There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.
― Elizabeth Lawrence, Through the Garden Gate
The Cox Arboretum and Gardens
Origins — A Passion Takes Root
Cox Arboretum & Gardens began as a personal passion. In 1984, Tom and Evelyn Cox purchased a property outside Canton, Georgia, where Tom began planting and collecting an extraordinary variety of trees and shrubs. What started as a private endeavor soon grew into something remarkable. In 1990, the Cox Arboretum was formally established with a simple purpose: to collect and evaluate garden-worthy plants. That seed of an idea has since flourished into an internationally recognized garden.
Growth, Place, and Purpose
Spread across 13 acres, the Arboretum has developed into a living collection of thousands of specimens. Over time, its mission evolved from general plant collecting to evaluation, preservation, and education. Streams, a spring-fed pond, and over an acre of wetland create a rich natural setting that supports rare, unusual, and sensitive plants — making the gardens both diverse and dynamic.
A World of Conifers and Rarities
Tom’s fascination with conifers and his dedication to sourcing unusual plants from around the world produced one of the Southeast’s most notable collections. The Arboretum is recognized for its expansive holdings of conifers, maples, and other rare taxa, many of which have been shared with horticultural institutions for evaluation and conservation.
Tom Cox — Life, Work, Legacy
Col. Thomas Wilson “Tom” Cox was a self-taught plantsman who combined his lifelong curiosity with the knowledge gained through travel and service. He generously shared his expertise through writing, lectures, and collaborations with university horticulturists, and he was deeply involved in local conservation and tree stewardship. Tom passed away in March 2023, but his vision and dedication remain the foundation of the Arboretum today.
Transition — Continuing the Mission
Following Tom’s passing, his family — including his daughter and grandsons — have continued to care for and expand the gardens. Their work keeps the Arboretum’s mission centered on conservation, preservation, and education, while opening doors to future programming, tours, and events that share the collection with the public and the horticultural community.
Today and the Future
Today, Cox Arboretum & Gardens stands as a privately stewarded yet internationally respected collection: a place for plant evaluation, the preservation of rare germplasm, and a living classroom for gardeners, students, and researchers. With new plants continually arriving from growers and institutions for testing and display, the Arboretum remains dedicated to expanding knowledge of what thrives in the southeastern U.S. — and to inspiring the next generation of horticultural discovery.
Our Mission
Over time the mission has evolved from one of general collecting to evaluation, selection, and display of a widely diverse group of plants from around the world that are hardy in a USDA Zone 7b climate. Since human activities such as clearing forest have put much of the world’s flora at risk, the mission also includes preservation of the germplasm of many critically endangered plants. A major focus today is conifers at the genus/species level, as well as dwarf selections that may have commercial appeal. Throughout the year, we receive numerous plants from growers and horticultural institutions for the purpose of evaluation. Through this effort and in offering tours to the public, we are seeking to expand the plant palate in the southeastern U.S.
Approximately 3 acres of land is maintained in a natural state and remains undisturbed. The goal is to maintain and ultimately increase native species diversity of both flora and fauna.