Top 5 Flower Gardens in the World

Flower Gardens

Nature has a healing effect in it that heals and restores people’s mental health and tranquility of mind. When you are in the midst of a pile of worries and tensions, a soft breeze or a raindrop can make you smile. You will notice that when you are living in the metropolitan, life is full of worries even when you have huge bungalow and lavish cars. The moment you think of getting a vacation and going to hill stations or beaches, your worries seem to fly away. Time that you spent in mountains, under rain, in snowfall, between flowers and near sea is indeed the best time of your life.

Flowers are the symbol of colors and life. Their beauty takes stress away from one’s mind and fills it with beauty of nature and serenity. Fragrance offers such peace of mind that cannot be attained with all world wealth. Watching various colors of flowers and inhaling inspirational odors is certainly best experience in one’s life after hectic routines of everyday life.

Our world is not just a hub for skyscrapers and personified lavishness; we still have some spots on planet where we can find serenity and beauty of nature. There are a lot of flower gardens all over the globe which are iconic due to their immense beauty. In this article, I will discuss some of the most exotic flower gardens well known for their exquisiteness and splendor.

1. Keukenhof:

This flower garden is located near Lisse in Netherlands. It is usually called “Kitchen Garden” or “Garden of Europe.” As the name suggest, this is an exotic place full of natural beauty and elegance. Keukenhof is world’s largest flower garden.

Photo by BSKaran

This garden is not open all the year, but only from March to May. This might be so because of the seasonal flowers. Once you enter the place, your breath is taken away by out of the ordinary magnificence of flowers.

History:

Once, it was a hunting area which was also used for collecting different herbs for the castle. This is why it was called Keukenhof i.e. Kitchen Garden. When the Baron and Baroness died, new owners created an English style landscape garden around the castle with help of architects J.D. and L.F. Zocher. Now, a corporation owns the place. An open air flower exhibition was organized for the first time in 1949. Since then, over 7 million flower bulbs are planted in Keukenhof every year for this striking spring flower show.

Netherlands is world’s largest exporter of flowers, and Keukenhof has added immensely to its present status. If you are a tulip-lover, visit the garden near mid-April. You can find most beautiful flowers here including amaryllis, hydrangeas, narcissi, asters and lilies.

2. Great Dixter Garden:

This is a house in Northiam, East Sussex near the South Coast of England. Importance of the house is basically due to a beautiful garden it owns. This garden is regarded as the personification of English craftsmanship of planting trees and flowers.

Photo by serialplantfetishist

History:

Nathaniel Lloyd, the owner of the house and a well known businessman worked together with the architect Edwin Lutyens to create this beautiful garden. Lloyd’s son, Christopher Lloyd gave worldwide fame and popularity to the garden. He was an author, columnist, lecturer on gardens and television personality.

One season’s planting flows impeccably to the nest season in order to hide the dying flowers under the mask of new ones. The garden has been built in “arts and crafts” style. Main features include an orchard, a long border, topiary and a meadow filled with wild flowers. This garden is open to public as well as for study tours.

3. Butchart Gardens:

This isn’t a single garden but a whole group of floral gardens which are situated in Brentwood Bay, British Colombia, Canada. The Vancouver Island (where the gardens are actually situated) receives a large number of tourists and visitors; more than a million visitors every year.

Photo by WisDoc

History:

Robert Pim Butchart was s cement manufacturer who came to the west coast of Canada with his wife Jennie Butchart. West coast was rich in limestone deposits and thus attracted the manufacturer. In 1904, the couple built their home near Robert’s quarry. In 1909, the quarry exhausted and all the land became useless. But the vision of Jennie converted the deserted land into extremely beautiful and exotic gardens. She began with Sunken Garden and when it was completed, they began receiving visitors to their garden. Afterwards, they replaced their kitchen garden with a Rose Garden and their tennis court with an Italian Garden.

In 1953, the gardens were illuminated via underground wiring for lighting at night time. In 1964, an ever changing Ross fountain was installed there. The Canadian Heraldic Authority granted a coat of arms to the gardens in 1994. The 100th anniversary was celebrated in 2004, when Butchart Gardens were delegated as national historic site. Also, two totem poles (each 30 feet long) were mounted in the gardens.

You can see many bronze statues situated at different spots in the gardens.

4. Bodnant Garden:

This garden is situated in the county of Conwy, Wales; above the River Conwy. It is a traditional flower garden of an ancestral family home in the United Kingdom.

History:

This garden is a national trust property. It covers huge area of over 80 acres and surrounds the Bodnant House.

Photo by jetbluestone

This garden can be classified into two main parts; a formal terrace garden and a spring woodland garden. There is plenty of running water and lots of trees in the garden. There is a large lily pond which has stone boundaries. To enhance the beauty of this garden, there is a nice waterfall, too. Best time to visit the place is May when the whole garden is filled with rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, woodland spring flowers and roses.

5. Bagatelle:

This castle was originally just a house, and now it is known for the exquisite rose gardens. There are two rosaries in Bagatelle; one is used for display of classic traditional rose specimens, whereas the other shows evolutionary process of roses. You can find complete information about the rose you like as they are labeled by class, origin, year of introduction and their names.

Photo by gabrilu

Posted in: Flower Gardens