Stagshaw Garden

Stagshaw Garden, located in Ambleside, Cumbria, England, is a lovely eight acre woodland garden on a steep hillside that overlooks Lake Windemere.  It is known for its collection of flowering shrubs, including rhodedendrons and azaleas.  There are also a few small waterfalls.  It's a nice place to visit and hike the winding trails.


The garden is open daily, April to June from 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM.  From July to October, it is open by appointment only.  Admission is 2.50 British pounds.

RHS Wisley Garden

The Royal Horticultural Society's Wisley Garden is a 240 acre garden located in Woking, Surrey, England.  It's the place where gardeners go to get inspired.  It includes model gardens for different kinds of homes, rose gardens, a glass house with tropical plants, and a demonstration garden full of design ideas and cultivation techniques.

 

The garden is open year-round, Monday -Friday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM.  Admission for adults is 11.85 British pounds, and 5.10 British pounds for children.

Palaise Het Loo

 Palais Het Loo is a Dutch baroque garden in the Netherlands which was made in 1684 by William and Mary, the same people who later became king and queen of England.


Palais Het Loo has been called the "Versaille of Holland" because of the layout, fountains, and statues.  As is typical of Baroque gardens, they follow perfect symmetry.  Within the gardens are four individual gardens:  a King's garden which has a bowling green, a Lower garden with beautiful statues, a Queen's garden, which was the private garden of Queen Mary, and an Upper garden.


If you visit the gardens in warmer months, you'll see orange trees planted in square white tubs.  These are placed in the garden as an emblem of the Prince of Orange.  They are returned to the orangery in the colder months.

The garden is open year round Tuesday through Sunday from 10 -5.  Admission is 12.50 euros for adults and 4.00 euros for children.

Devonian Botanical Garden

 The Devonian Botanical Gardens are located in Edmonton, Canada.  They were started in 1959, and contain over 190 acres of manicured gardens, woodlands, and hiking trails.

 

There are eleven featured gardens, including a butterfly house, a cactus house, an ornamental flower garden, a native Indian garden, an alpine garden, and my personal favorite, the Kurimoto Japanese Garden.  The Japanese garden is five acres of ponds, waterfalls, grassy hills, and numerous Japanese sculptures.     


 
 The gardens are open every day except Thursday, from 10 AM -6 PM.  Admission is free, unless you want a private guided tour.  Admission for that is 13 Canadian dollars.