Welcome to the Elon University Botanical Garden!

Elon, which means Oak in Hebrew, was named by the founders in 1889 as Elon College for the majestic Oaks that adorn the campus landscape. The presence of the oaks is still a staple in the campus landscape; however, the landscape has now diversified into many different varieties and species of plants. Today, just as the plants have changed, so has the college. Elon University has expanded to become a premier private university of more than 7,000 students, located in the heart of the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina. The institution is located 45 minutes northwest of Durham and Chapel Hill, N.C., and 20 minutes from downtown Greensboro. Named numerous times the most beautiful campus in the nation by the Princeton Review, Elon has a beautiful, well-maintained campus on more than 600 acres in the Town of Elon. The Town of Elon is in the United States Department of Agriculture growing hardiness zone 8a, also known as the transition zone. Both cool-season plants and warm-season plants grow well.

The mission of the Elon University Botanical Garden is to support the Elon University academic mission and enhance Elon’s national image of excellence. Since November 2004, vested by the Board of Trustees, then President Leo Lambert, declared the Elon University campus a Botanical Garden. By this declaration, this act set forth the path to the development of the Elon University Landscape to not only be aesthetically pleasing, but also a learning environment for students, faculty, staff, visitors, and the community as a botanical garden.

Although there are no signs stating you have entered a botanical garden, you will know that you have arrived when you pass through the entrance signs onto campus. The campus is the botanical garden. Open to the public year-round, the entrance floral displays and plant collections are spaced throughout the campus landscape. Numerous plant labels help to educate viewers about the plants. The botanical garden is also seen at the Elon Forest. Here in the forest, visitors can see a forest in its natural state. Spanning 56 acres, the preserve is the largest protected area in the Town of Elon. The third facet of the botanical garden is located at the Environmental Education Center at Loy Farm. At the Environmental Education Center, visitors learn about Sustainable Solar Power, ongoing research, and it serves as the location of the yard debris composting site.  The Elon University Botanical Garden received accreditation from the American Public Garden Association in 2005 and was also recognized by Morton’s ArbNet as a Level II Arboretum in 2019.

We invite you to visit the Elon University Botanical Garden often, for in each varying season, the garden grows and changes. Specialty garden areas are listed below, with information and pictures included.