Travel

10 GREAT FLOWER GARDENS TO VISIT NOW

Courtesy of the Swelle Life. Craigside Garden.

We love to visit special gardens at least a few times a year. They are such inspiration for so many things, gardening and beyond. Here are some of the most beautiful ones we are enjoying right now.

1. GORGEOUS GARDENS OF CRAGSIDE

Cragside, a country home, found in Northumberland, England, is most famous for belonging to Lord Armstrong, but the wild 4km² forest garden found surrounding the house should really be crowned the main attraction.

Scattered along a rocky hillside terrain, the gardens of Cragside are majestic. Their intense shades of green are complemented by striking hues of purples, reds, and pinks. There is a sandstone rock garden that is said to be Europe's largest.

2. L’HAY-LES-ROSES, PARIS

L'Haÿ-les-Roses, a commune in the southern suburbs of France, got its name in honor of Roseraie du Val-de-Marne, the renowned rose garden. Not only does the garden stun local visitors and tourist with its beauty, but more pungently - with the almost-overwhelmingly sweet smell of roses.

3. THE ROYAL NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY

Founded in 1876 near St. Albans in England, the Royal National Rose Society is dedicated entirely to the appreciation of roses. Queen Alexandra loved and patronized these gardens as have royals ever since.

Calling all rose gardeners, professionals and amateurs alike, from all around the world, this Rose Society is a cultivator of everything rose, with over 2,500 different rose cultivars and over 15,000 rose bushes.

4. THE FOUR SEASONS GARDEN

It is hard to believe that this is a home garden. We first thought it was part of the luxury hotel chain’s property. But -- it is home grown, by self-taught gardeners Marie and Tony Newton, in a suburb of Walsall West of England.

The Four Seasons Garden has been coined one of the most beautiful home gardens in the world. Containing over 3,000 plants in a small 9,900ft² space, the garden boasts more colors than most kaleidoscopes, for all four seasons.

5. KEUKENHOF GARDENS

The Keukenhof Gardens of the Netherlands, just outside Amsterdam, is the world’s largest flower garden, brimming with over 7 million planted flowers -- mainly tulips.

Only open for three months of the year between March and May, the gardens are redesigned every year.

6. KENSINGTON GARDENS

Kensington Gardens, originally the private gardens of Kensington Palace, is part of the Royal Parks system. It covers 242 acres in Central London.

The graceful avenues and architecture here formed the setting for J.M.Barrie’s Peter Pan of Kensington Gardens, a prequel to Neverland.

The beautiful Sunken garden, planted in 1908, is terraced with paving and ornamental flower beds, surrounding a pond with fountains formed from 18th-century water cisterns retrieved from the palace.

Seasonal flower displays rotate color from April to October.

Queen Caroline laid out the Broad Walk and round pond. She also created the Serpentine boating lake and fishing temple. The Serpentine Gallery is one of the finest art gallery exhibition spaces in the world.

7. DUBAI MIRACLE GARDEN

Featuring over 45 million beautiful flowers, over a 72,000-square meter site, Dubai’s Miracle Garden is one of the largest natural flower gardens in the world.

Impressively maintained in such a dry, desert region near the Arabian Ranches, Dubai Miracle Garden contains not only traditional flower beds, but also topiary-style displays of all shapes and forms that are imaginable! Established by the landscaping company Akar.

9. ASTICOU AZALEA GARDENS, MOUNT DESERT LAND AND GARDEN PRESERVE

The Asticou Azalea Gardens of the Mount Desert Land and Garden Preserve, in Maine, are beautiful no matter what season. Quiet, slightly difficult to find, and amazingly maintained, this garden is the definition of tranquility.

With different flowers, shrubs, and trees at each and every bend - the garden is a never-ending adventure. For first timers, the weeping hemlock just north of the Main Bridge and the pink shell Azalea scattered throughout the grounds is a must-see!

10. VILLA D’ESTE, TIVOLI

Each time I’ve had the unbelievable pleasure of visiting the gardens at the Villa d’Este, in Tivoli, Italy (just 30km out of Rome), I’m amazed that I am astonished. The first time, sure. Who wouldn’t be blown away by its voluptuous ornate treatments of terraced landscapes dropping down to the majestic Lago di Como.

Yet with every visit, there is another layer, a richer patina. Here, you will experience one of the finest and most classic examples of Renaissance garden architecture and design. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Brimming with fountains, sculptures, grottoes, music and countless other magical water features - this garden evokes feelings of wonder and excitement.

Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Flowers in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 07.13.14. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!

PHOTO CREDITS:

Photo: Courtesy of the Swelle Life. Craigside Garden.
Photo: by Darren Manda. Craigside.
Photo: Courtesy of French Beauty Mark. L'Hay-les-Roses Paris.
Photo: by ukgardenphotos. Royal National Rose Society Gardens - formerly ‘The Gardens of the Rose’, Hertfordshire, UK | Rose covered pergolas.
Photo: by ukgardenphotos. Royal National Rose Society Gardens - The Gardens of the Rose, Hertfordshire, UK | Garden seat surrounded by roses.
Photo: Courtesy of the Four Seasons Garden. The Four Seasons Garden.
Photo: Courtesy of the Four Seasons Garden. The Four Seasons Garden.
Photo: Courtesy of Rowdy Fairy. Keukenhof Gardens Flowers.
Photo: Courtesy of Wayn. Keukenhof Gardens, Netherlands.
Photo: by Gengish Skan. Kensington Garden.
Photo: Courtesy of Traveling Z. Kensington Gardens.
Photo: Courtesy of Travel Papa Blog. Dubai Miracle Garden.
Photo: Courtesy of Dubai Miracle Garden. Dubai Miracle Garden.
Photo: by Lee Coursey. Asticou Azalea Gardens.
Photo: Courtesy of Villa d’Este. Villa d’Este, Italy.
Photo: Courtesy of the Lux Traveller. Villa D’Este.
Photo: Courtesy of Gardenista. Roses.