Adkins Arboretum is a 400-acre native garden and arboretum located within Tuckahoe State Park at 12610 Eveland Road, Ridgely, Maryland. The grounds contain five miles of paths through meadows and native plant gardens on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Its gardens contain a "living collection" of more than 600 species of native shrubs, trees, wildflowers and grasses, used to promote land stewardship practices in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Native plant nursery
The native plant nursery boasts the area's largest selection of ornamental native trees, shrubs, perennials, grasses, ferns, and vines, all ready to take home. The arboretum hosts open house events and native plant sales in April and September. Plants are for sale on the Visitor's Center patio throughout the growing season.
The arboretum is dedicated to promoting the appreciation and conservation of the region's native plants and is actively engaged in conserving and managing the native meadows, woods, and wetlands that define the landscape in Caroline County on Maryland's Eastern Shore. In 2008, the arboretum launched its nursery greening program, an initiative to implement best management practices at its native plant nursery. As part of this initiative, and with support from Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, the arboretum constructed a rain garden at its native plant nursery in 2010 and 2011. In addition, the arboretum maintains meadows of native warm season grass to provide wildlife habitat and help preserve this threatened ecosystem.
Visitor's Center
Orientation
Visits begin at the aboretum's visitor's center. Staff orient visitors to the arboretum, providing maps of the grounds, brochures about what to see along the walks, information about what's in bloom, and the schedule for guided walks. Visitors may also borrow audio tours. Display racks feature literature about the arboretum site and special programming.
Art Gallery/Meeting Room
The visitor's center meeting room houses art exhibitions throughout the year and serves as a meeting room for various workshops, seminars, and meetings. The arboretum hosts an ongoing exhibition series of artwork on natural themes by regional artists, as well as an annual juried show held in February and March of each year and an outdoor sculpture show during the summer.
Gift Shop
The arboretum gift shop offers gifts for gardeners, nature enthusiasts, and children. Located in the visitor’s center lobby, the shop recently underwent a transformation to offer a new look and new amenities. Café tables that overlook the meadow provide a welcoming spot for relaxing while children engage in preschool or homeschool programs. Coffee service and Wi-Fi are also offered.
Plant Sale Area
A selection of native plants is available for purchase under the visitor's center pergola during the growing season.
Grounds
Arboretum Paths
Five miles of paths wind through the arboretum grounds. The Blockston Branch path offers a walk through mature bottomland hardwood forest and is handicap accessible. Paths lead around the arboretum's meadows, where many creatures, including quail, bluebirds, deer, fox, and turkeys, forage for food. A mix of mature upland and bottomland hardwood forests and younger pine forests provide a rich habitat for flora and fauna. Thickets of native azaleas and mountain laurel bloom in May, and woodland wildflowers bloom from late winter to summer. Look for wood ducks and beaver along Tuckahoe Creek and Piney Branch. The arboretum's Tuckahoe Valley trail connects to Tuckahoe State Park's trail system for longer hikes.
Emilie's Play Garden
Visitors can venture past the goat pen to Emily’s Play Gardento explore. Visitors can make mud pies at the mud kitchen, peek into a passionflower teepee, climb on balancing logs, pick chocolate peppermint in the herb spiral, care for vegetables in the mandala garden, smell blooming wildflowers, meditate in a labyrinth, observe birds that visit a solar-powered fountain, hide in a willow den, and explore much more. Learn all about how the garden was designed to harmonize with nature’s patterns and about the beautiful native plants (many of them edible) that make this garden home to our wildlife friends.