Hahn Horticulture Gardens
The Hahn Horticulture Garden encompasses nearly six acres of teaching and display gardens on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Established in 1984 by Horticulture faculty, the garden serves undergraduate students and the local community as a learning resource for plant material, landscaping concepts, and environmental awareness.
Our garden features perennial borders, water gardens, shade gardens, a meadow garden, and the Peggy Lee Hahn Garden Pavilion (and plants, of course. Lots of plants.) Visit us in all seasons - to relax, enjoy, learn, and grow!
The garden was founded in 1984 by Horticulture faculty members Robert Lyons and Robert McDuffie. Many people over the years have contributed to the garden: students, faculty, staff, community volunteers, nursery and greenhouse growers, landscapers, and so many more. Many garden components and structures have been designed and built by Hort faculty and students. The current garden, including new construction, covers 5.8 acres. It was renamed the Hahn Horticulture Garden in November 2004 in honor of Peggy L. Hahn, in thanks for the generous gift and bequest for expansion from T. Marshall and Peggy Hahn. Peggy was a terrific gardener in her own right; her love of plants still inspires us today .
The garden features hundreds of species of woody and herbaceous plants from around the world, showcased in various features: a multi-acre shade garden, "hot" perennial border, spectrum mixed border, xeriphytic garden, two water features including the Jane Andrews Memorial Stream Garden, Pavilion tent lawn and folly, meadow garden (new in 2008), Peggy Lee Hahn Garden Pavilion (special event facility and staff offices).
Mission of the Garden:
The mission of the Hahn Horticulture Garden is three-fold. 1) As part of the inclusive Virginia Tech community, the HHG provides experiential and service learning opportunities for students. It serves as a living laboratory for instructional faculty and staff to better serve the landscape, nursery, and public horticulture sectors; 2) we strive to enrich and enlighten both youth and adults of our community and region with diverse educational programs; 3) we apply sustainable horticultural and environmental principles in the acquisition and dynamic display of plants from the world over.
We utilize sustainable gardening practices. All leaves, branches, and other plant debris are chopped and used as mulch or composted either onsite or at the Virginia Tech composting facility. We do not use insecticides or fungicides. Herbicides are used minimally.
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