Plant Gardens 101

An organization formed in 1989 for the primary purpose of preserving exceptional American gardens by facilitating their transfer from private to independent, nonprofit, public ownership and management.

Located in Madison, a leader in the field of restoration ecology, containing the world’s oldest restored tall-grass prairie. Its 1,270-acre site is connected by 20 miles of trails and fire lanes and also includes a deciduous oak forest, a conifer forest, and wetlands as well as more-traditional arboretum collections.

A 950-acre arboretum in Newark, Ohio, featuring more than 2,000 kinds of woody plants, including major collections of crab apples, pines, maples, oaks, hollies, and rhododendrons.

A vast, beautifully landscaped park in Pine Mountain, Georgia, with outstanding collections of native and exotic azaleas, hollies, and magnolias, plus seasonal displays and greenhouses, including a special greenhouse designed as a butterfly garden, complete with countless live butterflies.

A Lisle, Illinois, institution that features more than 3,000 native and imported shrubs, vines, and trees that will grow in the Midwest.

An institution founded in 1890 by the university’s Botany Department. Its outstanding collections include cacti and succulents, orchids, rhododendrons, and California native plants.

A government arboretum situated on 444 acres along the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. It contains many noteworthy single-genus collections, including 700 species and cultivars of hollies, 500 kinds of crab apples, and 70,000 azalea plants. The 2-acre National Herb Garden features a knot garden and a historic rose garden.

For many gardeners in the U.S. the winter is a down time because the ground is frozen and covered with snow. A popular alternative is for garden and gardening lovers is to take a midwinter trip to the world’s most famous gardens. This article will take you to some of most famous gardens in the world.

The first stop on the itinerary is the Far East. Japan has long been famous for its Zen or “Japanese Style” gardens. These gardens feature carved stone lanterns that are hundreds of years old, along with stones and plants arranged to maximize the Zen of the garden. Most gardens in Japan can be found near Buddhist temples often surrounding them or leading up to the Temples from the busy streets. Kenroku-en, Kairaku-en and Koraku-en are the three great gardens of Japan. Kenroku-en located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, is an old private garden developed from the 1620s to 1840s. It is open year-round during daylight hours and famous for its beauty in all seasons; an admission fee is charged. The garden is located outside the gates of Kanazawa Castle where it originally formed the outer garden, and covers over 25 acres. The garden is home to the oldest fountain in Japan and is lovely to visit in the winter. (more…)