Now that the trees are starting to blossom across the Southern US, it reminds me of all the spectacular gardens there are to visit.  

Here’s my top ten list of favorite gardens:

1. Butchart Gardens (Victoria, B.C.)
What started out as a limestone quarry and cement factory has turned into one of the most beautiful gardens in the world…more

2. New York Botanical Gardens (New York City) 
Located in the Bronx with over 250 acres and 27 gardens, the New York Botanical Gardens is one of the largest botanical gardens in the world. web site

3. Huntington Library and Gardens  (Los Angeles)
Known for its important collection of rare books, arts and botanical gardens, the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens is definitely worth a visit when in Los Angeles…more

4. Kew Gardens (London)
The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew have 300 acres of public gardens as well as the renowned Millennium Seed Bank.  web site

5. Callaway Gardens (Pine Mountain, GA)
Just 1 hour southwest of Atlanta, Callaway Gardens is a 13,000 acre resort and is the first-place winner for 11 consecutive years of Southern Living Reader’s Choice Award for Best Public Garden. web site

6. Biltmore Estate (Asheville, NC) 
The Biltmore Estate, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, is one of America’s great estates. The mansion, which is the largest private residence in America, has 250 rooms and covers 8,000 acres… more

7. Magnolia Plantation (near Charleston, SC)
Created in 1676, Magnolia Plantation is known as the oldest major public garden in the country. The 500 acre plantation has been owned by the Drayton family for over 300 years… more

8. Skagit Valley Tulips (near Seattle, WA) 
One of the most spectacular floral displays in the country occurs in Skagit Valley in April.  Every year over 1,200 acres of bulbs are planted which reach their peak bloom in April… more

9. Filoli (San Francisco) 
Located 30 miles south of San Francisco, Filoli is recognized as one of the finest remaining country estates of the early 20th century… more

10. The Flower Fields (Carlsbad, CA)
Located in Carlsbad, the Flower Fields have been a favorite spring-time stop of flower lovers for decades… more

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 8th, 2007 at 4:37 am and is filed under Culture, East Coast, Events, West Coast. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.