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 in the phytogeographical area of Southeastern [more..]

ATLANTA - Hardin Construction Company's sustainability portfolio includes nearly 20 LEED-certified projects, but none of them has quite lit up the green-o-meter like the Atlanta Botanical Garden's Green Expansion The Garden's new visitor center and parking deck received Gold LEED certification. Hardin served as general contractor on project.The Garden's innovative expansion project earned recognition from the nation's leading evaluator of environmentally sustainable buildings, and is generating kudos for its abundant environmentally friendly amenities.The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded LEED Gold certification to two elements of the project-a striking new visitor center that captures natural light and features two green roofs that absorb rainfall and provide sound and thermal insulation; and a parking facility nestled into a steeply sloped, once-blighted hillside.They were in the first phase of the Garden's million expansion, designed to offer visitors new gardens and amenities while emphasizing sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.LEED Leadership"Joining the Atlanta Botanical Garden and other members of the project team in such an impressive project was quite an honor," said Hardin President Bill Pinto. "Hardin shares the Garden's commitment to sustainability, and we congratulate [more..]

The rapidly developing city of Bangalore is Asia’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 is home to the largest collection [more..]

Nestled away in the hills of the beautiful island of Sri Lanka, one will find the truly wonderful Botanic Gardens of Haggala which was initiated as a cultivation project in 1861. 10 kilometres off the Badulla Road, in chilly Nuwara Eliya the gates open up to a wonderland of colourful marvels in the midst of the hills of tea plantations. The name of this wonderful attraction is Haggala Rock which means the “Elephant’s jaw rock”. Hovering over the gardens and the forest reserve at astounding heights of 2, 200 meters, the rock is truly a grandiose sight. High above sea level, at an elevation of 1,745 metres the gardens cover a region of 28 acres, which is bountiful with the workings of a Garden of Eden. With many of the attractions found in tiers across the grounds, the colourful flora seems to resemble cascading rainbow waterfalls. Also, moving further inwards, visitors will be able to take in the breathtaking views of the Uva Valley along with the mountain ranges of Namunukula and Madulsima. The focal attractions of the Haggala Botanical Gardens include the likes of the Central Pond and Bulb Garden, [more..]

Located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya is one of the most frequented tourist attractions in the city of Kandy. Managed by the Division of National Botanic Gardens of the Department of Agriculture, Sri Lanka, Peradeniya Botanical Gardens is best known for its magnificent collection of orchids. The park is also home to an amazing variety of medicinal plants which are used in local Ayurvedic practices. A number of spices are also seen at this park along with a number of aquatic plants and other beautiful blossoming plant varieties.   Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya is one of the best places to spot endemic birds such as the Sri Lankan hanging parrot, the brown-capped babbler and the Ceylon small barbet. Common residents of the park such as kingfishers and woodpeckers can be seen with relative ease while sighting a visitor such as the white bellied fish eagle is a rare occurrence which many have not had the pleasure of experiencing. More than 80 species of butterflies also call the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya their home. The sheer amount of flowering plants and the humid atmosphere created [more..]

At a quarter of the size of New York's Central Park, the Botanical Gardens in Singapore are a green wonder to behold. An interesting point to note about the gardens is that it remains open till midnight throughout the year, while admission to the gardens is free, except for the Orchid Garden. Visitors to the park have access through many roadways. From the south it's through Napier and Holland Road. From the North, the park borders the Bukit Timah Road and to the west it borders the Clunny Park Road. The Botanic Gardens in Singapore began as an experimental garden in 1822 by Sir Stamford Raffles at Fort Canning.  Sir Raffles is not only known as the founder of Singapore's modern landscape but also as a serious naturalist. The main purpose of the gardens at its outset was to grow crops that had the potential to boost the economy. Having closed down in 1829, the present day gardens began 30 years later after a piece of land located in Tanglin was given to the local Agri Horticultural Society. So what do visitors get to see when they get to the gardens? The highlight is the [more..]

Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden is a 500-acre (2.0 km2) botanical garden and tourist attraction at kilometer 163 on Sukhumvit Road in Chonburi Province, Thailand.Your visit to Pattaya is not complete without a day trip to the sprawling Nong Nooch Tropical garden, just 20 minutes away from the city. This stunning garden landscapes at Nongnooch Village is one of the largest botanical gardens in Southeast Asia. Nong Nooch stands for beauty, and that is what oozes out of every part of the park. The plants and the surroundings are very well maintained.Pisit and Nongnooch Tansacha purchased the 600-acre plot of land in 1954 with the intentions of developing the land as a fruit plantation. However, the owners instead decided to plant tropical flowers and plants as a wildlife conservation project. The garden opened to the public in 1980, and management was transferred to Pisit and Nongnooch's son Kampon Tansacha in 2001. The garden currently fills 500 out of the 600 acres.The garden is divided into the following categories:•    French Garden•    European Garden•    Stonehenge Garden•    Cactus & Succulent Garden•    Variegated Plants•    Ant Tower•    Butterfly Hill•    Orchid [more..]