Adjacent to the original Burden home, which was on the last donated parcel, Windrush Gardens feature about 15 acres of semiformal gardens, with winding paths, lakes and open areas designed and planted by Steele Burden. The crape myrtles, azaleas, camellias and other plants are representative of flora in 19th century plantation gardens. Numerous bronze or marble statues, mostly from Europe, are placed throughout the gardens.
The original Windrush Garden is a 3½-acre area around the original Burden home. The Burden Center maintains it exactly as it was when Steele Burden designed it. “We don’t add to it or take anything away,” said Pat Hegwood, Burden Center resident director. “We have a documented inventory of the original Windrush Garden.”
Since then, however, the cultivated area has grown to about 15 acres with the design in keeping with Steele Burden’s original design. In the newer area, the AgCenter has been adding and enhancing the garden with newer plant varieties. In areas where Steele Burden planted camellias, the AgCenter has planted camellias; where he planted azaleas, the AgCenter has planted azaleas.