5 Incredible Botanical Gardens that You don't want to miss
By: Troy

Butchart Gardens, British Columbia, Canada

In 1888, near his birthplace, Owen Sound, Ontario, the former dry goods merchant, Robert Pim Butchart, began manufacturing Portland cement. By the turn of the century he had become a highly successful pioneer in this burgeoning North American industry. Attracted to the West Coast of Canada by rich limestone deposits vital for cement production, he built a factory at Tod Inlet, on Vancouver Island. There, in 1904, he and his family established their home.

Each year over 1,000,000 bedding plants in some 700 varieties are used throughout the Gardens to ensure uninterrupted bloom from March through October. Close to a million people visit each year, enjoying not only the floral beauty, but the entertainment and lighting displays presented each summer and Christmas.

For more info: http://www.butchartgardens.com

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, South Africa

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden is acclaimed as one of the great botanic gardens of the world. Few gardens can match the sheer grandeur of the setting of Kirstenbosch, against the eastern slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain.

Kirstenbosch was established in 1913 to promote, conserve and display the extraordinarily rich and diverse flora of southern Africa, and was the first botanic garden in the world to be devoted to a country's indigenous flora.

Kirstenbosch displays a wide variety of the unique plant life of the Cape Flora, as well as plants from all the diverse regions of southern Africa, both outdoors and in the Botanical Society Conservatory. There are over 7000 species in cultivation at Kirstenbosch, including many rare and threatened species.

The Garden covers 36 hectares in a 528 hectare estate that contains protected mountainside supporting natural forest and fynbos along with a variety of animals and birds. Kirstenbosch lies in the heart of the Cape Floristic Region, also known as the Cape Floral Kingdom. In 2004 the Cape Floristic Region, including Kirstenbosch, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site – another first for Kirstenbosch, it is the first botanic garden in the world to be included within a natural World Heritage Site.

Learn more here: http://www.sanbi.org/frames/kirstfram.htm

Seiwa-en Japanese Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden, USA

Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is the nation's oldest botanical garden in continuous operation and a National Historic Landmark.

The Garden is a center for botanical research and science education, as well as an oasis in the city of St. Louis. The Garden offers 79 acres of beautiful horticultural display, including a 14-acre Japanese strolling garden, Henry Shaw's original 1850 estate home, and one of the world's largest collections of rare and endangered orchids.

For over 151 years, the Garden has been an oasis in the city, a place of beauty and family fun—and also a center for education, science, and conservation.

Learn more here: http://www.mobot.org/

The Botanical Garden of Curitiba, Southern Brazil

Inaugurated in 1991, it is one of the most visited places in Curitiba. Created likewise the French Gardens, it unfolds a flower carpet to the visitors, right in the entrance. The green house built with a metallic structure contains botanical species and a water spring as well. The native vegetation is mixed with walking tracks.

The Botanical Garden, managed by Gert Hatschbach attracts researchers from all over the world. It offers place to exhibitions, library and an auditorium. Behind the green house there is a permanent exhibition of Frans Kraycberg with 114 sculptures of that artist and environmentalist.

Learn more here: http://www.viaje.curitiba.pr.gov.br/pontosturisticos/jardimbotanico.html

The New Brunswick Botanical Garden, Canada

With the efforts and hard work of many devoted volunteers, the NBBG opened its doors in June 1993. A five-year agreement contract has been signed in April 2008 between these three organizations to ensure the proper functioning and long-term development of the Garden.

The annuals garden refreshes its look and beauty to welcome visitors from the moment they set foot on the site. Every plant is produced in our plant nursery and is carefully planted at the beginning of each season. Numerous flower beds symmetrically shaped and containing hundreds of plants can be discovered.

Learn more here: http://www.jardinbotaniquenb.com/en/index.php