Saturday, December 31, 2011

Hershey Children's Garden


    

The Hershey Children's garden, located in Hershey, Pennsylvania, is a great place for kids.  Hershey kiss misters greet you with a fine spray of water as you enter.  The garden features a tree house, a butterfly house, a caterpillar tunnel, and a Native American garden.

The garden is open daily from April 15 to late October.  It is also open on select dates in November and December.  Tickets are between $7.00 and $10.00. 

Friday, December 30, 2011

Shalimar Gardens in Lahore



The Shalimar Gardens in Lahore are located in modern-day Pakistan.  They are Persian gardens which were built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1641.  The word, Shalimar, means "garden of love."

The gardens feature 410 fountains.  Tree varieties include almond, apple, apricot, cherry, mango, and mulberry.









Thursday, December 29, 2011

Gibraltar: The Alameda Garden

The Alameda Garden, in Gibraltar, was founded in 1816 by the governor of Gibraltar as a place of recreation for its residents.  The name "Alameda," is Spanish for "tree lined boulevard."  It covers an area of fifteen acres and displays a collection of plants from Mediterranean climates around the world.

In the early days, the park was used as a graveyard, so if you visit, take the time to read the markers.

The garden is open from 8 AM until dusk.  Admission is free.

Keukenhof Gardens

If you love tulips and spring flowers, visit the Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam.  The gardens cover over seventy acres and are planted with nearly seven million spring flowers.

The gardens were the idea of the 1949 Mayor of Lisse.  He wanted to create an open-air flower exhibition to showcase Dutch bulb-growers' latest hybrids.  It is now the world's largest and most photographed flower garden.

If you want to see it, the best time to go is in April.  The gardens are located between the towns of Hillingom and Lisse.  The exhibition runs from the end of March to May.