Why Choose the Knoxville Botanical Garden For Your Photo Shoot

Are you looking for a place to do your shoot? I love the Knoxville Botanical Garden for all kinds of photo shoots year-round. I use this location frequently, and it’s great for whatever you might have in mind. Do you want to propose to your girlfriend? How about a fall engagement session? This haven in the city is where you need to go.

About the KGB

The Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum is a 44-acre site near downtown Knoxville. The main parking lot is on Wimpole Avenue, across from the white visitor center. Some private events start at the Dogwood Center, however. Where you park may depend on which of the wonderful locations you choose.

The site started as a family farm in the 1780s but was established as the SS Howell Nurseries in the late 1870s. In 2001, descendants of the family and the ASLAN Foundation formed the modern botanical garden.

The site has multiple gardens, including a secret garden, a collection of over 100 different peonies, beautiful mature trees, and a dogwood trail. These provide interesting backdrops for any kind of photo shoot.

It’s perfect for all seasons or weather events, particularly summer (lots of shade). But even in winter, the gardens have their charm. Several locations in the garden make great wedding ceremony locations, but I appreciate it even more as a place where I can do any photo session and find the right background and mood.

Photography Locations

A wide variety of locations allows me to move through the gardens to get a variety of backgrounds. Here are some particularly awesome locations.

The Row Garden

The Row Garden is one of the most popular locations in the KGB for a reason. It has a nice open space and a beautiful collection of roses. This is a great place for cooler days as it has less shade than some locations, but also has plenty of space for larger groups.

The Bamboo Forest

The unique bamboo forest is an enchanting space and provides an unusual backdrop with stands of bamboo and rock walls. It’s not the most traditional garden, but is just beautiful. You don’t often find a place like this.

Rita Lemon Johnson Garden

I love this location for large family shoots because of the spacious lawn. The beds surrounding it are perennials that provide year-round color, and behind them are rock walls. Rock walls are a signature of the KGB and provide interesting texture and light.

The Stone Greenhouse

This is a can’t-miss location within the gardens.  It’s no longer a working greenhouse, but the stone walls and glass roof make for a truly unique backdrop. On one side, the walls are mostly bare, on the other they are covered in beautiful English ivy. Its a place with interesting lighting and as the open area is primarily designed as an event venue, there’s plenty of space.

Stone Terraces

The stone terraces offer beautiful views and are a great way to set up a large group so everyone is seen. They are popular, accessible, and also a great place for picnics. Shaded by tulip poplar and oak trees, with magnolias and the Howell Residence flanking it, this is a fantastic photography location. As a side note, it’s also an awesome wedding venue, with a wooden stage and space on the terraces for everyone to have a good view.

The Round Houses

Built to demonstrate the hardscaping skills of Howell’s workers, these little stone buildings look like something out of a fairy tale and make a great backdrop, especially their elegantly carved wooden doors. If you’re curious what’s inside – it’s where they store materials for private events. But from the outside, they’re utterly charming.

They’re located in the Martha H. Ashe garden, which also has high walls, a millstone, and a lot of exotic plants. We can head over to the southwest lawn for the Ford Family Azalea collection.

The Secret Garden

Inspired by the book of the same name, the one-acre Secret Garden contains an herb garden and open rooms. There’s also artwork, including a giant robin’s egg in a nest. I love the secret garden for its variety. I can take photos in front of rock walls, artwork, and beautiful evergreen hedges. It’s also a great place for a little more privacy, as not everyone finds all the rooms.

The Dogwood Trail

If you’re looking for a bit of a wilder feel, the dogwood trail has dozens and dozens of dogwoods, including multiple varietals of the native Cornus florida. The winding walking trail has plenty of opportunities for more candid shots. It’s a more recent addition to the gardens, but you can’t tell when you’re in the middle of it. This is particularly good for spring shoots…the dogwoods flower from late March to late May.

Photography Sessions

I do lots of shoots at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and know it well. You can book any shoot, and I’ll work with you to choose the best location in the gardens for the time of year, group size, and the mood you want.

As I’m here so often, I don’t just do full sessions but also offer mini-session days. My mini-sessions are 15, 20, or 25 minutes of photography with personal printing rights and 15 to 30 edited, high-resolution images. They’re great for updated family photos, graduation shots, birthdays, etc. They’re particularly good for younger children with shorter attention spans and for taking photos with pets.

I schedule almost all my sessions here on weekdays during the day. As a note, the visitors’ center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and there are no restrooms or changing facilities when the center is closed.

Whatever type of shoot you want, the Knoxville Botanical Garden is a great location. Contact me today to discuss your needs if you want a full session. You can also check my mini-sessions page for times I’ll be there.