Gardens of the Globe – Botanical Gardens Part III

This is the fifth installment in my Gardens of the Globe series. Here are the links if you missed the previous posts:

Gardens of the Globe

Gardens of the Globe – Japanese Gardens

Gardens of the Globe – Botanical Gardens Part I

Gardens of the Globe – Botanical Gardens Part II

1. Butchart Gardens Brentwood Bay, BC, Canada

In the early 1900s when Jennie Butchart looked at her backyard, she saw an abandoned limestone quarry, but she envisioned a beautiful garden in its place. It took close to ten years to create her garden which included hauling massive amounts of soil to the area by horse-drawn carts. The end result is absolutely amazing with over 55 acres (22 hectares) of fountains, ponds, streams, and over 900 varieties of plants. It has the distinction of being a National Historic Site of Canada. We visited in the spring over twenty years ago, and all of my photos are packed away in storage, however, the internet is always obliging. There is a small entry fee to visit the garden.

2. Jardin Botanique de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France

This exquisite garden dates back to 1629 and was originally a medicinal garden. The current garden originated in 1858 and has more than 3,000 varieties of plants. This 1.2 acre (0.5 hectare) garden is beautiful even in the dead of winter. Admission is free.

3. Jardine de la Perrine Laval, France

Nestled in the hills above the Mayenne River, this 11 acre (4.4 hectare) garden is only about one hour from our home in Normandie and dates back to 1920. In addition to the traditional French garden, it also contains an English rose garden, and several dozen varieties of camellias. It also contains animals and a children’s playground. Admission is free.

4. Jardin Botanique de Paris, Paris, France

This amazingly beautiful 185 acre (74 hectare) garden is located in the 12th arrondissement. There is so much to see and do here including over 15,000 varieties of plants; wow! There are fountains, sculptures, ponds, a bamboo forest, animals, greenhouses, a bonsai exhibit, and much more. This young garden was created in 1995 and offers research programs on climate change. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated.

There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments. Janet Kilburn Phillips

I hope you enjoyed looking at these lovely gardens. As always, I would love to hear from you so please leave a comment if you’d like.

All the best,

Tricia