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The Monet Pool is the largest water garden at Denver Botanic Gardens.
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A Bloomin’ Good Time
Get out and smell the roses—and hundreds of other plant species—at eight of the top botanical gardens in the United States.
By Zachary Laks
Escape to the best of well-planned nature—botanical gardens—where the blooms are vibrant and the design scapes are inspiring. These magical grounds offer a mix of perfectly manicured gardens and wild ones, intriguing topiary creations and plants from around the world. The best ones go beyond your typical community garden, amping up the beauty with dazzling displays, annual festivals, educational opportunities and unexpected amusements that delight guests of all ages.
Japanese garden in the Missouri Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden
St. Louis, Missouri
Sprawling across 79 acres, the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, is one of the nation’s most extensive. Founded in 1859 by philanthropist Henry Shaw and also known as Shaw’s Garden, it is a top destination for its beautiful landscapes, historical buildings that date back to the 1850s and 1870s and an astounding 7.5 million specimens. Spring is the best time to see the Seiwa-en Japanese garden—at 14 acres, one of the largest Japanese gardens in North America. Meander among the cheery cherry blossoms while the trees are flowering. The botantical garden’s Climatron is a year-round attraction with a rainforest growing inside a geodesic dome. The tropical setting makes for an ideal, weather-proof day.
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Reflection garden of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Coral Gables, Florida
Just 9 miles south of Miami, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden spans 83 acres of South Florida’s tropical terrain. Find rare palms, cycads, orchids and exotic fruit trees among more than 3,400 plant species that spring from the grounds. The gardens are home to one of the largest palm collections in the world, featuring more than 500 species that thrive in the climate’s 230-plus days of sun each year. Most unique, perhaps, is the garden’s outdoor rainforest exhibit (the only outdoor one in the continental U.S.), complete with waterfalls, mist and exotic plants. One of the favored times to visit the botanic garden is during the annual July Mango Festival when more than 400 mango varieties are highlighted in fun, delicious ways—smoothies, cooking demonstrations, specialty cocktails, mango tastings and more.
The Parterre Fountain Installation is one of several permanent art displays by Dale Chihuly at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Atlanta Botanical Garden
Atlanta, Georgia
A marvel of aesthetics and unique nature experiences, the highlight of the 30-acre Atlanta Botanical Garden is its dizzying Kendeda Canopy Walk, an elevated pathway that takes you 40 feet in the air for an up-close encounter with oaks, hickories and tulip poplars. Another don’t-miss stop is at the Fuqua Orchid Center, filled with an arresting display of more than 200 genera and 2,000 species of orchids. Don’t miss a chance to marvel at the mystical Earth Goddess, a 25-foot mosaiculture of 18,000 annuals: a topiary-like sculpture and a remarkable sight to behold. The Atlanta Botanical Garden also has a satellite garden in Gainesville, Georgia.
Water lily pond in Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver Botanic Gardens
Denver, Colorado
One of the highest cultivated gardens in the world, the Denver Botanic Gardens showcases an impressive variety of plant life within its city-based 24 acres. As the first botanic garden in the United States to specialize in high-altitude and arid-climate plants, it features more than 50 distinct gardens, representing plants from Colorado and other high-altitude regions worldwide. Spring brings an explosion of color as tulips, daffodils and hyacinths bloom from March through May. Almost simultaneously, the cherry blossoms in the Japanese Garden burst in resplendent shades of pink from late March through early April. Check ahead for the most up-to-date cherry blossom forecasts, as the exact timing each year depends on the weather.
Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota
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Chicago Botanic Garden
Glencoe, Illinois
Located 30 minutes north of downtown Chicago, the Chicago Botanic Garden is one of the most expansive and renowned in the country. The colorful attraction covers 385 acres, which includes 27 separate gardens (one of which holds a world-class bonsai collection with some miniature trees that are over 100 years old), a 60-acre lake system and four natural areas that ecologists are managing to allow natural processes to occur. Be sure to stroll the English Walled Garden, a charming hideaway with fountains, roses and ivy-covered walls—perfect for a romantic outing. Perhaps the most scenic spot in the garden is the outdoor Waterfall Garden, which features a 45-foot cascade.
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Guests touring the North Carolina Botanical Garden
NORTH CAROLINA BOTANICAL GARDEN
North Carolina Botanical Garden
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Conservation and preservation are foundational to the North Carolina Botanical Garden, which stands out for its commitment to native flora. Among the garden’s more than 1,100 acres, perhaps the Carnivorous Plant Collection captures the most attention with its fascinating and vast display of Venus flytraps, sundews and pitcher plants—many of which are native to North Carolina. If you’re hoping to see these plants in action, don’t count on a dramatic feeding; most carnivorous plants typically trap and consume only one or two insects per week. The garden, affiliated with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, also serves as a research hub for plant science.
Prairie flowers of Wisconsin
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University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum
Madison, Wisconsin
Go for a hike at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum and find yourself surrounded by native plant collections that comprise this 1,200-acre living museum. When it began in 1932, this arboretum was one of the first of its kind to focus on ecological restoration and research. Explore Curtis Prairie, the oldest and most famous ecologically restored prairie in the world.
Flowers at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
Chaska, Minnesota
It’s not hard to find a peaceful retreat while meandering the well-designed 1,200-acre Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Serene spots dot this special place located 30 minutes southwest of Minneapolis. The arboretum encloses more than 5,000 plant species in several unique ecosystems, including prairie, wetlands, woodlands and others. Marvel at the meticulously maintained green spaces, including the Japanese Garden, the rose gardens and the stunning Elizabeth Carr Slade Perennial Garden, modeled after European formal gardens. The tree collection here is one of the best in the country, with many varieties of maples, oaks and conifers. To ooh and ahh beneath their leaves, take to the arboretum’s more than 12 miles of trails.
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