Botanical Gardens

Spring is the perfect time to visit a Botanical garden- their flowers are in full bloom and many offer special programs and exhibits this time of year.

by HSM Staff

The following list will provide you with a link to the garden's web site, address, phone number, and a general description of the garden. Visit the gardens' respective web site for detailed information regarding current events, exhibits, garden maps, and much more. Note: this is a mere sampling of the many gardens located throughout North America. Do an online search to find one close to home or vacation destination.

ATLANTA BOTANICAL GARDEN
Located adjacent to Atlanta's historic Piedmont park, the Atlanta Botanical Garden sits on a 20 acre site. The Garden contains several different landscapes to display a variety of plants: Japanese garden and the rose garden, two woodland areas, and a children's garden that features whimsical sculptures, fountains, and interpretive exhibits on botany, ecology, and nutrition. The Gardens are also home to 16,000 square foot Fuqua Conservatory that contains indoor exhibits of plants from tropical rainforests and deserts; the rain forest room of the Fuqua Conservatory is also populated by tropical birds, turtles, and several exhibits of poison dart frogs. The Fuqua Orchid center, located next to the conservatory, is used to house rare orchids from around the world.

ADDRESS: 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE Atlanta, GA 30309
TELEPHONE: 404-876-5859
OPERATING TIMES: Open Tuesday thru Sunday
April - October: 9AM to 7PM
November - March: 9AM to 5PM
Closed Mondays except Monday holidays such as Labor Day and Memorial Day.

CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN
The Chicago Botanic Garden is a 385-acre living plant museum situated on nine islands featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, it is one of the most visited botanical gardens in the country. In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.

ADDRESS: 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Illinois 60022
TELEPHONE: 847-835-5440
OPERATING TIMES:
April 1 - June 6: 8AM to sunset
June 7 - September 1: 7AM to 9AM

DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN
One of the top ranked botanical gardens in the country, the Denver Botanic Gardens is a 23-acre public botanical garden located in Denver's Cheesman Park neighborhood. The park contains a conservatory, a variety of theme gardens and a sunken amphitheater, which hosts various concerts in the summer. Three other sites are also included as part of the Denver Botanic Gardens: Chatfield (a nature preserve located along the Deer River), Mount Goliath (a "natural garden" located on a mountain peak section of the Mount Evans area) and Centennial (an intricate garden located on five acres just off 15th and Little Raven "made up of plants in a classic formal design with a Colorado twist").

ADDRESS: 1005 York St. Denver, CO 80206
TELEPHONE: 720-865-3500
OPERATING TIMES:
Now - May 11, 2008: 9AM to 5PM daily
May 12 - September 14, 2008: Saturday thru Tuesday - 9 am to 8 pm; Wednesday - Friday: 9AM to 5PM

RIO GRANDE BOTANIC GARDEN
The Rio Grande Botanic Garden includes 20 acres of gardens and a 10,000 square foot conservatory. It is located beside the Rio Grande and what is said to be the largest cottonwood gallery forest in the world. The Garden's conservatory contains native and exotic plants from desert and Mediterranean climates. The outdoor gardens place an emphasis on desert plants. Other exhibits include a seasonal butterfly conservatory, an early 20th-century Farm with a farm house and living farm animals, a model "Garden" railroad, and a children's fantasy garden. In 2007, a Japanese garden was added as well, and the Garden has plans to expand the Japanese section in the near future.

ADDRESS: 2601 Central Ave. NW Albuquerque, NM 87104
TELEPHONE: 505-768-2000
OPERATING TIMES:
September 4, 2007 - May 25, 2008: 9AM to 5PM daily
May 25-September 2, 2008: 9AM to 5PM weekdays; 9AM to 6PM weekends and Labor Day

ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS
The 980 hectares of nature sanctuaries owned by Royal Botanical Gardens is considered the plant biodiversity hotspot for Canada, including a very high proportion of the wild plants of Canada in one area, as well as being an Important Bird Area recognized by Bird Studies Canada. More than 1,100 species of plants grow within its boundaries including Few-Flowered Club Rush (Trichophorum planifolium) which is found nowhere else in Canada, and the largest remaining population of Canada's most endangered tree Red Mulberry (Morus rubra). Both of these plants are listed as Endangered in Canada under the Species at Risk Act.

ADDRESS: 680 Plains Road West Hamilton/Burlington, Ontario Canada L7T 4H4
TELEPHONE: 905-527-1158
OPERATING TIMES:
RBG Centre: year-round, daily, 10AM to dusk, with the exception of December 25 and January 1 when the Centre is closed.
All Outdoor Gardens: seasonal, daily, 10AM to dusk
Mediterranean Garden: year-round, 10AM to 5PM

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BOTANICAL GARDEN

The University of California Botanical Garden is one of the oldest and largest botanical gardens. Located on the University of California, Berkeley campus, the 34 acre garden is in the campus's Strawberry Canyon overlooking the San Francisco Bay. It is home to one of the most diverse plant collections in the United States, and famous for its large number of rare and endangered species.

ADDRESS: 200 Centennial Dr, Berkeley, CA 94720
TELEPHONE: 510-643-2755
OPERATING TIMES:
Daily: 9AM to 5PM
Mather Redwood Grove and Greenhouses close at 4PM daily
Closed: First Tuesday of every month, Thanksgiving Day, December 24th and 25th, December 31st and January 1st, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Glossary of Terms

annual- A plant that completes its life cycle in one year or season.

arboretum- A landscaped space where trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants are cultivated for scientific study.

botanical- Of or relating to plants or botany.

botanical garden- A place where a wide variety of plants are cultivated for scientific, educational, and ornamental purposes.

conservatory- A structure or room made primarily of glass and used for the cultivation of tender and exotic plants. A formal term for a greenhouse.

cultivar- A cultivated variety of a plant selected for some feature that distinguishes it from the species from which it was selected.

fragrance garden- A garden consisting of flowering plants and herbs noted for pleasant odors. Often used in recreational / educational areas for the visually impaired.

heirloom- Plants that were in cultivated in the past.

herbaceous- Having little or no woody tissue. Most plants grown as perennials or annuals are herbaceous.

herbarium- An organized, cataloged collection of plant specimens.

horticulture- The cultivation of plants.

hybrid- A plant or group of plants that results from the interbreeding of two distinct cultivars, varieties, species, or genera.

hydroponics- The growing of plants, especially vegetables, in water containing essential mineral nutrients rather than in soil.

microclimate- Controlling the climate within a small area to mimic a plant's native environment.

perennial- Persisting for several years, usually dying back to a perennial crown during the winter and initiating new growth each spring.

population- Plants of a species growing in a particular place at a particular time.

propagate- To produce new plants.

taxonomy- The study of the general principles of scientific classification, especially the orderly classification of plants and animals according to their presumed natural relationships.

THE UNITED STATES BOTANICAL GARDEN

The United States Botanical garden is "nestled in the heart of Capitol Hill and nearly as old as Washington, D.C., itself."

The USBG property consists of three locations.

(1) The Garden Conservatory consists of 10 "rooms" and two courtyards: the Garden Court, Rare and Endangered Plants, Plant Exploration, the Orchid House, Medicinal Plants, the Desert, the Oasis, the Garden Primeval, Plant Adaptation and the Jungle, and the Children's Garden and Meditation Garden (Southern Exposure) Courtyards. Each of these rooms highlights the uniqueness of plants in some way, or teaches about the goals of the USBG. The largest room is the Jungle, which also has a 2nd story catwalk, so that the jungle canopy may be observed from both below and above.

(2) Bartholdi Park was constructed to provide inspiration and ideas for home gardeners who visit it. It displays a variety of small structured and non-structured gardens, and infuses color, shape, and planting themes. One section of the garden is certified as a National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat.

(3) The production facility in SW DC, used for growing and storing plants for propagation, for the maintenance of the collection, or for display in upcoming annual shows.

ADDRESS: 100 Maryland Ave. SW Washington, DC 20024
TELEPHONE: 202-225-8333
OPERATING TIMES:
Daily: 9AM to 5PM
The Conservatory is open 10 am - 5 pm everyday, including weekends and holidays. The new National Garden, located immediately west of the Conservatory, will be open 10 am - 7 pm, June 1 - September 30, 2007. After September 30, the National Garden will close at 5 pm.

Which Botanical Garden is the Oldest?
The Orto Botanico di Padova is the world's oldest academic botanical garden that is still in its original location. (Officially, the oldest university botanical garden is the Orto botanico di Pisa, which was founded in 1544; however, that garden was relocated twice and has only occupied its current, and now-permanent, location since 1591.) It is located in Padua, Italy and was founded in 1545. The garden, affiliated with the University of Padua, currently covers roughly 22,000 square meters, and is known for its special collections and historical design. -Wikipedia.org