Fabulous foliage. Lavishing landscapes. Breathtaking birds and butterflies. These are a few elements that help cultivate a splendid outdoor layout to walk around, relax, or plan a gathering with a group of friends. If you haven’t figured out by now, this article is all about gardens. April is National Garden Month, and an excellent month to take up gardening. To celebrate, we at ecomadic have planted a list of gardens around the world to inspire horticultural activities, and your next travel plan!
New York Botanical Garden (United States)
A National Historic Landmark, this garden advocates for the plant kingdom and the preservation of its natural resources. With 250 acres, 50 specialty gardens, and over a million plants, the New York garden is the largest garden in America. With a garden this grand, there are many activities to make your visit worthwhile. Schedule to take a class or workshop on site such as botanical photography, floral design, beekeeping, and horticultural therapy. Visit the conservatory, library, and Ross Hall to learn the science behind the garden collections. Less learning and more leisure? Walk and view the four themes at the Perennial Garden, the spectral, blue atlas cedars at the Ornamental Conifers, or the springtime classic cherry trees at the Flowering Cherries. Enjoy a vast land of greenery the concrete jungle has to offer at the New York Botanical Garden!
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden (South Africa)
In the legislative capital city of South Africa lives Cape Town’s contribution to the country’s regal biodiversity. Part of the South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI), Kirstenbosch is regarded as one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. Take a gander at the indigenous plants such as the heath-like Ericas, or the clover-like Oxalis. Hike up the Table Mountain via Skeleton Gorge or Nursery Ravine, and see a captivating view of the garden, and Cape Town. On the main lawn, there are various art sculptures, such as the bust of Nelson Mandela, which stands beside a pepper-bark tree. Lastly, what’s a garden without some wildlife? Be on the lookout for the native Sugarbird swooping throughout the garden, and the Cape River frog if you head towards the streams. Although April in Kirstenbosch is Autumn and rainfall season, a glorious garden still awaits your visit!
Pamplemousses Botanic Garden (Mauritius)
Also known as the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden (after the country’s first prime minister), this Mauritian garden is 33 hectares of horticultural heaven. Frolic through the flora and fauna of the garden, from Mauritius’ native flower, the boucle d’oreille, to the Mauritian flying fox. As you pass by the eyeful, endemic palms, there are various monuments that call for a camera moment. Snap a photo of an ancient sugar mill model, the 19th century national monument, Château de Mon Plaisir, and the Lienard Obelisk, with names of the contributors to Mauritius’ agriculture on the white marble columns. Make a mission to swing by this Mauritian landmark for an islandic adventure!
Cambridge University Botanic Garden (UK)
Managed by the university’s department of plant sciences, this botanical garden will give you all the vegetation, information, and relaxation you desire in a visit! Meander through the Meditarranean beds to see rock roses, lavender grow, and an assortment of foliage one would find at the Medittaranean Basin. Lounge by the u-shaped lake, consisting of aquatic plants like water lilies, and the damp but vibrant bog garden. Stay late at night to participate in events such as bat patrolling. Make it a three-day trip when the annual Cambridge Festival of Plants blossoms at the garden. An area where rose gardens, tropical glasshouses, and British wildflowers are within close proximity, Cambridge University Botanic Garden has a captivating collection you cannot miss seeing!
Singapore Botanical Gardens (Singapore)
Singapore’s first world heritage site (inscribed by UNESCO), these tropical gardens in Tanglin are a treat worth traveling to! Spectacular sites await you throughout this Singapore setting. Fly by the Swan Lake sector by the Tanglin Entrance, where you’ll see a gorgeous, bronze sculpture of swans soaring to the sky so gracefully, Princess Odette would be put to shame. Spice up your sojourn at the Ginger Garden in the Tysall Gallop Entrance, where you’ll see an assortment of gingers, while passing by a sublime waterfall. Arouse your smells at the Fragrant Garden by the Nassim Garden, specifically late at night with a partner, for the aromatic aura the flowers emit surely sets up an amorous mood. Like those three areas, anticipate endless encounters of allure during your garden visit in Singapore!
Miracle Garden (UAE)
The largest flower garden in the world, it’s a miracle that this terrain located in Dubai can maintain such fascinating foliage. But with the usage of rainwater and filtered wastewater (via irrigation drip), the Miracle Garden massive collection of flowers can be delightfully displayed in such artistic forms. Be amazed by the structures styled with a vivid array of flowers, such as the Teddy Bear, Heart Tunnel, and Floral Clock. There’s also a section with statues of legendary Disney characters like Mickey & Minnie Mouse. If you’re fortunate enough, you may see one of your favorite Disney characters, and take a photo with them. Stay until night for an extravagant flower parade, celebrating the precious plant life throughout the garden. The Miracle Garden may not be an amusement park, but your time there will definitely amuse you!
Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden (Brazil)
Also known as Jardim Botânico, the garden showcases Brazil’s brilliant biodiversity in the heart of Rio de Janeiro’s south zone district. With over 6,500 species of plants, such as the native orchids and bromeliads, your stroll through the garden will consist of sites for satisfied eyes. Stop by the Sensory Garden, the garden’s hotspot, which sprouts numerous herbal and aromatic flowers near a riveting fountain. In addition, be on the lookout for native wildlife like the Channel-billed toucans and black marmosets. In a city with a lot of attractions, this Brazilian botanical garden provides a calming, natural experience warranting of a visit.
Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden (Thailand)
Named after the former Dowager Queen of Thailand, this botanic garden is home to regal and ethereal plants and other foliage in Thailand’s Mae Rim District. With a mountainous backdrop, merrily walk through ravishing rose gardens and banana tree trails, or use the canopy walkways to experience nature at an elevated height. When you’ve had enough doses of outdoor recreation, step inside one of the garden’s twelve greenhouses filled with native and exotic plants in their respective greenhouse. As Thailand’s largest glasshouse complex, the indoor gardens are just as adventurous as the outdoor ones, viewing things such as cacti and an indoor waterfall. Outdoors or indoors, your excursion in the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden will be as royal as Queen Sirikit herself!
Brisbane Botanical Garden (Australia)
Located at the foot of Brisbane’s tallest mountain, Mount Coot-tha, Brisbane Botanical Gardens is a sub-tropical garden with attractions to enjoy all year round. Promenade through the arid region plants area where aloe and cacti roam. Pass by the lagoon where you’ll find native Australian plants conserved due to them being rare or endangered. For a hands-on approach, take up a workshop session at the kitchen garden. An outdoor cooking area, the kitchen garden will help you learn about sustainable gardening via workshops, while surrounded by gorgeous greenery filled with flowers, herbs, spices, and produce. With additional attractions such as the Japanese Garden, the Bonsai House, and the many rainforest trails, the quests throughout the Brisbane, Queensland garden will leave quite the memories for years to come!
Butchart Gardens (Canada)
In 1904, Ontario native Jennie Butchart manifested a luscious garden. Alongside her husband, she moved to Vancouver Island and made that vision a reality. Over a century later, 55 acres of land, 900 plant varieties, and 26 greenhouses are open year-round for people to visit in a garden chancel called Butchart Gardens.Stride through the Italian garden area, which once was the Butchart family’s tennis court, while enjoying gelato from the Gelateria Benvenuto. Spring forward to the Rose garden sector, with an extraordinary assemblage of floribundas, ramblers, climbers and Hybrid Tea Roses. There’s also the Rose carousel ride near the Rose and Sunken Gardens for your entertainment. Depending on the season (summer, winter holidays) there are light show events held at night that allow the garden to appear as illuminating as it is in the daytime. Like the many gardens presented above, you’ll learn and love a lot of things about the flowers and the garden’s remarkable history. Sail into this Vancouver Island destination, and see the Butchart legacy bloom!
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