Fact Friday 453 - UNC Charlotte's Botanical Gardens Turn 60

The UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens turned 60 in 2026, and they hold special meaning for Niner Nation as the final resting place of founder Bonnie Cone. This post traces the gardens back to 1966, when a biology professor, Miss Bonnie and a Charlotte philanthropist turned a steep ravine into the Van Landingham Glen, and follows how they grew from there.

Photo: Asian Garden at the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens by Chris Hunkeler, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Happy Friday, and welcome back to Fact Friday!

This year, one of Charlotte's quietest landmarks turns 60. The UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens began in 1966, when the university's campus in what's now University City was still brand new.

The idea came from biology professor Dr. Herbert Hechenbleikner and UNC Charlotte founder Bonnie E. Cone. They picked a steep, north-facing ravine on campus and set out to turn it into a garden. Charlotte stockbroker and philanthropist Ralph Van Landingham paid for the clearing and planting, and in April 1966 the garden was dedicated in his honor as the Van Landingham Glen. It started with about 250 blooming-size hybrid rhododendrons and 700 smaller plants.

Van Landingham's support didn't stop there. He also endowed the Susie Harwood Garden, named for his mother. When he died in 1970, he left his home at 2010 The Plaza, in what's now Plaza Midwood, to the university, and the money from its sale went into the gardens' endowment.

Today the gardens cover about 10 acres outdoors, plus a greenhouse full of orchids, carnivorous plants and desert plants. Some of those orchids go all the way back to the original collection. Over in the Susie Harwood Garden, you'll find an Asian-style gazebo, arched bridges and a moon gate.

Photo: Bonnie Cone's grave in the Van Landingham Glen by UNCCTF, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Glen also holds one more piece of Charlotte history: it's the final resting place of Bonnie Cone herself, the founder of UNC Charlotte, known around campus simply as "Miss Bonnie."

Next time you're in University City, take a walk through the Glen and say hi to Miss Bonnie. And if you're a Niner, rep your school while you're there with something from our UNC Charlotte collection, like the Minimal Icons Hoodie from our new collection designed by UNC Charlotte alumni, or the UNC Charlotte Gold Standard Norm Hoodie.

More Fact Friday: Earth Day in the Garden, The Concord Mastermind Behind UNC Charlotte's Original Design and How UNC Charlotte Became the 49ers.

Sources: UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens: Garden History; Inside UNC Charlotte: Van Landingham Glen named for University benefactor; UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens: Van Landingham Glen