Winter hours begin! Open to the public Fridays & Saturdays only, 10am-4pm.
Historic London Town & Gardens
Visit a "lost" colonial town and garden sanctuary on the South River
Tribute Tree Program
Symbolically adopt a tribute tree from London Town’s gardens for yourself or someone else from a list curated by Director of Horticulture Meenal Harankhedkar. Your adopted tree can commemorate the birth of a child, a wedding anniversary, a birthday milestone, or the memory of a cherished loved one. Your adoption is a wonderful way to attach a deeper meaning to your selected tree while supporting all of London Town’s gardens.
What is the cost of the tribute tree adoption?
Each adoption costs $1200 for 3 years and can be renewed.
The adoption price not only underwrites the cost of a display sign at your tree but also provides for the care and maintenance of the gardens. Your adoption is completely tax deductible.
You can pay for the tree adoption in the following ways:
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Pay $1200 as a one-time fee, good for a 3-year adoption
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Pay $400 per year for 3 years
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The option to renew the adoption either annually ($400 per year) or in 3 year increments ($1200)
Please note: Because a tree is a living organism, there is always a chance it may become diseased or damaged or will need to be removed for safety reasons. If this occurs, you will be given the opportunity to select another tree from our list to complete your adoption term.
Where are the trees located?
Go here to see a map with where the trees are located in the gardens.
Which trees are available for adoption?
Director of Horticulture Meenal Harankhedkar has personally curated this list of trees from which you can select here.
Additional questions?
Please contact deputy director Lauren Silberman with any questions at lauren@historiclondontown.org or 410-222-1919 x205.
What does your adoption include?
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A letter expressing our appreciation with an official donation receipt for tax purposes.
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A beautiful display sign at the tree (with a customizable message up to 1200 characters).
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An adoption certificate with a photo and description of your selected tree.
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A map showing where to find the tree in the gardens.
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A 1 year Family level membership so that you can visit your tree as often as you’d like
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Which Trees are Available?
ADOPTED: Camellia ‘Winter’s Star’
Location: Ornamental Gardens
Family: Theaceae
Hybrid origin: parent plants are Camellia oleifera 'Lu Shan Snow' (cold hardiness) and Camellia hiemalis 'Showa-no-sakae' (flower).
Bloom time: October to November
Highlights:
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Camellia ‘Winter's Star’ is an early blooming Ackerman hybrid from the Winter Series hybrid.
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The flowers are single with compact shape, petals have pretty variations of deep pink-violet undertones. When most shrubs are going dormant, ‘Winter's Star’ sets out its flowers, a true floral retreat for any landscape.
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The upright form of this beautiful evergreen shrub, shapely glossy green leaves and early autumn flowers that hold their shape well, make this Camellia an all-star Cold-hardy Ackerman Hybrid.
This tree has already been adopted.
Japanese Stewartia, Stewartia pseudocamellia
Location: Winter Walk
Family: Theaceae
Native range: Japan
Bloom time: June to July
Highlights:
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Japanese Stewartia is a medium sized landscape specimen tree and a unique botanical specimen with multi-season beauty. It belongs to the tea family and has a handful similar species.
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Elegant creamy white flowers resemble Camellias and are one of the best features of this plant.
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Fall interest includes blaring reddish-orange leaves. But the most colorful part of the tree is the cinnamon-orange-grey shades of exfoliating bark that gives this tree year round interest and its true beauty.
ADOPTED: Southern Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora
Location: Ornamental Gardens
Family: Magnoliaceae
Native range: Southeastern United States
Bloom time: May to June
Highlights:
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Magnolia grandiflora, is a magnificent shade tree reaching up to 80 feet tall. As the name suggests, it has large flowers with stark ivory white tepals arranged neatly around long stamens.
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The oblong leathery leaves are a striking feature of the Southern Magnolias, and since it is an evergreen tree, the beauty of these deep green leaves can be enjoyed all year long. The underside of the leaves is especially pretty with copper-bronze undertones.
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The fruits of the Southern Magnolias are also unique and have bright orange seeds arranged ornately in the vase shaped seed pods. Magnolias evolved prior to the butterflies and bees, and the beetles are the primary pollinators of the Magnolias.
This tree has already been adopted.
ADOPTED: Japanese Maple, Acer Palmatum
Location: Azalea Glade
Family: Sapindaceae
Native range: Korea, Japan
Bloom time: April
Highlights:
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Maples are an essential understory tree in woodland gardens. Growing under mature shade trees in dappled shade, Maples provide an added layer of filter for shade loving ground covers.
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New leaves are a bright chartreuse green and in fall the leaves bring out their bright red tones.
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Bark colors-striations, leaf color and lacey low hanging branches make the Japanese maples one of the most elegant understory landscape specimen trees.
This tree has been adopted.
ADOPTED: Coral Bark Japanese Maple, Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’
Location: Meditation Bench
Family: Sapindaceae
Native range: Japan, Korea and China
Bloom time: April (Reddish purple)
Highlights:
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Japanese Maple ‘Sango-Kaku’ is an elegant low branching tree with year round interest. It is mainly used as a statement tree in landscapes, because of its outstanding reddish coral bark.
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Reddish purple flowers blossom in April followed by samaras (fruits) that last till late fall.
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Bright yellow-gold fall leaf color, next to the reddish brown bark makes this maple an exceptionally beautiful landscape tree.
This tree has already been adopted.
ADOPTED: Ginkgo Tree, Ginkgo biloba
Location: Holly Grove
Family: Ginkgoaceae
Native range: Southern China
Bloom time: April
Highlights:
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Leaves of Ginkgo trees have a distinct fan shape unlike any other plant. Soft golden yellow fall color of the leaves is one of the most striking features of this beautiful tree.
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Ginkgo trees are considered to be living fossils, dating back as far as 150 million years ago. They are the oldest trees, that existed even before the dinosaurs were alive.
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Ginkgo trees are also cherished as a symbol of longevity and endurance and can easily amplify the beauty of any landscape.
This tree has been adopted.
ADOPTED: Japanese Snowbells
Styrax japonica
Location: Spring Walk
Family: Styracaceae
Native range: China, Japan, Korea
Bloom time: Late spring
Highlights:
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Japanese Snowbells is a graceful flowering tree (deciduous) with a compact vase like shape and low spread-out horizontal branching.
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Flowers are abundant, white, pendulous in groups of 3-6 and, mildly fragrant. Fruits are dainty drupes that persist for long even after petals have withered away.
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Older branches show greyish bark fissures revealing beautiful inner orange color.
This tree has been adopted.
ADOPTED: Watson’s Magnolia, Magnolia Wieseneri
Location: Spring Walk
Family: Magnoliaceae
Hybrid origin: Parents of this hybrid are M. obovata and M. sieboldii
Bloom time: May to June
Highlights:
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Magnolia wieseneri, also known as Watson’s Magnolia tree, has an ornate elegant vase like structure. Both tree shape and large flowers make this Magnolia a remarkable ornamental tree.
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Beautiful large flowers with tropical scent, ivory white tepals with pink-maroons, red stamens, make this Magnolia one of the most graceful landscape trees.
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Most flower buds escape frost since it one of the late blooming Magnolias.
This tree has already been adopted.
Tea Camellia, Camellia sinensis
Location: Spring Walk
Family: Theaceae
Native range: Southeastern Asia
Bloom time: October to December
Highlights:
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Camellia sinensis is the true tea camellia, with black, oolong & green teas originating from it.
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Although popular for its caffeine content, the flowers of Camellia sinensis are extremely fragrant, unlike other Camellias which aren’t fragrant.
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Creamy white flowers grow profusely on the tree Camellia plant in late October. It is a delightful sight to behold with the creamy white droplet like buds hanging down along with the delicate flowers.
ADOPTED: Dawn Redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Location: Ornamental Gardens
Family: Cupressaceae
Native range: Central and western China
Highlights:
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Dawn redwood is an endangered tree and fossil records show that these trees date back to as many as 50-65 million years ago.
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A statuesque tree, dawn redwoods can reach upto 100ft in height & maintain a pyramidal shape.
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Fall color of leaves is a beautiful mix of orange, rusty red and bronze, giving it a rather stunning appearance to these grand trees.
This tree has been adopted.
ADOPTED: Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’
Location: Momi Fir Path
Family: Magnoliaceae
Hybrid origin: a cross between cucumber tree (M. acuminata) and Yulan magnolia (M. denudata)
Bloom time: March to April
Highlights:
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Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’ is one of the rare and unique yellow Magnolias to be first available in the trade. Most Magnolias are white or pink, but shades of yellow are newer varieties.
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Flowers are fragrant, tapered and come in exquisite tones of primrose-creamy yellow that open up much later in spring than other Magnolias, giving them a chance to escape frost.
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An award winning Magnolia that is ranked best for its unique color, pyramidal shape of tree and unique fall color of leaves, Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’ is a true asset to any landscape.
This tree has been adopted.
ADOPTED: Momi Fir, Abies Frima
Location: Momi Fir Path
Family: Pinaceae
Native range: Japan
Highlights:
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Momi Fir is one of the best firs for warmer climates. The orderly and close placement of needles gives this tree a beautiful silhouette. Momi Firs can reach upto 100 ft tall.
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Momi Fir is usually used as a statement tree in landscape as well as holiday trees.
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Native to hills and mountains, Momi Firs are usually found in mixed forests with variety of conifers.
This tree has been adopted.
Where Are the Trees Located?

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Pink Star - Camellia in Ornamental Gardens
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Orange Star - Southern Magnolia in Ornamental Gardens
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Yellow Star - Gingko Tree in Holly Grove
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White Star - Momi Fir on the Momi Fir Path
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Red Star - Dawn Redwood in the Dell
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Black Star - Japanese Stewartia in the Winter Walk
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Dark Blue Star - Coral Bark Japanese Maple at the Meditation Bench
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Light Blue Star - Japanese Maple in the Azalea Glade
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Green Star - Watson’s Magnolia, Tea Camellia, and Japanese Snowbells in the Spring Walk