OT: America's Most Gorgeous Gardens

[Guest guest]

Hi y'all,

 

Green Up has sprung in many places now (though our cherry trees are in

bloom its spitting snow here in Ankara) and many folks are thinking

about gardens. If you happen to be traveling around the USA below

information might be of interest to you.

 

The first one listed is the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ ..

and the list includes purely botanical gardens .. but lemme tell y'all

that there is a natural museum in Tucson, AZ that is well worth a

look-see .. the Sonora Desert Museum http://www.desertmuseum.org/

I was impressed with this one .. a description of it follows:

 

" This renowned combination zoo, natural history museum and botanical

garden reflects the diverse flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert,

featuring wildlife like coyotes, bears and mountain lions in their

natural settings and aviaries, one for hummingbirds and the other for

varied desert birds. "

 

Graham Sorenson was kind enough to take me on a tour of the Sonora

Desert Museum two years ago .. thankee sir. :-)

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

 

 

America's Most Gorgeous Gardens

 

by Rosemary Black

 

We traveled the country in search of the loveliest gardens. Here are the

ones that most deserve a visit.

 

Here's a guide to some noteworthy gardens across the country that are

definitely worth a visit if you live nearby or are traveling. You don't

need a green thumb to enjoy these oases of tranquillity. But you might

get an idea for your own yard.

 

ARIZONA

Desert Botanical Garden

Set on 145 acres, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona,

showcases more than 20,000 desert plants, some from as far away as Africa.

 

The garden's main trail features plants from all over the world, as well

as a variety of interactive exhibits. Its Plants & People of the Sonoran

Desert trail has more than 400 edible plants, many with medicinal uses.

Along the Center for Desert Living trail, you can tour a desert house

and view exhibits on landscaping, vegetable and herb gardening, and

water conservation.

 

When you're ready for a break, head to the Patio Café. There you can sit

among giant saguaro cactuses and enjoy a light lunch of Southwest

chicken Caesar salad and prickly pear iced tea. You may need that tea,

by the way, since the entire garden is outdoors, and Phoenix's summer

temperatures soar into the high double digits as the day goes on.

 

FLORIDA

Harry P. Leu Gardens

If you're in Orlando and would like to take a breather from the theme

parks, escape to the peace and tranquillity of the 50-acre Harry P. Leu

Gardens. They feature the largest camellia collection in the South, in

bloom from October through March, as well as the largest formal rose

garden in Florida.

 

You can begin at the Tropical Stream Garden, with its intoxicating array

of plant life, including bird-of-paradise flowers, banana trees, ginger

plants, tree ferns, and palms. Then wander along the brick path to the

butterfly garden, where colorful flowers -- brilliant red and orange

hibiscus -- and other plantings are set out to attract butterflies.

 

If you wish, you can meander down paths shaded by oaks and camellias to

take a guided tour of the Leu House Museum, a restored late 19th-century

house once owned by Mr. Leu, an entrepreneur who donated his home to the

city of Orlando.

 

ILLINOIS

Anderson Japanese Gardens

Through a remarkable coincidence of geography, perhaps the most tranquil

and calming garden you'll ever find is just an hour's drive from one of

the country's busiest airports, Chicago's O'Hare International. The

eight-acre Anderson Japanese Gardens, located in Rockford, Illinois, was

originally developed as the hobby of John Anderson, an industrialist who

donated it to the people of Rockford in 1998.

 

Set up like a 13th-century " pond strolling " garden, there's a path that

winds and curves around the water, which is lined with Japanese maples

and elegant cloud pines, resembling giant bonsai trees.

 

Other features include waterfalls, a teahouse, a gazebo, and quiet,

out-of-the-way corners for contemplation. If you happen to be visiting

in the spring, you'll find a profusion of azaleas, magnolias, and

rhododendrons. There's also a pleasant spot to bring a picnic lunch and

a gift shop that sells garden items and fine Japanese imports.

 

KANSAS

Botanica, The Wichita Gardens

Botanica, The Wichita Gardens features a variety of theme gardens,

including the formal Shakespeare Garden. Surrounding a bust of the Bard

of Avon are many of the flowers and herbs that were either mentioned in

his writings or popular during his lifetime.

 

Also worth seeing is the Aquatic Collection, which displays water lilies

and lotuses, and the Giant Water Platter. There you can view blossoms

that change colors daily and leaves that grow to nearly 6 feet in

diameter. Or tour the Butterfly House, a colorful, 2,800-square-foot

net-covered enclosure filled with plants that provide nectar for the

butterflies that thrive there.

 

Other highlights include a stunning rose garden, home to 45 varieties of

rose plants, and the Woodland Walk, where birds, foxes, and other

animals live in a setting of elm, mulberry, and honey locust trees.

 

MISSOURI

Botanical Garden

The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, which opened to the public

in 1859, is a National Historic Landmark and home to one of the world's

leading programs in botanical research.

 

While you're there, don't miss the Climatron conservatory, an amazing

geodesic-domed greenhouse that stretches over half an acre. It encloses

a living tropical rain forest complete with waterfalls and exotic

plants. Here you can view more than 1,100 species of plants, including

banana trees, cacao trees, coffee trees, the rare double coconut tree

(which has the largest seed in the plant kingdom), and a fabulous

collection of orchids.

 

You can also visit one of the oldest continuously operating greenhouse

conservatories in the country. There you'll find a beautiful collection

of camellias, the largest Japanese strolling garden in North America,

and an English woodland garden with quiet paths of wildflowers and

dogwoods. If you get weary of walking, there are trams offering narrated

tours of the grounds.

 

NEW YORK

The New York Botanical Garden

After you step onto the grounds of the 250-acre New York Botanical

Garden, just 14 miles from midtown Manhattan, you will quickly see why

this breathtaking garden has won numerous awards.

 

A mandatory first stop is the spectacular Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden.

Its 2,700 rose plants, in hundreds of varieties, make this a colorful

and sweet-smelling retreat indeed. While the rose garden is at its peak

in June and again in September, it's also a lovely spot to visit in

midsummer.

 

After leaving the rose garden, you can stroll along the Bronx River to

view the waterfall and relax in a 40-acre forest. Then step inside the

Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a glass building with 11 galleries. Here

you'll wander through re-created tropical rain forests, deserts of the

Americas and Africa, and an aquatic gallery of water plants.

 

PENNSYLVANIA

Longwood Gardens

One of the most impressive horticultural displays anywhere is Longwood

Gardens. Situated in Pennsylvania about 30 miles west of Philadelphia,

it was created by industrialist Pierre S. du Pont and is sometimes

referred to as the du Pont Gardens.

 

The gardens have 1,050 acres of meadows, woodlands, and spectacular

fountains, which shoot up from manicured gardens filled with seasonal

flowers. You can also visit its 20 indoor gardens and choose from as

many as 800 horticultural and performing arts events each year, such as

the chrysanthemum festival, held every fall.

 

The best way to enjoy Longwood Gardens is to walk through it slowly, so

wear comfortable shoes and plan to spend the better part of a day. The

must-see sites are the Topiary Garden -- where evergreen shrubs are

clipped into the shapes of a table and chair, as well as cones, cubes,

and spirals -- and the two rose gardens.

 

SOUTH CAROLINA

Brookgreen Gardens

About 20 minutes south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is the world's

largest outdoor figurative sculpture garden, an enchanting place called

Brookgreen Gardens.

 

Situated in the middle of a 9,100-acre nature preserve on the South

Carolina coast, Brookgreen is home to more than 550 pieces of sculpture

by American artists, plus a plant collection of about 2,000 species and

subspecies from the southeastern United States.

 

For the first-time visitor, the must-see event is its expansive Southern

garden of live oak and pine, myrtle, and gardenias.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Dumbarton Oaks Gardens

When you feel like getting away from the hectic pace of the nation's

capital, Dumbarton Oaks Gardens in Georgetown is a soothing side trip.

Although it was originally a private garden, this serene oasis, with 10

acres of formal gardens, is open to the public every afternoon.

 

Designed by the noted landscape gardener Beatrix Farrand, it

incorporates elements of traditional European gardens. You will find

nearly 1,000 roses planted in the Rose Garden, and at the Fountain

Terrace there's a huge English beech that was planted in 1800s, along

with colorful borders of seasonal flowers.

 

If you're there in late September, make sure to see the chrysanthemums,

and in mid-March through April, enjoy the cherry trees, azaleas,

dogwood, lilacs, and forsythia, which will be in full bloom.

 

Copyright 2005 The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.