Vistas of the South River and shady glades characterize London Town's woodland gardens. Designed as a naturalized shade garden, there was no attempt to recreate a garden that would have been found in the 17th or 18th century. A mixture of plants set into a landscape that is similar to their native habitat, it is an unusual and artful combination of native and exotic plants. Although spectacular in spring the gardens were designed to be fascinating year-round.

Development of the gardens began in the late 1960's. Professional and amateur horticulturists, area garden clubs, individual volunteers and Anne Arundel County Recreation & Parks staff joined forces to create a naturalistic garden that would be both educational and beautiful. They chose plant materials that would thrive in a wooded, tidewater setting and designed "gardens within gardens": the Winter Garden, featuring evergreens, such as mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), and plants with winter interest; the Spring Walk with spring flowering plants and the plant collections, several of which are noteworthy: the Hollies, species magnolias and cultivars, thousands of daffodils and an array of peonies including both herbaceous and tree forms. A tour of the gardens takes around forty-five minutes, a mile long walk encompassing eight acres to explore and enjoy year round the sounds, colors, scents and textures that vary from day to day.

At the gardens entrance raised-beds or berms are filled with perennials, bulbs, shrubs and trees which form an attractive entrance-way into the gardens. Found just beyond the entrance is the Cook Memorial Garden, a collection of flowering cherries interplanted with daffodils and peonies. Beyond the cherries, overlooking the river is the Wedding Terrace, surrounded by sun-loving plants, in semi-formal beds.

Continue on and the Spring Walk begins at the head of a man-made stream that flows to a pond in the Dell below. Alongside the stream are ferns, primroses, Virginia bluebells, violets and other wildflowers that occur in a woodland setting. The walk continues through azaleas, rhododendrons, dogwoods, bloodroot, epimedium and other perennials, trees and shrubs that flower in succession through spring into early summer. But its appeal does not end with summer - camellias, mahonias, stewartias and many others extend it year round.

Traveling on, a grassy path leads to the Gazebo and Winter Garden. As its name implies, the Winter Garden is at its most interesting during the winter season. Beginning with the gazebo the Winter Garden ends with a view of the South River from the Winter Garden overlook. It is planted with deciduous trees and shrubs with interesting winter character: berries; branches and bark with distinct colors and/or patterns; evergreens with unusual colors or forms and winter blooming species including camellias. Starting in the Winter Garden, the Camellia Walk offers a collection of winter blooming camellias developed by Dr. William Ackerman. These plants were bred for cold hardiness by Dr. Ackerman and planted here as part of a cold hardiness trial, including Camellia x "Winter’s Hope" chosen from London Town's test plants and named after Hope Andrews a long time London Town volunteer.

Hidden between the Winter Garden and the Azalea Glade, the Wildflower Walk winds it way through plantings of bloodroot, woodruff, trillium, lady's slipper, hardy orchids and other natives and leads to the top of the Azalea Glade. From here the glade's broad steps descend through a planting of native rhododendrons, deciduous ones on the left and evergreen cultivars on the right. Both are underplanted with a wide variety of shade loving plants.

The bottom of the glade opens to a splendid view of the Dell and the South River. A small valley, the Dell's surrounding slopes are covered with azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias. The stream meanders along its stony bed, from the Spring Walk, to the pond. Here waterlilies, lotus and iris thrive in the pond and on its banks. By the river are the garden's two oldest trees both willow oaks (Quercus phellos). Also found here are several species of large-leafed magnolias, including a Magnolia macrophylla unusual this far north. The Dell's perspective, unlike the other views at London Town, gives a sea-level view of the South River. Steps by the river lead up from the Dell to the Hollies. A collection of species and hybrids hollies, most of which were donated by The Holly Society of America, and many of which are now fine specimens of mature trees.

As is easily noticed, London Town's gardens display many different plant species and cultivars and although not designed as historical gardens many of the plants date back to colonial times. The plants displayed here are a culmination of efforts by botanists and collectors, such as Richard Hill, who through the collecting and sharing of information and plants from around the world, have developed the wide array of plants available today.

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