Mall area leading up to Kingwood Gardens Office and Library

Floral Display at Kingwood

Over the years Kingwood Center in Mansfield, Ohio (60 miles north of Columbus) has been a popular public gardens to visit. Formerly the home of Charles King, the 47 acre former estate garden has been open to the public since 1953. The former King home now houses Kingwood’s administrative offices and horticultural library.

Kingwood is not an enormous property, but is beautifully laid out and cared for. The talented garden staff creates lasting memories through floral displays. Kingwood is blessed with outstanding collections of hostas (Hosta) and daylilies (Hemerocallis). A formal rose garden displays the newest AARS winners from the American Rose Society. The newly redesigned herb garden (we called it the “Peter Rabbit garden”) offers visitors lots of take-home ideas.

Enter the Greenhouse Conservatory and move from house to house viewing tropical, temperate, and desert plants from around the world. In the rear of the greenhouse is fabulous selection of plants for sale; several gems have found a place in the Conlon garden. Displays of flowering annuals are always well-done, best viewed after summer’s heat has pushed the gardens to their peak from early July to autumn frost. Most annuals and perennial varieties are labeled. Past blog readers have seen many photos from Kingwood Center.

Kingwood’s showcase garden is a formal allee’ of  shrubbery and hostas edged with colorful annuals. Displays change every summer with colorful begonias, coleus, geraniums, etal. On one side of the manicured grassy mall is a glorious  bubbling fountain and on the other end is Kingwood’s offices and horticultural library.

Walk among the majestic trees and shrubs at Kingwood. Ten of my favorites include: bald cypress (Taxodium), dawn redwood (Metasequoia), Amur corktree, Lawson cypress, coffeetree, silver linden (Tilia tomentosa), Alaskan cedar, Japanese stewartia (S. pseudocamellia), red horsechestnut, and a fabulous collection of crabapples (Malus).

A large pond with lots of ducks (and optional feeding stations) delights visitors, young and old as do the peacocks which have full run of the grounds.

Some mid-Ohio craft groups, such as quilt and lapidary (rocks and gems) societies call Kingwood home. On selected summer weekends, members display and sell their handiwork, including artistic crafts and gems.

Location: 900 Park Avenue West, Mansfield, Ohio 44906 • 419-522-0211. Admission fee: $5.00 (non-members).