These Are America's Most Gorgeous Botanical Gardens

[Celerity]

Come for the flowers, stay for the vibes.

https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/best-botanical-gardens-in-the-us



There's something about visiting an enormous, carefully cultivated garden that brings a sense of peace. More meticulous than the national parks of the world, and more robustly floral than even the best city parks, America's most stunning botanical gardens offer a chance to reconnect with nature—and yourself—amongst the blooms of the season. Go for a stroll and glimpse a stirring intersection of natural goodness and manmade art, where statues, fountains, and architecture engage with stately trees, colorful blossoms, and all the fauna that come to enjoy these very special places. Breathe in the gorgeous scent of a rose garden, or indulge in some quiet contemplation amidst the streams and pagodas of a Japanese garden. Depending on which botanical paradise you've chosen to explore, you might find a wealth of cacti, an indoor conservatory flickering with butterflies, or even a valuable array of sculptures to admire. Best of all, these gardens exist all over the country, so you might even find one practically in your backyard. Whether you need a screen break or simply wish to relax and enjoy the season, it's worth finding the nearest botanical garden for some serious wandering. We promise you won't regret it.

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Atlanta, Georgia

No, that’s not Mother Nature in the flesh (or rather, in the florals) you’re looking at here: it’s the 25-foot Earth Goddess sculpture at Atlanta Botanical Garden. Although she’s certainly one of the park’s most impressive assets—not to mention most meticulously manicured, requiring daily maintenance to keep her foliage and more than 18,000 annuals looking immaculate—she’s not the only thing here that’ll keep you ooh-ing and ahh-ing. There are indoor and outdoor displays featuring flora from all over the world, many species of carnivorous plants, more than 2,000 varieties of orchids, a diverse selection of magnolias, over 80 kinds of maples—you name it, and it’s almost certainly here. There are also a score of events and exhibitions that run year-round, as well as garden-inspired classes that’ll teach you everything from sketching and cooking to the art of origami.

Desert Botanical Garden

Phoenix, Arizona

This is a particularly fun one; botanical gardens don't actually need to be green and lush, so long as there are cacti involved. The folks at the Arizona Native Plant Society, who established this place in 1939, wanted to educate people about the unique plant and animal life of the Sonoran Desert, as well as the people who call it home. The result is this 140-acre garden in Papago Park where five different walking loops take visitors through desert wildflowers, arid herb gardens, and lessons about how people have long lived in the desert. It boasts 50,000 plants throughout the five trails, and—if you go when it's not 110 degrees outside—it's a scenic, educational way to enjoy the warm Arizona sunshine.

San Francisco Botanical Garden

San Francisco, California

It's no wonder that San Francisco, with its ever-shifting weather, has produced one of the most naturally biodiverse botanical gardens in the world. These 55-acre gardens in Golden Gate Park are home to 8,000 different kinds of plants, native to climates from all parts of the world. High-elevation tropical gardens befitting equatorial mountains? Check. Native California redwoods? Of course. The most diverse collection of Magnolias outside China? Why not! And beyond the plant diversity, there's even a garden completely devoted to fragrant flowers and one designed for the purpose of moon gazing. Because it still is San Francisco, after all.

snip

[niyad]

1. Thank you for this moment of beauty. Love the Earth Goddess!!

[XanaDUer2]

2. Love botanical gardens

Been to ATL

[werdna]

3. Lesser known Cleveland gardens

Multiple gardens along MLK drive, each sponsored by a different nation organization; Italian garden, Asian garden, etc.
Can't post a pic, so here's a link to google images. Pick your own pick!

https://www.google.com/search?client=ubuntu-sn&hs=JkK&channel=fs&sxsrf=APwXEdeZlRx_qJG0VaeD7mAtWOmgfTqDbA:1681229400959&q=cleveland+botanical+garden+photos&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjeluvJm6L-AhUVjYkEHUOFCAYQ0pQJegQIDxAB&biw=1292&bih=597&dpr=1

[Marthe48]

12. I've been to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens

Super nice. My friend goes often. Thanks for the post. I'll share it with her

[Bok_Tukalo]

4. Had to check to make sure Fort Worth was on the list.

[Bayard]

5. Beautiful

These places are important sites for peace of mind.

I also highly recommend Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Kentucky. Not only do they have 16,000 acres of wildlife sanctuary, and a landscaped arboretum, but also hundreds of miles of walking/hiking trails. Unfortunately, they are currently battling Louisville Gas & Electric trying to cut a pipeline right through it. So many happy memories from when my Dad used to take us there as little kids to present day.

https://bernheim.org

[Old Crank]

6. Have been 2 four

One I liked but wasn't included was on the Big Island Hawaii. Much more native jungle look compared to the groomed gardens pictured.

[LuvLoogie]

7. Three great ones in Chicagoland

Chicago Botanic Gardens
https://www.chicagobotanic.org/

Morton Arboretum
https://mortonarb.org/

Garfield Park Conservatory
https://garfieldconservatory.org/

Also, a shout out to the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.

The Botanical Garden in San Francisco is amazing as is the whole of Golden Gate State Park.

[SWBTATTReg]

8. All beautiful, just glorious! Thanks so much for sharing! We have the beautiful Shaw Gardens or

Missouri Botanical Garden (same thing) in STLMO, for those of you who are sharing/reading this.

The website for these beautiful gardens is mobot.org OR

Missouri Botanical Garden
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org

Missouri Botanical Garden
4344 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63110 [phone]

I especially love the 'home gardening section', where they have actually put in a veggie garden, which is so neat, reminds me of my youth when I had the time and space to put in a garden down at my grandma's place. A lot of treasured time was spent there chasing off the ground hogs, chipmunks, and other critters from eating our tomatoes, peaches, etc. The butterflies were beautiful too, along w/ our other animal and/or insect visitors. Talk about therapy. You couldn't ask for better.

One of the best things about these gardens is that they are easy to get to, if you're driving though the city of STLMO, just off of I-44 and Tower Grove Street. Enjoy!

[The Polack MSgt]

10. Beat me to it. Was just googling the website to share

[SWBTATTReg]

15. I don't know how to make or post a smiley face but I'm doing it verbally!

And you're right, the Gardens are a blessing to the city of STLMO and the region. We're so lucky to have these gardens in the city. One of my favorite pass times was to go (when I was a member) walking for my exercise at the gardens daily. I felt safe, and as a bonus, got to enjoy the glorious views. This is one thing that we also support w/ a small percentage of our sales taxes here in the city. So smart and a worthwhile investment I'd say. They (voters) re-upped that tax too recently, a sign that voters also continue to approve.

Take care!!

[Celerity]

16. yes, that was one of them listed in the OP article

[SWBTATTReg]

19. Yes, he had his flaws, which is why I didn't want to mention him one bit. I wanted to pay

compliments to the Gardens solely. Thousands of volunteers (many my friends) all do a little work on behalf of maintaining the
Gardens, and of course our tiny sales tax % approved for the Gardens helps too. And they also have a yearly (it may be more than a yearly thing too, I can't recall), where they sell some of the excess (plants, etc.). Too bad my yard is so small, I would have hundreds of plants from there.

[debm55]

9. Celerity, thank you for posting these and the link. They are beautiful.

[aggiesal]

11. The Filoli Estate, where Filoli stands for FIght LOve LIve ...

When I first started dating my ex-wife, she knew the caretakers of the Filoli Estate
and arranged for a private showing.
It is everything that is described and more.

If you don't recognize it, I'm sure if you're a fan for the 1980's TV program DYNASTY,
you'd remember that this was the Carrigan's home in the program.
Some scenes were shot in the estate home, but the money shot of the estate was during
the Intro Music for the program, where a helicopter flew directly over the estate.

[chia]

13. Beautiful! I've been to the Spokane Japanese Garden (not on the list, but just as gorgeous) and

hope to get to the Huntington later this year. It's not in the U.S., but not too far north: The Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC.



https://my.spokanecity.org/parks/gardens/nishinomiya-tsutakawa-japanese/

https://www.butchartgardens.com

[NBachers]

14. We're at the San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park every few weeks. It's our favorite.

[CaptainTruth]

18. Lake Como, Italy, has beautiful botanical gardens.

I've been to the one at Villa Monastero, near Varenna. Just stunning, right on the lake.

[Celerity]

20. Keukenhof, Lisse, Netherlands

[CaptainTruth]

21. Beautiful!

[essaynnc]

22. how about Bouchard garden in Victoria b.c.?

Does Canada count??

[Celerity]

24. The article only lists American gardens. Butchart Gardens are indeed very beautiful and would easily

make a Canadian and/or global list.

[Cracklin Charlie]

23. Saving for later.

Thank you!