From April through November, the Sarah Stevens MacMillan Terrace Garden enchants visitors with a parade of blooms in shades of pink, blue and white accented with hints of soft lemon yellow. The circular garden — located just off of the Morgan Terrace Garden behind the Snyder Building — features a lush collection of tall, old-fashioned flowers, including over 100 varieties of perennials and shrubs accented with cheerful annuals centered around a serene lawn space.
The garden is adjacent to the nearby Morgan Terrace Garden, where visitors can relax at a cafe table under the shade of the stately Kentucky coffee trees amid an oasis of shade-loving perennials and enjoy the view as people pass through the gardens. Visitors can also take in Paul Granlund's "Winter & Summer Nymphs" sculpture on the right side of the terrace.
Garden Plants
The terrace begins its show in the spring, when crocus, hyacinth and tulips first appear followed by tall clusters of purple alliums and deep purple salvia in early summer. In mid-summer, delphiniums and coneflowers grow with generous clumps of phlox alongside annuals like cleome and nicotiana. In the fall, purple asters and pink and white mums create a colorful late-season show.
If you're looking for the full list of plants available in the garden, please check out our Plant Finder where you can search by location. Use Terrace Garden as the location name.
- Chinese peony (Paeonia lactiflora 'Sarah Bernhardt')
- Common bleeding-heart (Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Gold Heart')
- Hybrid martagon lily (Lilium 'Claude Shride')
- Japanese anemone (Anemone 'Robustissima')
- Japanese tree lilac (Syringa reticulata)
- Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioica 'Stately Manor')
- Larkspur (Delphinium 'King Arthur')
- Narrow-spiked ligularia (Ligularia stenocephala 'The Rocket')
- Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
- Smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens 'NCHA1' Invincibelle Spirit®)
- Sage (Salvia × sylvestris 'Mainacht' May Night)
- Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)
- Yew (Taxus × media 'Taunton')
At-Home Gardening & Care
The wide variety of perennials and shrubs in this garden provide continuous color from spring to fall and provide winter interest in the colder months. Learn more about planting your own perennial garden