Glorious Gardens of the World

Anyone who takes pride in their garden, however large or small, knows it takes dedication, hard work and a bit of luck to create a scene of beauty. Here we take a look at some of the most breath-taking gardens on our planet

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Cape Town, South Africa

Often described as the most beautiful garden in Africa, Kirstenbosch is situated on the slopes of Table Mountain. Established to promote and conserve the indigenous flora of southern Africa, it contains more than 7,000 different plants and includes a fragrance garden, a medicinal garden and more.

Madeira Botanical Garden

Funchel, Madeira

Often described as ‘the garden island’, Madeira is a lush and fertile land. At the Madeira Botanical Garden, more than 2,000 exotic plants vie for your attention, with everything from rare orchids to palms, ferns and cacti on display.

Peradeniyia Royal Botanical Gardens

Sri Lanka

Once upon a time, you had to be a member of royalty to admire the largest botanical gardens in Sri Lanka. Today, everyone’s invited in to see highlights including an avenue of royal palms, a Burma bamboo which can grow to 40 metres high, and a giant Javan fig tree.

Himeji Castle Gardens

Japan

Constructed relatively recently in 1992, this Japanese-style garden features nine separate walled areas, including a bamboo garden and a flower garden. There’s even a tea garden where you can enjoy a cup of refreshing green tea.

Claude Monet Gardens

Giverny, France

Claude Monet once said ‘my garden is my most beautiful masterpiece’ and you can admire it in the pretty riverside village of Giverny. Monet settled here in 1883, and as you wander around his garden you’ll see the famous Japanese bridge, water lilies, wisteria and weeping willows captured in so many of his works.

Villa Melzi Gardens

Bellagio, Italy

The gardens of the elegant 19th century Villa Melzi are planted with exotic trees, azaleas and rhododendrons, interspersed with sculptures and statues. There’s also a beautiful Japanese- style pond surrounded by Japanese maple and cedar trees.

Butchart Gardens

Victoria, Canada

This incredible floral garden was created more than a century ago, when Jennie Butchart turned an abandoned quarry into what is now the Sunken Garden – a dramatic display of flowering trees, annual plants and shrubs. Further gardens were added over the years, and today they remain under the ownership of the Butchart family.