Destination: Botanical Wonderlands

Singapore Botanic Gardens - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Our Favorite Botanical Destinations

Humans have a long-standing relationship of coevolution, symbiosis and interdependence when it comes to plant life. In fact, gardening and plant cultivation were first established around 3,000 years ago, and the first known botanical garden was created in 1543 at the University of Pisa, Italy. Since then, botanical, medicinal and scientific gardens, both public and private, have been created and maintained all over the world offering opportunities for education, engagement and reconnection with nature. 

Today, we’re travelling to some of the most beautiful gardens and green spaces with an adventurous spirit and a renewed sense of awe for that rare and wonderful world: the botanical.

Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in Cape Town, South Africa

Preservation and Plant Wisdom

A gorgeous sprawl of flora and endangered plants (one of the world’s most biodiverse) and an international conservation leader - the Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden is located in Cape Town, South Africa. While many traditional botanical gardens boast verdant species that are non-local (and unsustainable when removed from native climates,) Kistenbosch is acclaimed for its cultivation of rare plants, its commitment to biodiversity, and a spectacular setting against Cape Town’s majestic Table Mountain. 

Another trailblazer in the preservation of ancient cultivation methods is the Singapore Botanical Gardens. This stunning tropical site is over 160 years old, and includes a preserved section of ancient, pre-city rainforest, and a special area dedicated to ethnobotany, offering visitors a chance to explore plants in relation to local medicine and folklore.

Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco, USA

Creativity, and Urban “Greening”

Parisian Promenade Plantee (or the Coulée Verte/“Green Stream” is an urban paradise known as “the world’s first elevated park,” which transformed an abandoned rail line and viaduct into a public green space. Like a verdant ribbon through Paris’ 12th arrondissement, it has inspired other cities to transform old unused areas into urban access points for leisure or education, like NYC’s The High Line. This elevated greenway is a 1.5 mile-long stretch of former NYC Railroad on Manhattan’s West Side. Rescued from demolition, it’s a sustainable oasis featuring over 500 species of trees, plants and flora, and hosts a variety of cultural events throughout the year.

Osaka’s Namba Parkis another beautiful example of form, function and urban “greening.” Built directly into an old baseball stadium, it spans several city blocks, and is a veritable urban paradise that overflows with lush plants, rock gardens, and yes, both a waterfall and vegetable garden. Just across the Pacific Ocean and no less spectacular, is Portland, Oregon’s International Rose Test Garden. This lovely, terraced urban park offers panoramic views of The Rose City, the river that snakes through it, and on a clear day, majestic Mt. Hood. The garden also abuts Hoyt Arboretum, so visitors can seek solace in the awe-inspiring groves of old-growth trees there, or enjoy an afternoon in the beautiful Japanese Tea Garden next door.

Jardim Botânico, Rio de Janiero, Brazil

Epic and Immersive Experiences

Jewel-toned hues of sapphire, amber and turquoise are the perfect compliment to the impeccably designed, lavish Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech, Morocco. This iconic destination showcases a gorgeous blend of French cubism and Moroccan architecture, and boasts an extraordinary collection of rare cacti, birds and all the lush greenery that one scorching, North African city can muster. 

Another place to feed a wild and adventurous spirit is in Arizona’s Desert Botanical Garden. Created with the unique plant life of the Sonoran Desert in mind, these gardens feature the world’s largest outdoor desert plant collection with truly glorious cacti, wildflowers, succulents and local wildlife. Go west, and the San Francisco Botanical Garden, housed in famed Golden Gate Park offers an unparalleled urban experience. These gardens host over 8,000 plant species from all across the globe, and, in true San Franciscan fashion, there is a garden entirely devoted to “moon gazing”, as well as one dedicated to some of the world’s most fragrant flora. 

Wilder and more wonderful still? The Jardim Botânico is an urban rainforest nestled at the foot of the Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janiero, Brazil - a lush, immersive experience into the local flora and fauna, complete with carnivorous plants, monkeys and over 140 exotic bird species. Over sixty percent of this botanical space is uncultivated, populated solely by naturally-occurring vegetation, so this urban forest is a shining example of sustainability as well!

Portland, Oregon’s International Rose Test Garden

Whether you’re indulging in post-vaccine travel, exploring what’s growing in your local area, or just engaging in some virtual wanderlusting via the internet, may these exotic places and urban places ground, inspire, enliven and deepen your connection to both everyday landscapes and the natural world beyond. 

Cheers!