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Gardens worth visiting
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As you travel what better way to relax
than to stroll through the gardens. Sometimes the
gardens say much about how the community feels about itself --
or simply that it cares. While not a complete list of
all the gardens I have visited -- these certainly rate very
high on my list of favorites and would include a return visit
if at all possible. Most visits were made during summer
when the gardens are usually looking their best.
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International
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United States
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Michigan
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Chicago Botanic Garden
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Make sure you put this
attraction on your list the next time you visit
Chicago's north side. Located 20 minutes north of
downtown, the Chicago Botanic Garden is
outstanding. We arrived one Sunday morning in July
and they were having an ice cream social, complete with
food and entertainment. The garden was full of
visitors, young and old. All of which were having
a grand time.
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Montréal Botanical Garden
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A large public garden with
something for everyone at any time of the year. We
visited in early June and the lilacs were in full bloom
along with the azaleas and rhododendrons. As we were
visiting on a Saturday afternoon, we spotted many a
wedding couple posing for photographs among the
beautiful grounds. Do not miss this incredible
garden while touring charming Montreal.
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Gardens of
Sydney and Melbourne, Australia
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If you are
fortunate to visit this amazing country, be sure to
allocate some time to tour a few of their gardens.
In Sydney, we visited the small but charming Chinese
Friendship Garden. In Melbourne, we had brief
visits to the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Treasury
Garden.
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University of Michigan - Peony Garden
Beds
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Part of the Nichols Arboretum,
this garden contains over 234 cultivars of this long
living perennial. The best time for viewing the
garden is early to mid-June. These pictures were taken on a humid and overcast day.
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Topiary Garden - Columbus Ohio
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A small but unique garden --
don't miss it if you are ever in the Columbus
area. The topiaries are based upon Georges
Seurat's famous painting (Chicago Art Museum)
"Sunday Afternoon on the Ile De La Grande Jatte". It is located
across the street from the Ohio Center for the
deaf.
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Trial and Perennial Gardens -
Michigan State University
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Whenever I happen to be in the
area, I always make it a point to first, stop at the
dairy and have an ice cream cone and then proceed to the
gardens located on the southwestern end of campus.
My most recent visit was in 2002 when my Carolyn was
checking out the campus. The children's garden,
rose garden are all nearby.
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Palace Gardens - Het Loo, Appledorn
NL
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We visited this lovely and
serene garden on our very first day upon our arrival to
Europe in June 2001. This well known garden
features symmetrical classic appeal and a fantastic
arbor. Beauty is achieved not through color but
through design.
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Alpengarten - Innsbruck, Austria
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Europe's highest botanical
garden - requires a ride on a cable car and features
breathtaking views and clean mountain air. The
tiny delicate plants are labeled and there is a
nice trail to walk.
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Gardens of the Palace of Versailles,
France
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The last and largest garden we
visited while in Europe. The immensity of the beds were difficult
to capture in film. Impressive but we were
disappointed that the fountains were not working.
I discovered later that the fountains were always
difficult to run and in fact were only run when the King
Louie was in fact strolling through the gardens. Still
today, water supply is a problem and the fountains are
run only on special occasions. Classic formal
design.
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Gardens of South
Carolina
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We have visited
South Carolina several times in August. In 2000 we
visited Brookgreen Gardens located just south of Myrtle
Beach. In 2001 we went to Middleton Place
Plantation in Charleston.
photos
August 2000, 2001
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Gardens of
Alaska
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Alaska is full of
tremendous scenery - majestic mountains and spectacular
glaciers that it is very easy overlook the wonderful
flowers which abound in this state. With long
winters, the locals really pull out the stops to
colorize the landscape with bounties of flowers.
Most restaurants and tourist areas have amazing potted
plants. Downtown Anchorage in particular has
colorful annuals draping from most buildings. A
visit to the Anchorage Botanic Garden will not
disappoint those who love to dig in and the Palmer
visitor center has a nice display of locally grown
produce.
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The Butchart Gardens
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Bring plenty of
film if you visit here in the summer. The rose
garden alone contains over 2,500 specimens -- all
beautifully maintained. You don't have to be a
plant lover to enjoy this garden. It is very
accessible for folks of all ages -- paved pathways lend
for an enjoyable visit. Color and scale the play
major roles.
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Washington State Gardens
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Lavender farms -
Bellevue Botanical Garden
You are rewarded if you can plan your visit to the
Sequim area on the Olympic pennisula in late June -
early July. This area has become the home to many
lavender farms. There are many to choose from --
and during the lavender festival all the farms are
open. Bellevue is a free public garden just north
of Seattle. A small but visually interesting
garden oasis.
websites:
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Hilo, Hawaii
Gardens
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I hope one day you
are able to make a visit, if so please include the Big
Island of Hawaii in your trip. We spent a couple
of days in Hilo and enjoyed the lushness and fragrance
on that part of the island. It's close to the
amazing Volcano National Park and several
waterfalls are also nearby. Yes, you will have a little
rain, usually in the afternoon but you get to feel what
old time Hawaii must have been like. Please do
purchase a few orchids, they were reasonably priced,
they pack them well and mine are still growing --
a pleasant reminder of our special time spent there.
websites:
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Meijer Gardens -
Grand Rapids, MI
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We ventured to the
gardens on a bright sunny afternoon. I recommend
that you take the tram-tour around the gardens as the
park is quite extensive and you get an excellent
overview of what to look at more closely. We got
off at the farm and walked back to the Children's
Garden. The website offers details on all the
permanent sculptures -- some serious -- some
whimsical. photos
September 2008
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Ohio Gardens - Stan
Hywet and Schedel Arboretum
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If you are in the
Akron area, then take time to visit the Stan Hywet Hall
and Gardens. The house tour is worthwhile -- Stan
Hywet was in the rubber industry (think tires) and built
a substantial mansion. The gardens are nice and
pleasant to visit. Near Toledo off highway 80, you
can easily visit the Schedel Arboretum and
gardens. I must say I was pleasantly surprised at
the extensive collection of trees. Don't worry,
plenty of flowers to look at. The bonsai
collection is a gem - I think the best in the Midwest.
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MSU Hidden
Lake Gardens - Tipton, Michigan
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Located in
southern Michigan, this large parcel of property was
gifted to Michigan State University in 1945 and contains
several special collections of hostas, rare and dwarf
conifers, trees, lilacs and a tropical and desert
greenhouse. There are several hiking trails and I
would suggest you use bug spray before going out into
the field. Take your time and spend an afternoon
here enriching yourself in nature's wonders.
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Kew Gardens - London, England
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This garden has
been on my list to visit for many years. Finally
with the favorable exchange rate of the dollar to the
pound I decided it was going to be now or never. Kew has
long considered one of the top three garden facilities
in the world. So I had very high expectations and
we visited on a warm sunny day.
photos
September 2009
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Rose Garden - Los
Angeles, CA
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What a pleasant
surprise this garden is at most any time of the
year! It is by far one of the world's outstanding
Rose Garden and does the city proud. I suggest
visiting early in the morning to enjoy the peace and
quiet amid the busy city life. Nearby free Science
Center has a cafeteria and McDonald's to enjoy an
outdoor refreshment. In summer it is also a
popular wedding photo shoot and the garden's fountain is
a favorite for children. We visited the day before
Thanksgiving on an beautiful sun filled morning.
photos
November 2009
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