The Shade Garden — originally called the Camellia Garden in 1960 — is a 2-acre space that houses a wide selection of woody shrubs, Japanese maples, herbaceous perennials, camellias, and azaleas. This garden was designed and planted by the Tyler Camellia Society — hence its original name. However, in the early 2000s, the Smith County Master Gardeners conducted trials of shade plants in beds called the Shade Garden, and that’s where the current name comes from.

With numerous picnic tables and benches, a bubbling fountain, and thousands of azaleas, camellias, and Japanese Maple trees, the Shade Garden is the largest of the three displays with nearly one thousand linear feet of paved pathway that meanders through a grove of mature pine and hardwood trees that connect the IDEA and Heritage Gardens. It offers a relaxing and serene atmosphere where you and your loved ones can escape the world for a few hours.

What makes this garden even more impressive and magical is that you can visit it any time of year, as the plants and trees bloom in different seasons. November and early December is the best time to see the Japanese maples at their peak; from late fall to early spring, you’ll see the camellias in full bloom; and from late March to early April, you can enjoy the beauty of the azaleas.