Our garden of serviced cities has been growing! So forget the Polar Vortex. The sun is coming out, the days are getting longer, and that green thumb of yours is getting a little itchy. Why not head for some of the most beautiful gardens in the country? GOAirport Shuttle makes it easy. With fast convenient service to and from airports all across the nation, you’ll have quick access to some of the finest garden greenery in the country. After that dull, drab Winter, let’s get growing!
The Pacific Northwest
Warm ocean breezes make for some great garden weather in Washington and Oregon. You can see plant life there that may not exist anywhere else.
You’ll have to wait a while for the official Portland Botanic Garden to get going; they’re just starting out. In the meantime, you’ll find plenty to learn and see at the Portland Japanese Garden. It’s billed as a living “classroom,” so you can immerse yourself in Japanese culture as well as bonsai plants.
The Spring season is just perfect for the International Rose Test Garden, also in Portland. Get ready for over 10,000 individual rose bushes arranged throughout a stepped garden display representing over 600 different varieties. There’s also the Lan Su Chinese Garden for tea and scenery not far away.
You could spend a few days at least just touring around Seattle gazing at gardens of all sorts, but the Bellevue Botanical Garden presents a slightly different take: it’s planned to be an “urban” garden experience. Covering over 50 acres, it encompasses many separate gardens showcasing different environments, from restored woodlands to natural wetlands.
Speaking of wetlands, you won’t be too far from an actual rain forest located in nearby Olympic National Park.
The Southwest
Head straight for Arizona if you’re looking for a good dose of desert flora. There’s the DBG, Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, which has a huge orchid show starting in mid March, in addition to its desert-themed plantings. Plan ahead, and you’ll be able to catch weekly music concerts through May.
Not to be outdone, the Tucson Botanical Garden promises to be an “urban oasis” for your thoughts. But for something completely different, check out the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum on the west side of town. On top of the classic Sonoran cactus, you’ll find artwork, classes, a zoo and an aquarium, all in one place. Who could top that?
Don’t forget about Texas. Both Houston and Dallas have very delightful botanic gardens. The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden offers a “Bloom Tracker,” so you can plan your visit according to what flowers you’d like to see. The Fort Worth Botanical Garden has an entire research facility associated with the garden you can explore. But for something unusual, save some time for the Lady Bird Wildflower Center near Austin, for a range of colorful ideas you could bring into your own garden, thanks to the lifelong love and hobby of Lady Bird Johnson, wife of the former president.
The Northeast
Shifting coasts, the Northeast is no slouch. You’d expect New York City to do things in a big way, and the NYBG, the New York Botanical Garden, offers rotating plant shows, like orchids (currently displayed under a theme of “Mexican Modernism”), along with plant education and special events. A nice alternative would be the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which offers a “Chase Away Your Winter Blues Tour” as well their large display of Cherry Blossoms.
But one of the premier gardens in America is just outside Philadelphia, the Longwood Gardens. Their “Winter Wonders” runs through March 25. There’s something new on the schedule every month, and the property itself is huge. Plant research is a specialty. However, the grandaddy of American botanic gardens is right in Philadelphia, the Bartram’s Garden, which was the first one in the country, dating back to the 1700s.
If you happen to be in Washington, D.C. for the annual Cherry Festival, you could also spend a delightful few hours at the official United States Botanic Garden for both an inside and outside exploration of American flora. See how your tax dollars are put to use…beautifully.
The Great Middle
Who says you need coastal weather to help good gardens grow? The key thing to consider is the climate zone, and you’ll find Cleveland, Chicago, St. Louis and Denver all in the same general climate range. The Cleveland Botanical Garden offers 10 acres of quiet solitude in the middle of University Circle with a year-round glasshouse featuring plants from Costa Rica.
The Chicago Botanic Garden is spread out over 385 acres, dotted with placid ponds and islands (a tram ride covers it all). There’s a rose garden, a classic English-walled garden, even a fruits and vegetables garden to wander through. Not to mention a highly regarded plant education research center to explore.
For something different, for trees, and kids, the Morton Arboretum, southwest of Chicago, is a nice alternative. Then in St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden presents a wide array of culturally- and geographically-specific gardens like a Japanese Garden (Sake & Sakura Party on April 8), the Climatron®, the first Bucky Fuller-inspired geodesic dome garden structure in the world, and the Arid House, filled with dessert plants galore.
Staying in that mid-temperate climate zone could also take you to the Denver Botanic Gardens. They feature several different types of garden areas to explore: Gardens of the West, Ornamental, Shady, or Internationally Inspired. But don’t miss one of their Water Gardens; you’ll swear you’re in Monet’s backyard.
And for a slightly warmer growing environment, the Atlanta Botanical Garden offers a delightful getaway right in the middle of this bustling, growing city. Over 30 acres, there are outdoor gardens, a children’s garden, a wooded area, with a unique canopy walk, and a skyline garden offering a picturesque, snapshot heaven.
Just about every major city in the country has a calm, peaceful, gloriously green garden waiting for you this Spring and Summer. Make sure you set aside a few hours for a garden stroll wherever you travel. Don’t forget to bring your camera.
Get off to a great start with GOAirport Shuttle from your departure city. Also, after you land. We cover all the cities mentioned above, including many more. Even London, at the Kew Gardens, if you’re looking for a really, really royal garden tour.
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