This garden, which appears to be a natural Piedmont woodland, was actually almost entirely created by Margaret Reid. She introduced most of the plants, laid out the meandering paths and carefully managed the garden from 1943, when she and her husband Alton built the house, to her death in 1995.
She followed the principles taught her by B. W. Wells, early ecologist and former head of the North Carolina State University Department of Botany, by grouping plants in communities as they might be found in the wild.
The garden is privately owned and protected by a conservation easement. The current owners and NCNPS Reid Chapter host an annual Open Garden on Easter afternoon, and offer tours at other times upon request. Garden workdays on most 2nd Saturdays between September and May offer other opportunities to see what’s up in the garden while helping with its stewardship. Contact Amy at ReidChapter@gmail.com for more information.
Early March in the Garden
Dimpled Trout Lilies (Erythronium umbiculatum).
Bloodroots (Sanguinaria canadensis)
Margaret Reid thought no child should grow up without the opportunity to see a hepatica.
Late March in the Garden
Toadshade (Trillium cuneatum)
Piedmont Azalea (Rhododendron canescens)
Crested Iris (Iris cristata) interwoven with some Wild Geranium leaves
Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
Toadshade (Trillium cuneatum) and unfurling Wood Ferns (Dryopteris – probably celsa or ludoviciana), with Spring Beauties and more ferns in the background.
Early April in the Garden
Dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata), green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum), and golden ragwort (Packera aurea) near the garden pond
Foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia)Yellow Star Grass (Hypoxis hirsuta). This is in the lily family – not a grass.
