Over 7.5 acres of breathtaking gardens
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About
Seven Willows – Tolley Gardens was home to A.T. “Trevor” Tolley (1927-2018) and his wife Glenda, who now lovingly maintains the garden. It has been designated by her a Memorial Garden in his honour and in recognition of his persistent effort in the expansion of the lawn. The 168-acre property was purchased in 1973. However, only 7-1/2 acres are devoted to an ornamental garden which has been in continuing development.
The Gardens
The multiple gardens comprising Seven Willows are overwhelmingly about hostas. Between 1998 and 2014 a new hosta bed was created annually. The primary driving force behind its creation was an attempt to showcase hostas in varied landscape and design settings; it is this focus on hostas that is the major attraction. There are eight distinct sections or eight separate gardens, with each consisting of a cluster ranging between 6 to 12 flower beds, making a total of 50 beds featuring over 900 different varieties of hostas. Daylilies are also in abundance, of which at least 175 different varieties are to be found.
Garden listing option 1
Garden listing option 2
Victoriana Garden
Eastern/Creek Side Garden
Centre Point Garden
Northwestern Garden
Summer House Garden
Japanese Style Garden
Woodland Garden
Tour
Hours: 11 am to 5 pm. June 1st to September 30th.
Admission is Free, however donations will be given to the Williamsburg Christmas Exchange.
The Hostas
A new hosta bed was created annually between 1998 and 2014: the final hosta bed, #49, involved clearing away woody shrubs and ground cover in this old bed and adding fresh soil to facilitate new plantings of 107 hostas, the vast majority survived, with a few more added in 2018. This single bed now contains at least 137 different varieties of hostas and over 70 different varieties of daylilies.