September 25, 2012
We all have a wish list of gardens to visit, right? Mine is getting longer every day! I try to make time for a garden visit whenever I travel, and at least once a year I travel expressly to visit gardens. Here are public gardens, plus private gardens frequently open to the public, that I have toured. Click the links for your armchair traveling pleasure, or use these posts to help you make your own must-see list.
Desert Botanical Garden
ARIZONA
Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix
Scottsdale Xeriscape Garden at Chaparral Park, Scottsdale
Tucson Botanical Gardens
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
CALIFORNIA
Cornerstone Sonoma, Sonoma
Filoli, Woodside (near San Francisco)
The Huntington Gardens, San Marino (near Los Angeles)
Lotusland, Santa Barbara
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Ft. Bragg
The Ruth Bancroft Garden, Walnut Creek (near San Francisco)
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
The Gardens on Spring Creek
COLORADO
Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, Vail
Denver Botanic Gardens
The Gardens on Spring Creek, Fort Collins
Winterthur
DELAWARE
Delaware Botanic Gardens, Dagsboro
Winterthur Garden, Wilmington
Naples Botanical Garden
FLORIDA
McKee Botanical Garden, Vero Beach
Naples Botanical Garden
Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool
ILLINOIS
Chicago Botanic Garden
Lurie Garden, Chicago
Audubon Park
LOUISIANA
Audubon Park, New Orleans
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
MINNESOTA
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska (near Minneapolis)
Bedrock Gardens
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Bedrock Gardens, Lee
Santa Fe Botanical Garden
NEW MEXICO
Santa Fe Botanical Garden
Wave Hill
NEW YORK
The High Line, New York City
Innisfree, Millbrook
LongHouse Reserve, East Hampton
Madoo, Sagaponack
New York Botanical Garden, New York City
Wave Hill, New York City
Biltmore House Gardens
NORTH CAROLINA
Biltmore House Gardens, Asheville
Juniper Level Botanic Garden, Raleigh
The North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville
Portland Japanese Garden
OREGON
Lan Su Chinese Garden, Portland
Portland Japanese Garden
Chanticleer
PENNSYLVANIA
Chanticleer Garden, Wayne
Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square
Paxson Hill Farm Gardens, New Hope
Stoneleigh, Villanova
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
TEXAS
Bayou Bend, Houston
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center Botanical Garden, Fort Davis
Dallas Arboretum
Fort Worth Botanic Garden
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Houston Botanic Garden
International Waterlily Collection, San Angelo
Japanese Tea Garden, San Antonio
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin
Explore Fortlandia at the Wildflower Center, October 2018
Flowering trees and Athena the owl at the Wildflower Center, March 2018
Bluebonnets, buckeyes, and more in bloom at Wildflower Center gardens, March 2018
Spring stroll at the Wildflower Center, February 2017
Bugs and butterflies at the Wildflower Center, part 2, October 2016
Early autumn color at the Wildflower Center, part 1, October 2016
Need shade? Read my article about native vines in Wildflower, July 2016
Coneflower frenzy at Wildflower Center, June 2016
Wildflower season, owlets, and native plant sale at Wildflower Center, April 2016
Berry-eating birds flock to the Wildflower Center, February 2016
Bluebonnets already a-blue-m at the Wildflower Center, February 2016
Decked and swinging at the Wildflower Center, December 2015
Meadows abloom and a swingin’ arboretum at the Wildflower Center, April 2015
A blooming good time at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, April 2015
Birds and blooms at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, April 2015
Gorgeous weeds and walls at the Wildflower Center, March 2015
Wildflower Center aglow with the spirit of the season, December 2014
Coneflower and tower power at the Wildflower Center, June 2014
Nature Nights introduces kids to the Wildflower Center’s new Family Garden, June 2014
Wildflowers and more in bloom at the Wildflower Center, April 2014
Great horned owls on the nest at the Wildflower Center, April 2014
Interview with Luci Baines Johnson about Wildflower Center’s new Family Garden, March 2014
Winter berries, ghostly agaves, and early spring flowers at the Wildflower Center, March 2014
Blazing Indian blanket and more at the Wildflower Center, Part 3, April 2013
Bonny bluebonnets and more at the Wildflower Center, Part 2, April 2013
Blossoming spring morning at the Wildflower Center, Part 1, April 2013
Redbuds in bloom and Lawn Gone! at the Wildflower Center, March 2013
Winter into spring at the Wildflower Center, February 2013
Thankful for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center & Native Plants, November 2011
Rockin’ Demonstration Gardens at the Wildflower Center, November 2011
Children’s Garden & Edible Garden at Wildflower Center, November 2011
Great horned owl chicks growing up fast, May 2011
Great Horned Owlets Nesting at Wildflower Center, April 2011
Going to Extremes at the Wildflower Center, April 2011
Camera Practice at the Wildflower Center, September 2010
This Place I Love So Much, May 2010
Fascinating Faces at the Wildflower Center, May 2010
Stock Tank Planters Gone Wild!, May 2010
Sculpture Show Enlivens Wildflower Center in Winter, February 2010
Winter Trees at the Wildflower Center, February 2010
Garden Structure at the Wildflower Center, February 2010
Agave Love at Austin’s Wildflower Center, February 2010
Wildflower Center Blooming After the Rain, September 2009
Wildflower Center & Jill Nokes book-signing, December 2007
Winter Wonderland at the Wildflower Center, December 2006
Goblins in the Garden at the Wildflower Center, October 2006
Mercer Botanic Gardens, Humble
Native Texas Park, Dallas
Quinta Mazatlan, McAllen
Rollingwood City Hall Waterwise Garden, Austin
San Antonio Botanical Garden
Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center, Orange
Zilker Botanical Garden, Austin
Bloedel Reserve
WASHINGTON
Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island
Seattle Japanese Garden
Hillwood Estate and Gardens
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Hillwood Estate and Gardens
Smithsonian Gardens, National Mall
U.S. Botanic Garden
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
WISCONSIN
Allen Centennial Garden, Madison
Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Madison
Toronto Botanical Garden
CANADA
Toronto Botanical Garden, Toronto, Ontario
Sissinghurst
ENGLAND
Barnsley House, Rosemary Verey’s garden, Barnsley
Great Dixter, Sussex
Kew Gardens, London
Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent
Monet’s Garden
FRANCE
Château d’Ambleville, Val-d’Oise
Jardin botanique du Parc de la Tête d’Or, Lyon
Monet’s Garden, Giverny
Bosque de Chapultepec Jardín Botánico
MEXICO
Bosque de Chapultepec Jardín Botánico, Mexico City