1965-1969
July 13, 1969, opening day of Brookside Gardens, marked the culmination of four years of planning and construction by the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. In 1965, the commission began development of a display garden in Wheaton Regional Park on a site formerly owned by Stadler Nursery.
Commission landscape architect Hans Hanses developed the original design, using many European concepts he gleaned while training in Germany and Switzerland. More concerned with aesthetics than formula, his goal was to inspire visitors to the garden by displaying plants that were readily attainable and suitable for the region. Both formal and informal areas were divided into smaller, intimate “rooms” defined by walls, shrubs, or trees. Contrasts of color were used in building materials as well as plants for dramatic effects.
1969-1971
The original grounds of Brookside Gardens were comprised of three formal gardens leading to a Wedding Gazebo, an Azalea Walk on the brow of the hill, plantings around the entrance, and the Conservatory. The Conservatory complex housed office space, a horticultural library, a sub-tropical display house, and a smaller propagation glasshouse (now called the south house) that produced plants for indoor and outdoor displays.
At that time Brookside Gardens was only 25 acres, roughly one-half its current size (54 acres), and had 10 employees. There were 35,000 visitors over the course of the first year.
1972-1997
A new phase of development began in 1972. New gardens were installed over several years, including the Fragrance Garden, the Gude Garden (dedicated by Congressman Gilbert Gude to his father and nurseryman, Adolph Gude) with its popular Japanese Tea House, and the Rose Garden. The Trial Garden (for testing new annuals) and the Aquatic Garden were added later.
The Azalea Walk expansion created space for new shade garden plants while providing vistas over the Aquatic Garden ponds. A Viburnum Collection was developed to feature superior selections of this diverse species, and the Winter Garden was created to display plants with cold-season interest. An early Camellia Garden, decimated by severe winters in the ‘70s, was restored with the hardier camellias developed by the U.S. National Arboretum.
William and Virginia McCrillis donated McCrillis Gardens to the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission in 1978. The Conservatory displayed its inaugural Chrysanthemum Show in October 1978. Wings of Fancy Live Butterfly Exhibit and the Garden of Lights both opened in 1997.
1998-2008
Elizabeth Turner made a generous donation so that the Visitor Center could be built. It opened in June 1998. Nestled near the woods, this multi-use building contains a gift shop, information desk, adult and youth education classrooms, auditorium, and offices.
Plantings around the building feature specimens first introduced into the U.S. by Brookside Gardens, and a charming children’s garden with changing displays designed to encourage our youngest visitors to learn about plants and gardening. Two small gardens of species native to the eastern U.S. sits outside both the youth education and adult education classrooms.
On October 1, 2004, Reflection Terrace was dedicated to the victims of the 2002 sniper shootings in Montgomery County. In 2006, staff and volunteers installed a labyrinth in the Gude Garden for meditation and enjoyment. In 2007, the Rock Garden near the Conservatory entrance was replaced by a Rain Garden to correct localized drainage issues and serve as an environmental demonstration for the public. Brookside Gardens is constantly changing – featuring new displays and exploring new themes.
2009 and Beyond
The Montgomery County Planning Board approved a Master Plan for Brookside Gardens, paving the way for garden-wide renovations and improvements over the next twenty-five years. This plan was developed by Gardens staff in cooperation with landscape architecture firm EDAW, Inc., as well as volunteers and visitors.
Brookside Gardens is committed to helping fund the Master Plan through private donations, ensuring that the future holds the promise of improved facilities, enhanced garden areas, and innovative new displays.
Phase IV of the Master Plan focused on restoring the Gude Garden with the renovation of ponds and weirs around the Japanese Tea House. A new production greenhouse was completed in the employee-only service area in 2018, thereby greatly expanding capacity to cost-effectively grow plants for use throughout the Gardens and Conservatory.
In 2025, Brookside Gardens unveiled an award-winning accessible viewing platform overlooking the Gude Garden and ponds, made possible with a generous donation by long-time friend and supporter Joan O’Rourke, and in partnership with the Montgomery Parks Foundation and Friends of Brookside Gardens. The platform brings the Gardens within reach for all abilities and utilizes reclaimed granite, local Carderock stone, and Ipe wood.
Upcoming projects include planning and designing renovations to the Conservatory and accessibility improvements to the core Formal Gardens. These plans address modernization and replacement of aging infrastructure.
Today, Brookside Gardens encompasses 54 acres, with 32 acres of cultivated gardens managed by 29 career staff, part-time staff, and more than 1,000 volunteers. Approximately 1.4 million people visited the Gardens last year. We sincerely thank the staff, volunteers, visitors, and the surrounding community for contributing to its rich history.
Directors
Current: Stephanie Oberle (2008 – present)
Former Directors:
- David Vismara (1994)
- Els Benjamin (1979)
- Bob Haehle (1976)
- Carl Hahn (1969)