Botanical Bliss

Harbor Way Gardens offers a calming respite in the heart of Wrightsville Beach 

By Judy Royal  »   Photo by Carin Hall

Every coastal town has its postcard spots, but Harbor Way Gardens is something rarer – a place that beckons you to linger. Here, between the sound and the sea on Wrightsville Beach’s Harbor Island, beauty blooms in every season, inviting visitors not just to look but to breathe.

“It’s just a very tranquil, peaceful spot,” says Ashley Miller, president of the Harbor Island Garden Club. “With the beach and the traffic and the hustle and the bustle, it’s a little place to get away from all that.”

Located on the west end of Wrightsville Beach Park just off The Loop, Harbor Way Gardens was created in summer 2003 when several members of the garden club approached the Town of Wrightsville Beach about transforming an acre of the Town’s property, once used as a dumping ground for storm debris. Club members had a plan to design and plant a garden for public enjoyment, and after getting the green light from the Board of Aldermen, the work began.

“The opportunity came, and it’s just blossomed since then,” says Elise Running, who is chair of the club’s Harbor Way Gardens committee. “It is the garden club’s shining star, and it serves a lot of people in a lot of different ways.”

Joggers in need of a shaded refuge, young families frolicking in the children’s fountain, elderly people enjoying a quiet spot for reading or reflecting, and pets walking with their people are just a few examples of who you might find at Harbor Way Gardens on any given day. There is also a labyrinth, one of only four in New Hanover County, and label stakes identify plant material that can withstand the coastal environment. 

“It is a very good example of what can survive in the salt air,” Running says. “We want it to be educational.”

Harbor Way Gardens is the only public garden in North Carolina that features Witherspoon roses. The spot is often a backdrop for prom and wedding photos, and it is available by reservation for special events.

In 2006, the club started a fundraising project selling bricks and blue stone pavers to remember loved ones, pets, and occasions, and the effort continues today to help with maintenance and future projects.

“I hope that the Town is proud of what the garden club has done over these 20-plus years,” Running says. “When people come through the garden and comment on how much it means to them, that is what makes you feel good.”