There are a variety of different parks and gardens in Oxford, each with their own unique qualities and attractions. Parks in Oxford are well known for children's play areas and vivacity. The gardens of Oxford, on the other hand, are known for their quiet and natural. Some of the beautiful parks in Oxford are: Cutteslowe and Sunnymeade Park-This is one of the largest parks in Oxford. There are many things to do in this particular park, for example, you can use play areas for children to relax and read a book by the duck pond, admiring the many flowers, use the table tennis, golf and much more. Cutteslowe and Sunnymeade park is open all hours of the day. Bury Knowle Park-The park was opened in 1930 and now offers a variety of things to do, including tennis courts, playgrounds, mini golf, and a refreshment area. This park is open 24 hours a day, so if you fancy a walk late at night why not make a visit. Hinksey Park-The park is located just 15 minutes from downtown. Hinksey Park has an outdoor pool, tennis courts, a playground and a lake. [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 [more..]

The Birmingham Botanical Garden is highly recommended by Activ Birmingham as a place to visit under its heading of Great Days Out. These delightful gardens and glasshouses are located in Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, and Birmingham. The gardens cover some 15 acres of interest and enjoyment, and were designed by one of the leading garden planners of the day, J.C. Loudon. Loudon was also a respected horticultural journalist and publisher. The gardens first opened to the paying public in 1832. Today, visitors will find peace, splendour and tranquillity, plus excellent facilities including a shop, gallery, library, museum, a most essential tea room and a study centre. The gardens also provide educational facilities, courses and workshops. The Botanical Gardens promote various events from outside organisations during the year. The Gardens, with its unique facilities and surroundings, also cater for banqueting, conference, weddings (either civil ceremony and/or receptions) with its tailor made menus and extensive dishes.  It also offers excellent dinner dance amenities and is also an excellent venue for cocktail parties, lunches and dinners. Over the years the Birmingham Botanical Gardens has achieved a reputation of excellence for providing clients [more..]

Many people may think their garden is not big enough to house a garden water feature but that is where they would be wrong; with the addition of a Garden Water Fountain any size of any outdoor space will have room for one of these amazing features. There are a number of different garden water fountains which will be suitable for different areas of the garden. So what styles are there and how can they be integrated into your garden, below are just some of the ideas of how you could integrate a garden water fountain into your existing garden layout. One thing to remember is there are no hard and fast rules as to how a garden fountain should be incorporated and generally it comes down to personal preference. Traditional Styles â?? These are one of the most common versions of garden water fountains and grace homes throughout the world. Traditionally the fountains were made of stone and sometimes they would be referred to as bird baths, the designs have evolved since then but the essence of the early designs is still in place. With [more..]

  Located near the centre of Melbourne, the Royal Botanic Gardens are regarded as the finest botanical gardens in Australia and among the best in the World. Established in 1846, the gardens began as nothing but a completely uninspiring mixture of swampy marshland and rocky outcroppings.   Today the gardens are home to more than 51,000 individual plants that represent over 12,000 different species. In addition to the variety of botanical life that is housed here, the gardens themselves have become an impressive natural sanctuary for a variety of native wildlife including black swans, kookaburras, and bell birds.   The gardens themselves offer a magnificent walking path to stroll through a lush and healthy landscape that is filled with greenery. Visitors to the gardens can view the wide range of plants that are set out in a landscaped environment with a lake as the central feature. The gardens are so impressively large that visitors should be careful not to get lost within its vast grounds.   The gardens are also home to the National Herbarium of Victoria which is in itself home to more than [more..]

Botanical gardens are places where a enormous variety of plants are developed, usually for scientific purposes. Not all botanical gardens are open to the public, but the ones that are serve as a great educational tool, as you will be able to study many different plants up-close. While research certainly takes place on these plants, a botanical garden also serves as a place for conservation, keeping these plants protected in the process. Here are some of the best botanical gardens in the world. 1. The New York Botanical Garden is one of the most well-known botanical gardens in the world. Situated in the Bronx borough of New York City, this garden sits on 250 acres and contains 50 gardens and plant collections. It was founded in 1891 and it acts as the region's leader in research and plant collection. The New York Botanical Garden has also remained as international leader when it comes to research. If you ever are scheduling a trip to see one of these gardens, this would certainly be a place to keep in mind, as they contain some of the best collections of [more..]