|
“A garden has this advantage, that it makes it indifferent where you
live. A well-laid garden makes the face of the country of no account; let that be low or
high, grand or mean, you have made a beautiful abode worthy of man.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said that, sure knew what he was talking about. A garden
is certainly a lovesome thing; flowers and green lawns are a panacea for most- if not all-
ills. Good for a relaxing stroll, an even more relaxing nap, a day with the kids, a picnic
lunch…any neighbourhood patch of greenery will do for those. But when we’re on
holiday, we should head for the best and the brightest, shouldn’t we?
So here it is. The definitive list of the best gardens the world has to offer.
The best planned, the most famous; the largest, the loveliest, the closest we can get to
Eden.
Top
The
Keukenhof Gardens, Lisse
| Think Holland and
you can’t help but think of tulips. And if you’re keen on tulips- and flowers, per
se- Keukenhof is where you should be going: the world’s largest flower garden.
Located in Lisse, just a short distance from Amsterdam, Keukenhof began sometime in the 15th
century as a glorified vegetable patch(`keukenhof’ literally means `kitchen
garden’). In the mid-20th century, a group of Dutch bulb-growers decided
to showcase their products, and Keukenhof was the obvious choice. Today, 70 acres of land
in Lisse are covered with flowers- some 6 million bulbs, supplied by more than a
hundred flower companies, are cultivated here annually. |
 |
Deep green lawns offset the rainbow fields of flowers: hyacinths, tulips,
daffodils, narcissi and crocus are all there, blooming in all the colours you could
possibly imagine- and more. In special glasshouses are grown blooms you don’t often
associate with the Netherlands: tropical orchids, for instance, are on permanent
exhibition. Special theme parks, including a Japanese garden and a Historical Garden, are
a part of Keukenhof- as are sculptures, windmills, walking trails, quiet pools and
streams. Swans, leased annually and returned to their owners at the end of every season,
swim along on the waters.
Keukenhof is `officially’ open only during the spring, from March to May, 8
am to 7.30 pm daily. It can be visited the rest of the year too, although that’s
usually not recommended, as the gardens aren’t at their best.
For more information on Netherlands, click here.
Top
The
Water Gardens of Monet, Giverny
 |
Tucked away in
north-west France, just a short journey out of the city of Rouen, lies one of
Europe’s most lovely landscaped gardens: that of Giverny. The gardens of Giverny
consist of a flower garden and a water garden, but it’s the latter which really makes
Giverny the big tourist attraction it is. Immortalised on canvas by the Impressionist
Claude Monet, the water gardens of Giverny are every bit as tranquil, serene and beautiful
as Monet depicted them. |
Open from April
to October, the water gardens were designed by Monet himself in the late 19th
century. Created from a stream diverted from the river Epte, a tributary of the Seine, the
gardens were inspired by the traditional Japanese garden. A series of pathways, including
a pretty Japanese bridge, crisscrosses the ponds and streams of the garden, and cool
groves of bamboo bring a little bit of the East into France. Purple wisterias and weeping
willows droop darkly over gleaming pools of water in which fragrant waterlilies bloom
throughout the year, and a grove of dense vegetation
screens the water garden from its surroundings. Take a leisurely walk around the
garden, have a cup of coffee at the local café and buy yourself some seeds at the
garden’s shop- and take a little bit of art history home with you.
The water
gardens at Giverny are open to the public from 9.30 am to 6 pm, Tuesday to Sunday,
through the summer. Walking through the garden itself isn’t allowed, but you can get
excellent views from the side alleys which wend their way all around the gardens.
For
more information on France, click here.
Top
The
Gardens of Suzhou
| Nestled in the
lower Yangtze Basin in China is the city of Suzhou. Unlike Beijing or Shanghai, Suzhou is
not known for its political or economic importance (although it was once the capital of
the Wu empire); Suzhou is known for its gardens- the result of 1,500 years of mastery in
the art of Oriental gardening. The classical Chinese garden, with its highly aesthetic
combination of trees, plants, buildings and watercourses, reached its zenith here, in
Suzhou. |
 |
In its heyday,
Suzhou boasted of some 200 odd gardens; today, the number’s much less- about 69- but
it’s large enough to justify the city’s designation as a World Heritage Site.
The most important gardens of Suzhou are The Cold Mountain Temple, The Lion
Grove Garden, The Humble Administrator’s Garden, The Surging Waves
Pavilion and The Lingering Garden. Of these, the Surging Waves Pavilion, which
is surrounded by a river, is the oldest; it dates back to the Song dynasty and contains a
delightfully quiet bamboo grove.
All of
Suzhou’s gardens are in the typical South Changjiang River style- which translates
into rockeries, tiny pools with goldfish and lotuses; curled-roof pavilions, moon shaped
doors, floral windows and a prevailing sense of peace and solitude. Winding pathways
meander through the gardens, and the pavilions are used for tea-drinking, reading and a
little bit of quiet contemplation.
For
more information on China, click here.
Top
Japanese Gardens
 |
Japanese haiku
bursts with references to gardens- dwelling lovingly on the beauty of the first plum
blossom in the spring, the shade of a bamboo grove, the rippling waters of a clear stream.
The highly-developed aesthetic sense of the Japanese is, in fact, perhaps best expressed
in the simple beauty of the traditional Japanese garden. |
A symbolic
representation of a natural setting- such as a mountain or a valley- a Japanese garden is
invariably enclosed by rocks, incorporating elements such as ponds, expanses of white
sand, bamboo groves, stone lanterns, and bridges. Simplicity, starkness and a no-frills
look dominate Japanese gardens. There are hundreds of Japanese gardens which are worth
visiting; but the top three are generally considered to be Kenroku-en (in Kanazawa),
Koraku-en (Okayama) and Kairaku-en (in Mito).
Kenroku-en was designed originally in 1676 as the outlying garden for the
Kanazawa-jo castle, and was finally completed in 1822. Today, Kenroku-en (`the Garden of
the Six Attributes’) covers about 25 acres, all conforming to the six qualities of a
perfect Japanese garden: spaciousness, antiquity, broad views, artificiality, seclusion
and water. Gnarled old maples, pretty plum and cherry trees, a large lake, stone lanterns
and a series of tea-houses are scattered across Kenroku-en.
The garden is open daily from 7 am to 6 pm, and from 8 am to 4.30 pm between
October and February.
Koraku-en, in Okayama, was designed by a warlord, Ikeda, between 1686 and 1700, and
you can see why it took all of 14 years- the garden’s truly lovely. An expanse of
green lawn forms the centre of the garden, while a series of pools, cascades, waterfalls
and streams stretches below shady trees. All of 16 acres in area, Koraku-en is best known
for the beautiful `Full Moon Bridge’ which is its main attraction- the bridge, and
its reflection in the water, combine to form the shape of a full moon.
Interestingly enough, rice, wheat and tea are also cultivated within the garden. The tea
is put to good use in the many teahouses which dot the area. The garden is open daily from
7.30 am to 6 pm, and from 8 am to 5 pm between October and March.
Spring in Mito means a visit to Kairaku-en, to view the flowering `ume’ plum
trees which are the garden’s greatest attraction. 3,000 plum trees- of 100 species-
cover 32 acres of undulating land. Come spring, and Kairaku-en is a mass of pink and
white, a frothy and fragrant picture which is almost unbelievably pretty. Designed in 1841
by a Mito feudal lord, Kairaku-en is full of blossoming azaleas in the summer and Japanese
bush clover in the autumn.
Kairaku-en is open from 6 am to 7 pm between April and mid-September, and from 7 am to 6
pm the rest of the year. Between late February and early March, a special Plum Festival is
held in Kairaku-en; it’s the perfect time to visit the garden.
For
more information on Japan, click here.
Top
The
Gardens of Paris
If there’s
one city which has it all- palaces, museums, gardens- it’s Paris. And gardens there
are aplenty in this city: acres of lawns, flowerbeds, gravel pathways, fountains and more.
There’s the Jardin Atlantique, the Jardin du Bassin de L’arsenal, the Jardin des
Champs-Elysees, the Jardin du Palais Royal- and of course, the two best known gardens: the
Jardin du Luxembourg and the Jardin des Tuileries.
|
 |
Designed by Le
Nôtre, the chief gardener for Louis XIV, the Jardin des Tuileries is the epitome
of a classic Parisian garden. Well manicured, lush green lawns are dissected by avenues of
trees and well-maintained flower beds, the symmetry of which is broken by strategically
placed fountains and sculptures. Also a part of the Tuileries is a labyrinth and a small
pond where children can sail on hired boats. Surrounding the Tuileries are some of
Paris’ most spectacular buildings, including the Musée du Louvre, the Musée d’
Orsay, and the Egyptian Obelisk.
In the same league as the Jardin des Tuileries is the Jardin du Luxembourg, laid
out in the early 17th century to offset the beautiful Palais du Luxembourg,
built by the queen Marie de Medicis. Like the Tuileries, the Jardin du Luxembourg is also
`typically’ French, with its orderly flowerbeds, its rows of trees and a central
pool, surrounded by statues and urns. You can go for a stroll through the garden, admire
the flowers or sit on a bench, feeding pigeons or watching people. The Luxembourg was,
once upon a time, much frequented by artists- Gertrude Stein, Verlaine and Watteau were
all keen admirers of this stretch of greenery. Today, tourists, children and students from
the Sorbonne outnumber everybody else. Children, especially, can have a whale of a time in
the Jardin du Luxembourg- they can sail a toy boat in the pool, ride ponies, or watch one
of the puppet shows which are staged occasionally.
For
more information on Paris, click here.
Top
The
Butchart Gardens, Vancouver Island
 |
Way back in 1904,
a resident of Vancouver Island ( 20 km north of Victoria, Canada), a Mrs Jenny Butchart,
whose husband had made it big in the Portland Cement trade, decided to do something about
an ugly old quarry which stretched across the family’s 130-acre estate. Debris, dust
and pools of stagnant water were converted, over the years, into a patch of greenery that
today draws admiration from the best gardeners in the world. One of North America’s
most spectacular gardens: the Butchart Gardens. |
The Butchart
Gardens stretch across 50 acres of flowerbeds, statuary, pools, pavilions, rockeries and
pathways- but wait on; this isn’t a merry jumble. Everything has carefully been
designed to allow you to enjoy different gardening styles within one area. The old quarry
itself has been converted into a beautiful sunken garden, where pine trees and azaleas
alternate with stretches of green grassland. Further on, past a quiet lake, lies an
English-style rose garden, fragrant and intoxicating, leading on to a serene Japanese
garden. Last (but by no means least) is a classic Italian garden, centred around a lily
pond.
And for visitors to the Butchart Gardens, there’s more: a gift shop amply equipped
with seeds, flowerpots and other paraphernalia; and the opportunity to gorge yourself on
an absolutely unforgettable high tea at the Buchart home, a part of the gardens. Believe
us, it’s a fabulous way to fortify yourself after a tiring round of the gardens.
For more information on Vancouver, click
here.
Top
Royal
Botanical Gardens, Kew, England
| The gold standard for botanical
gardens lies a little outside London and an easy commute from the city by bus, by tube and
by car. The park we're talking about here of course is none other than the Kew Gardens of
England. Situated on the southern bank of the Thames, very close to the borough of
Richmond, the Kew is famous for the enormous academic work that it supports. Boasting a
collection that varies from the this-can-otherwise-be viewed-in-the-south Pantanal to
roadside shrubbery, the 300 acres of these gardens are a brilliant place to spend a day if
flora fascinates you. |
 |
The Kew Gardens were
formed by combining the royal estates of Kew and Richmond 200 years ago. Today they are an
amazing mix of great architectural monuments, up-to-date research work, and a site where
plants from every kind of climatic zone are nurtured, studied and displayed. The Evolution
House traces the journey of plant life on earth and includes such species as the
Cooksonia, the first plants to adapt to life on land, the earliest ferns and a host of
other such specimens, displayed in a high tech gizmo-snazz interactive environment. The
Princess of Wales Conservatory has a range of simulated climatic zones so you get to see
what grows in the Sahara under the same roof as what grows in the Amazon. Kew Gardens have
the largest herbarium in the world but it is not open to public. But what are, are the
fabulous Museum No. 1, the Marianne North Gallery where paintings by the artist of plants
from around the world are housed and the Kew Gallery. The Palm House is the focus of all
visitors; it houses an important collection of cycads, one of the most ancient plant
species on earth, which is now threatened by extinction. Below the Palm House is the
marine display at the Waterlily House. The Temperate House has a huge collection of
subtropical plants, including a specimen of the of the Chilean wine-palm, the world's
largest indoor plant.
To put it simply, the Kew Gardens is a collection that is as wide-ranging as it can get.
There's no two ways about it though, this is not a stroll-in-the-park experience but an
educative and engaging one. The gardens open for the visitor at 9:30 in the morning and
closing times depend on the season; the glasshouses and exhibitions close earlier than the
rest of the gardens. The Gardens are always closed on Christmas and New Year's Day. The
standard admission price for adults is £6.50.
For more information
on London, click here.
Top
Kirstenbosch
Gardens, Cape Town
 |
For those who like to get their facts
right, the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town, South Africa, is a reserve
of Cape flora, of the botanical type known as fynbos. The fynbos is the smallest and
richest of the world's five botanic regions, and is found only in a tiny portion of South
Africa. And it has the world's largest concentration of indigenous plant species: around
1,300 species per 10,000 sq km. |
If that's got you
interested, here's more: the fynbos consists of a total of about 7,700 species, including
proteas, pelargoniums, gladioli, iris, and more grasses than you'd imagine. And the place
to see the fynbos without having to haul on those boots and trek all over the Cape is the
magnificent Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town.
Founded in 1913, the Kirstenbosch Garden spreads out across about 8.28 sq km, on the
eastern slopes of Table Mountain, the flat-topped peak which dominates Cape Town. Of the
total area, less than a tenth is cultivated; the rest is protected forest. The Liesbeek
River and two streams wend their way through Kirstenbosch, providing much-needed water to
some 6,000 species of native fynbos plants.
Among the must-sees in Kirstenbosch are the Peninsula Garden; the Water-wise Garden (a
neat patch of greenery which needs less water than other gardens); the Fragrance Garden;
the Medicinal Garden; the Compton Herbarium, the fern-filled The Dell; the beautiful
Protea Garden, and a historic avenue of camphor and fig trees planted by the famous Cecil
Rhodes. Visitors are allowed- even encouraged- to walk along the many hiking trails which
crisscross Kirstenbosch, and guided walks are, in particular, a great way to get close to
the fynbos. If you're not quite up to so much exercise, relax a while at the local
restaurant, or buy yourself a little souvenir from the Crafts Shop. During the summer,
evening musical concerts are held in Kirstenbosch.
The Kirstenbosch Gardens are open 365 days a year, from 8 am to 7 pm (between September
and March) and from 8 am to 6 pm the rest of the year. If you're keen on seeing the
splendid proteas, which are really the stars of the show, time your visit for winter.
For more information on Cape Town, click
here.
Top
Yengo
Sculpture Gardens, Australia
 |
If you're one of the larkspur-loving,
aster-admiring gang, the Yengo Sculpture Gardens in Australia may not quite be up your
alley. Because it's not blooms and buds which hold sway here, it's bronzes and beech
trees.
Originally laid out way back in 1877, the Yengo Sculpture Gardens stretch across 20 acres
of greenery in Mount Wilson, New South Wales, Australia. |
The Yengo gardens
are divided into two sections: the original gardens, and the new gardens, the latter home
to Yengo Lake, as well as a resident flock of peacocks. A vast spread of trees - including
chestnut, giant thuja, sycamore, cedar, and more- line the paths which wend their way
through the Yengo Gardens, and flowerbeds bursting with cool bluebells, golden daffodils
and lovely hyacinths edge the walkways. Scattered across the gardens are fountains,
pavilions, ponds, even a homestead, a walled garden, a tennis court and a croquet green-
and of course, the sculptures for which the gardens are named. Crafted by the
husband-and-wife team of Lloyd le Blanc and Judith Holmes Drewry, a series of exquisite
bronze sculptures- of birds, animals and human figures- stand, sit and lie across the
gardens. They're spectacular, and there are more than 50 of them in Yengo.
The Yengo Sculpture Gardens are open every weekend from April to May and from September to
the end of November. If you really like what you see, consider staying here for a while-
the Yengo homestead is open for rental, and it's the ultimate in cosy yet elegant
accommodation; what's more, it can be rented any time of the year.
For more information on Australia, click here.
Top |
