The gardens host a massive annual 'Garden of Lights' holiday display featuring over one million LED bulbs.
The onsite Butterfly Exhibit features live butterflies from around the world during the summer months.
The garden maintains a specialized aquatic garden that includes a collection of water lilies and lotus plants.
The facility serves as a recognized site for the Maryland Master Gardener program's training and internships.
The Gude Garden section utilizes a naturalistic landscape design featuring a large central pond and island.
Brookside Gardens acts as a public garden space while also functioning as a formal event venue for weddings and corporate functions.
Brookside Gardens is a 50-acre public display garden located within Wheaton Regional Park in Montgomery County, Maryland. The grounds feature two conservatories that house tropical plants and seasonal floral displays year-round. Outside, the landscape includes a variety of themed areas such as the Azalea Garden, Rose Garden, Butterfly Garden, and Japanese Tea Garden. A series of interconnected ponds and wetlands support local aquatic life and serve as the garden's water features. The site is managed by the Montgomery Parks department and functions as a non-profit horticultural facility. It serves as a regional center for education through various gardening and botanical programs. The grounds are fully accessible via paved paths that wind through the diverse plant collections.
The Japanese Tea Garden bridge offers a classic, scenic vantage point of the ponds.
Visit the conservatories during cooler weather to enjoy the climate-controlled tropical environment.
Bring a high-quality camera for macro photography, as the butterfly exhibit and floral displays are highly detailed.
Explore the walking paths that connect the gardens to the wider Wheaton Regional Park trail system.
Do not attempt to walk through the plant beds, as the soil and roots are delicate and often labeled for botanical research.
The outdoor gardens are open year-round, while the butterfly exhibit is seasonal, typically running from mid-spring through early autumn.
