No Green Thumb Needed

Look around. What do you see? Cherry blossoms. Daffodils. Azaleas. Tulips. They're all in bloom - and they're all over the place!  You don't have to be born with a green thumb to enjoy the beauty of spring. There are a number of beautiful gardens in Newport News where you can "stop and smell the roses" without getting your fingernails dirty. Here are a few of our favorites:

The Rose Garden at Huntington Park features over 74 rose varieties in its 1,000-bush garden. A beautiful setting for outdoor weddings, the garden also serves as a rose grower's classroom. Complete with trellises, brick borders, and a gazebo, the rose garden remains in bloom until late October or early November.  And speaking of roses, did you know that Newport News was named an American Rose City by the American Rose Society? We were the first city in Virginia to earn that distinction, back in 2002!

Newport News is also home to a Japanese Garden, located in Newport News Park. You'll enter the garden through a "torii," a traditional Japanese gate that marks the entrance to a sacred place. The garden, about one mile inside the park's main entrance, is home to cherry and dogwood trees, low-growing junipers, azaleas, a variety of bulb flowers, a small pond - plus a 16^th-century reproduction of a Japanese teahouse.  It sits on a ½-acre piece of land and is another popular spot for weddings.

Once home to a white-tailed deer game preserve, Deer Park is now known for its gorgeous azaleas, which bloom year after year. The flowers come in a variety of colors, from pink and red to white and purple. The park is also home to camellias and rhododendron blooms.

If during your visit to all the beautiful gardens in Newport News, you become inspired to grow your own, you may want to consider a community garden plot. These plots are available on a first-come, first-served basis for residents of the city. For just $20, you'll receive a plot of approximately 18' X 40' in size, located in the large open field at 75 Yorktown Road, in the Lee Hall area of Newport News.

Whether you live or work in Newport News or are just visiting us for a few days, call the Newport News Visitor Center at (888) 493-7386 or visit us at www.newport-news.org  for additional scenic jaunts throughout the city.