Chimes Tower District

The Chimes Tower District provides guests with a thrilling and varied garden experience, including a stunning, four-season hillside of rare, expertly edited plants; a historic bell tower anchored on a 50-foot waterfall; sweeping lawns carpeted in early spring bulbs, and a celebrated collection of award-winning trees—all within view of our majestic Main Fountain Garden.

About This District

Originally designed as an arresting backdrop for the Main Fountain Garden, the Chimes Tower District is now a series of standout gardens and water features that warrant more than just a passing glance. The Hillside Garden features an enviable roster of rare and unique plants, thriving harmoniously throughout the sun-dappled slopes. At the crest of the hill, Oak and Conifer Knoll boasts an array of celebrated tree specimens, with some planted during founder Pierre S. du Pont’s time. The Eye of Water, Pear-Shaped Basin, and Waterfall—all originally part of the gravity-fed pump and reservoir system that once serviced the Main Fountain Garden—are three unique, and interconnected destinations for your exploration.

Gardens in this District

Hillside Garden

Hillside Garden

Dappled sun flirts with open vistas and shady, intimate perspectives as you wander the paths past beds brimming with a who’s who of rare and unique plants from around the world, set to the occasional tones of the historic Chimes Tower.
Oak and Conifer Knoll

Oak and Conifer Knoll

Towering, century-old trees and sun-dappled vistas await in this living gallery of champion specimens with four seasons of stunning highlights. In the early spring, sweeps of colorful geophytes bloom to create a stunning tapestry.

District Highlights

A large stone Chimes Tower covered in green vines pops up amid green trees behind a small pond

Small yellow flower bloom up in green grass in front of small purple flowers

Water flows out of the middle of a circular blue ledge in a pool of water

Looking straight up at a blooming, flowering, pink tree

Flowering pink and white trees are seen among green grass

What’s in Bloom

Korean Rhododendron

Rhododendron mucronulatum

Korean rhododendron is one of the earliest flowering shrubs with its bright rosy pink to pinkish purple flowers emerging before its foliage in late winter. In its native Korea, it grows on rocky, dry slopes. In the garden, it prefers full sun and moist soil with good drainage. The Korean name for this shrub is Jin-dal-rae. There, the delicate, exquisite blossom is eaten as a delicacy. A pan-fried sweet rice cake and a traditional Korean form of sake are brewed from the plant flower petals.
- Hillside Garden
Siberian Squill

Scilla siberica

Scilla siberica is an early flowering bulb which features pendulous, deep blue flowers in March and April. This squill, which grows 3 to 6 inches tall, thrives in semi-shaded spots in well-drained soil and naturalizes well under deciduous trees.
Paper-bush

Edgeworthia chrysantha
- Hillside Garden
- Idea Garden
Japanese Pieris

Pieris japonica
- Hillside Garden
Winter-hazel

Corylopsis ′Winterthur′
- Hillside Garden
Daffodil

Narcissus ′Tete-a-tete′

This tried-and-true variety of miniature daffodil was developed by pioneer plant breeder Alec Gray sometime in the 1940’s. With it's modest 6 inch stature, featuring 2-to-3 slightly reflexed and vibrant yellow flowers per stem, and a reliable propensity to naturalize, 'Tete-a-tete' is a perfect choice for a variety of garden settings.
- Oak and Conifer Knoll