at Maymont The
Japanese Garden at Maymont is well tended and features a
koi pond and a large
waterfall. The Japanese Garden also has a torii arch, rock gardens, and various red maples. It is a blend of two different time periods and a mixture of many styles of gardens. In 1911, a section of the Kanawha Canal was bought to be a part of the garden. Years following Mrs. Dooley's passing, the Japanese garden increasingly lost its magnificence and design. The garden still has its stonework and winding watercourse that leads to its large pond. After realizing the decline of the quality of the garden, Earth Design renovated it in 1978. The new design of the Japanese is considered a "stroll garden" which offers guests at Maymont to see how the changing impact of nature has on the grounds. Created by Noland and Baskervill of Richmond (now Baskervill), The
Italian Garden features a
pergola, fountains, urns and roses. The creators of the garden modeled their design after the 15th and 16th century Italian classical style. The garden is laid out on many levels, facing the south which once overlooked the James River. The design of the Cascade and the Fountain Court is patterned like the Villa Torlonia near Rome. The Italian Garden was completed in 1910, when the Petersburg granite stonework was laid down. The arboretum contains more than 200 species of trees and woody plants. It includes a number of "exotic champions" including a
Cedrus atlantica,
Cryptomeria japonica,
Parrotia persica, and
Tilia europea. Some examples of exotic flora that are on grounds include False Larch and Pseudolarix kaempferia from Japan; White Enkianthus and the Enkianthis perulatas from China; and Persian Ironwood. This is credited to the same landscaper who helped with the design of the Italian garden, Henry E. Baskervill. Credit goes to the Dooleys as well, who had the final say on the estates design. Maymont's gardens are popular for outdoor weddings focused around the Italian Garden, the Japanese Garden and numerous
gazebos located throughout the grounds. There are ten specialty gardens as well. There is the "Marie's Butterfly Garden" that was finished in 2009. It starts east of the Children's Farm and goes along the horse and cow pastures, down to the Bobcat habitat. Examples of flowers include yarrow, butterfly weed, cone flowers, butterfly bushes, sunflowers, blue spirea and herbs. There is also an Herb Garden on grounds which was donated by the Richmond Council of Garden Clubs in 1957. It has been maintained by the Old Dominion Herb Society since 1978. ==Fauna==