Chimes Tower District

Aerial view of large grassy area with a small pond and stone tower surrounded by a forest

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
    a walkway lined with green trees and shrubs

    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
    A path winds through a walkway of green trees and bushes

    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.

What’s in Bloom

  • Hydrangea bush with red leaves

    Oakleaf Hydrangea

    Hydrangea quercifolia

    Native to the southeastern United States, oakleaf hydrangea is a deciduous shrub, with deep green foliage during the growing season turning wine-colored in the autumn. The panicles of white flowers bloom through June and into July fading to pink and finally a handsome russet in the fall. Growing to eight feet high with an equal spread and does well in sun or shade. Hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9, this hydrangea prefers moist, fairly rich, well-drained soil to grow.

  • Purple Beautyberry

    Callicarpa dichotoma
  • Foliage turns a beautiful golden-yellow in autumn.

    Arkansas Amsonia

    Amsonia hubrichtii

    Amsonia hubrichtii was named  “Perennial Plant of the Year” by the Perennial Plant Association in 2011. This species is truly distinctive and extraordinary, with clusters of powder-blue flowers in April and May. It grows to a height and width of 2 to 3 feet. In the fall, its golden-orange color rivals the best trees and shrubs. This clump-forming herbaceous perennial prefers full sun to partial shade and is native to the central and northeastern United States. Additionally, it is deer and disease resistant.

  • Holly Osmanthus

    Osmanthus heterophyllus ′Gulftide′

    Osmanthus heterophyllus is a broadleaf, evergreen shrub, indigenous to Korea, Taiwan and Japan, with glossy, deep green leaves with spines that resemble hollies. The little white blossoms that appear in October and November fill the garden with fragrance.  ‘Gulftide’ is a selection that grows to 5 feet tall and 3 feet across. It thrives in either sun or partial shade, and any type of soil, even dense clay.  Holly osmanthus is not eaten by deer and has no serious pests or diseases and can be cultivated as an individual specimen, combined with other shrubs, or shaped into a lovely hedge.

  • Small, delicate pinkish-lilac blooms with reflexed (bent-back) petals that have a darker eye. They appear on leafless stalks in late summer to fall, before the ivy-like, silver-mottled foliage emerges.

    Ivy Leaf Cyclamen

    Cyclamen hederifolium
  • Dwarf Fothergilla

    Fothergilla gardenii

    Fothergilla gardenii, dwarf fothergilla, is member of the witch-hazel family, native to the southeastern United States from North Carolina to Georgia.  This deer resistant shrub has fragrant, white bottle-brush flowers in April and May and prefers growing in full sun to light shade in moist, well-draining soil.  Dwarf fothergilla has beautiful fall foliage in shades ranging from yellow to dark red. 

  • Purple petaled flower