In 1886 Major and Mrs. James Dooly bought an old dairy farm and turned it into a European-style retreat. The Maymont house and its 100-acre grounds reflect an international, eclectic collection of garden designs.
Italian influences abound with numerous fountains around the garden.
Further along, a Japanese maple and ink-colored irises paint the garden with an Asian flair. The gardens also feature the largest Persian ironwood tree on the East Coast as well as a 45-foot waterfall. This glorious garden bears the name of businessman Lewis Ginter, who used the site to create a bicycling destination for 19th-century Richmond residents. Visitors sat on the veranda, ate ice cream and gazed out at the nearby river. She had developed her love of flowers from her family's connection to Holland.