk the peaceful garden.
Conkling Street Garden
- Address: 25 S Conkling St, Baltimore, MD 21224
A community-driven urban garden, the Conkling Street Garden is a small plot of land that is filled with plants, flowers, and murals. It’s a wonderful space to unwind and just take a break from the busyness of life.
Keep an eye on the Facebook page for events such as the Spring Opener, Planting Day, and Garden Tours.
JHU Community Garden
- Address: Johns Hopkins University Eastern Campus, 1101 E 33rd St, Baltimore, MD 21218
The Community Garden at Johns Hopkins University, also known as The Blue Jay’s Perch, is a place for members of the community to come together and create an outdoor space that members of the public can enjoy.
You can volunteer on their Garden Days, learn, and teach about sustainable food production, and just take a walk through the many flowers and plants found there.
Patterson City Farms Garden
- Address: 2419-2499 E Baltimore St, Baltimore, MD 21224
Community gardening is immensely popular in Patterson Park, and you’ll find many small lots full of plants, flowers, and walking paths scattered throughout the neighborhood.
The community-tended garden is split into ninety-two plots measuring 150 square feet each, which can be rented by area residents. Because of the diversity, you’ll see so many different flowers and vegetable plants throughout the garden.
Pope John Paul II Prayer Garden
- Address: 1 W Franklin St, Baltimore, MD 21201
The Pope John Paul II Prayer Garden is a perfect place to spend an evening unwinding and reflecting. Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien of Baltimore established the garden in honor of the Pope’s visit to Baltimore. While the garden is filled with grassy areas, trees, and flowers, it also has lots of beautiful masonry and statuary works.
A seven-foot-tall bronze statue patterned after Pope John Paul II’s arrival at BWI Airport is the centerpiece of the garden and is surrounded by beautiful and flourishing flowers and plants during the spring and fall.
Mother’s Garden
- Address: 3205 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21213
Situated in a corner of Clifton Park, Mother’s Garden is a historic five-acre space dedicated to Baltimore’s moms. The garden originated in 1926 and has been a peaceful refuge for Baltimoreans and visitors since then.
There are several features of the garden that stand out such as the hilltop with its spectacular views, garden stairways and paths, and original stone structures that date back to the garden’s opening.
Sculpture Garden (BMA)
- Address: Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr, Baltimore, MD 21218
While there are flowers, plants, and trees that fill the area, the outdoor sculpture garden at the Baltimore Museum of Art is a favored place for many Baltimoreans. It is almost hidden from the streets even though this marvelous haven spans over three acres.
The main feature is the thirty-three sculptures beautifully positioned across the gardens, dating back to over a hundred years. The garden is open to the public at no cost, as is entry to the Baltimore Museum
More Baltimore Gardens
- Baltimore Free Farm, 3511 Ash St, Baltimore, MD 21211
- Duncan Street Miracle Garden, 1701-1899 N Duncan St, Baltimore, MD 21213
- East Baltimore Community Garden
- Filbert Street Garden, 1317 Filbert St, Baltimore, MD 21226
- Lennox Street Community Garden, 732, 730 &, 728 Lennox St, Baltimore, MD 21217
- Patterson Park- Community Garden, 2419-2499 E Baltimore St, Baltimore, MD 21224
- Upper Fells Point Community Garden
- Wertheimer Garden, Ridgedale Rd, Baltimore, MD 21209
- Sunflower Fields in Maryland
- Lavender Farms in Virginia
