The National Botanical Garden of Cuba was founded in 1989 in the south part of Havana City with an extension of 600 hectares and which shows today around 4 thousand vegetable species. This Garden is part of the University of Havana, and its main goal is to promote the care of nature and the recognition of the vegetable world, especially, the autochthonous flora. It has been organized in several restricted areas with certain characteristics: plains of Palm trees, pine forests, Eastern humid forests, wilderness, Mogote vegetation (mogote is a rock formation typical from Pinar del Rio), coastal scrublands; and a sample of the tropical flora from Asia, Africa, The Americas and The Antilles, Australia and Oceania, and other specialized collections (Palmetum, Archaic Forest, the Ekman Collection and the Collection of Economical Plants). Outside those areas, the visitor can enjoy a collection of ornamental aquatic and land plants, including a section dedicated to plants with trunks especially designed by nature to store water. One of the main attractions of this institution is the Japanese Garden inaugurated in 1989, a work by the Japanese landscape architect Yoshikuni Araki. Located [more..]

Just like me I am sure you have noticed the yards in front of different houses you drive by. Maybe you see them every morning on your commute to work, or perhaps you live across from someone with an immaculate yard. If you are like me then this should motivate you to spruce up your own yard. There are different looks and styles of landscape design out there today. I would like to discuss a couple of them. When we think of places like Arizona or the desert we think of brown sand and rocks. Some people have taken this idea and plunked it down in their yard. Personally I think it is a great effect! Picture this; you walk into the backyard of a house belonging to a friend, or relative. As you walk around the corner of their house you hear water splashing down. Once you are in the backyard you notice they have a waterfall pouring out from behind a rock formation. Not only is it a pleasant sound, but the appearance of a rock bed may be unusual, which makes it [more..]

The rapidly developing city of Bangalore is Asiaâ??s newest Silicon Valley. The fifth largest city in India is also its fashion capital and is an absolute beehive of activity. Travellers arriving in Bangalore have a myriad of sites to keep themselves busy during their stay here. Some of the more popular Bangalore attractions include the Bugle Hill, Bull Temple, Government Museum, the Venkatappa Art Gallery and the beautiful Lalbagh Botanical Gardens. The Lalbagh Botanical Garden is situated in the heart of Bangalore and is surrounded by the residences of Jayanagar. The garden is easily accessible from all parts of the city through the various public transportations methods. Commissioned in 1760, the design of the gardens is based on the Mughal Gardens in Sira. The Lalbagh Gardens cover a massive expanse of land and features loads of open spaces, shady areas, well-laid out pathways and roads to help visitors make the best o their visit here. The garden feature more than 1000 species of fauna and flora while most of the trees at the garden are well over a century old. In fact, the Lalbagh [more..]