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..]

The lush greenery of the Auckland Botanic Gardens covers 64 hectares in the southern part of Auckland and consists of approximately 10,000 different plants. A young garden by both national and international standards, this beautiful botanical garden however has won many awards over time. Some of the awards attained include The Garden of National Significance, Creative Places Award for Built Environment and Threatened Native Plant Garden. The place continues to attract streams of tourists due to its attractive displays of native and introduced plants, and is an ideal location for a family outing. This picturesque Garden has a threefold vision for its existence. It aims to contribute to society’s well being and appreciation of plants through the creation of a magnificent garden. Secondly, the range of plants grown here are meant to highlight the area’s compatible climate for growing, and its diverse ethnicity and landscape. Thirdly, apart from meeting the community’s needs and interests, it also aims to inform people about the importance of plants to their lives and to the environment at large. Amid the many plants, flowers and shrubs grown here, there are many specific highlights at the Garden. [more..]

Our home is our own private space.Whether you are building a dream home or just want to add a little spice to your existing house, all you need is a little time. If you have a garden, you can experiment with a lot of plants, colors, themes, fountains and more. Before venturing to discover whether you really have that 'green thumb', you need to study a little about garden plans, flowers, lawns, trees & shrubs, herbs & vegetables, house plants, landscaping, regional gardening, container gardens, garden guides, paths, pergolas, seeds, pests, fertilizers etc. Just go through some planting guides and you'll have a fairly good idea. I found the Better Homes and Gardens site offering useful Growing Zone Maps of USA spanning Northeast, South, Midwest, Mountain and Plains, Pacific Northwest, southern California to the Desert Southwest with the ideal locations for growing different plants. Better Homes and Gardens is a popular magazine in the US Published by the Meredith Corporation, the magazine focuses on homes, kitchen, gardening, crafts, healthy living, decorating and entertaining. It began its course in 1922 when Edwin Meredith, the United States Secretary of Agriculture under Woodrow Wilson, founded [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..]

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..]

The Botanical Gardens, were any of you out there aware that there is actually more than one botanical garden? This gal will be the first to admit just that, but as it turns out, Montreal is not the only place that boasts a beautiful botanical garden which houses many exotic flowers. The garden we are talking about is referred to as the Royal Botanical Garden and it is located in Madrid, Spain.The garden boasts 20 acres of land and houses approximately 30,000 different types of flowers and plants, not to mention approximately 1,500 different species of trees. It is a garden lover's dream! The Royal Botanical Garden, referred to in Madrid as Real Jardin Botanico was commissioned (or paid for) by Carlos (Charles) the Third in the later part of the 18th Century. Surely this was the best investment Carlos ever made.The Garden is located in the heart of Paseo Del Parado and tourists can stroll through the garden for a nice break from the noisy hustle and bustle of everyday life. After a person has gotten his bearings in this beautiful piece of heaven, [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..]