About Arborcrest Gardens

Located in Boone, North Carolina, is a five acre research and display garden where over 4,000 different varieties of annuals, perennials, trees, shrubs, vines, groundcovers, evergreens and bulbs, as well as fruits and vegetables have been grown and evaluated. The plants that have performed the best are being maintained and further evaluated in an effort to discover those that are best suited for growing in the colder climate conditions of western North Carolina and other similar climatic regions of the USA. Approximately 100 new varieties of plants are added to the trial gardens each year.

Arborcrest Gardens also installed and maintains the landscapes at Watauga High School, Hardin Park Elementary School and First Presbyterian Church--all located within the city limits of Boone, N.C. The plants selected for these landscapes were chosen from those that had performed the best at the Arborcrest test gardens.

Arborcrest Gardens is currently in the midst of a major expansion/renovation project. A two mile loop trail is being installed that will connect with the existing gardens and will wind through a variety of beautiful settings featuring plants suited for open meadows, hardwood forest, creekside as well as wetlands/bog. The trail will also feature a 50' long footbridge (constructed from locust logs found on the property) that will cross a spring fed creek where hundreds of ferns grow in the cool shade. Once completed the trail system will be suitable for walking, jogging, nature study or just strolling and enjoying a vast array of different trees, rhododendron, wildflowers, and ferns.