Pirianda Garden

 For today's garden, we're going to take a trip down under to Australia.  Pirianda Garden is located in Victoria, Australia within the Dandenong Mountain range.  If you go, be sure to wear good hiking shoes, because this place has some seriously steep inclines! 

The twenty-five acre garden was built in 1962 by Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Ansell of Ansell industries.  The gardens were open to the public in 1977.  If you're looking at these pictures and thinking that this doesn't look like Australia, it's because most of these plants were imported from overseas.  You'll see hydrangeas, Blackwoods, Mountain Ash, rhododendron, azaleas, magnolias, and one very unusual tree, the Chinese Handkerchief tree, which flowers in November.

For those of you who like a little trivia, the word, Pirianda, is an aboriginal word that means, "sufficient" or "enough."  I'd say it certainly has enough inclines!  If you don't mind that sort of thing, it's a lovely place to walk -especially in the fall.  The colors are just gorgeous!

The garden is open daily from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM June through September.  Hours are 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM the rest of the year.

Orman Garden

 Orman Garden, located in Giza, Egypt,  near the University of Cairo, is one of the most famous botanical gardens in Egypt.

The garden covers about 28 acres.  It was first designed in 1875.  Today, the garden contains an herbarium building, a rock garden, a rose garden, cactus gardens, and probably the most notable feature, the lotus pond.

The garden is open from dawn to dusk. There is a cost for admission, but I was unable to find that information for this post.

Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden

 Nongnooch Tropical Botancial Garden is located in Pattaya, Thailand.  It boasts the world's largest palm collection, and has the largest variety of orchids in Thailand.

 

The history of the garden is interesting.  In 1954, Mr. Pisit and Mrs. Nongnooch Tansacha bought about 600 acres, originally thinking that it would be a fruit plantation.  But then Mrs. Nongnooch went on vacation.  She saw many beautiful gardens around the world, and was inspired to create her own.  She decided to make it a tropical garden of ornamental flowers and plants.  The garden was opened to the public in 1980.

 Today, there are plenty of trails, tours, and animal shows to entertain visitors.  One of the most popular shows is the elephant show.  Kids really enjoy this!

  The gardens are open daily from 8 AM - 6 PM.  Admission is $15.00 (500 THB).

Mount Stewart Gardens

  Mount Stewart gardens, located in County Down, Northern Ireland are part of the Neoclassical Mount Stewart estate.  It was built in 1744 by the Stewart family, holders of the title, Marquess of Londonberry.  Most of the gardens, however can be attributed to Edith, Lady of Londonberry, who designed them in the 1920s.

 

Some of the many gardens include the Shamrock Garden, Sunken Garden, Spanish Garden, and the Italian Garden.  You'll see plenty of topiaries too, with such unusual shapes as dinosaurs, orangutans, and dodo birds.

 The gardens are open daily from 10 AM -6 PM.  Admission is 7 British pounds for adults and 3.50 British pounds for children.

Liuyuan Garden

 Liuyuan Garden, located in Suzhou, China, has been listed as a 4-AAAA national tourist attraction and a World Cultural Heritage site.



 The name, Liuyuan, means "lingering in the world."  The garden was constructed in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty in the mid 1500s.  It  covers about 6 acres.  There are basically four parts to the garden:  A picturesque central part, known for its streams and rockeries, an eastern part known for its courtyards and buildings, a northern pastoral section, and a western part that features woods and large trees.

The garden is open year-round from 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM.  Admission varies depending on what season you visit.  High season, March 1 - May 31 and September 1 - November 30, is 20 yuan.  The rest of the time is considered low season.  Cost for admission then is 15 yuan. 

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

 Located on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain in Capetown, South Africa, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens are considered one of the most beautiful in the world.  The property covers over 1,000 acres.  However, only about 80 acres is actually cultivated. The gardens were founded in 1913 to perserve the county's unique plants.  It's the first botanical garden in the world that was designed for this purpose.  Today the garden contains over 8000 species of plants.

You can spend an entire day roaming through the gardens.  There are plenty of gurgling streams, ponds, trails, and gorgeous plants to look at.  If you want to get an education about the various species of plants, I'd recommend taking the guided Fynbos Walk.  You'll learn all about the indigenous flora of South Africa.  There are many other free garden walks as well.  If you want to go on those, visit the gardens on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday.  Also, if you like to hike, there are many trails leading from the garden into the mountains.

 
If you visit in the summer, be sure to stick around for one of the summer sunset concerts.  They are held every Sunday at 5:30 PM from late November to mid-April.

The gardens are open daily September - March from 8 AM to 7 PM and from 8 AM to 6 PM April through August. Admission is R40 for adults, and R10 for children.

Jardin Botanico Chagual

  The Jardin Botanico Chagual, is located in the Metropolitan Park of Santiago, Chile.  It covers nearly 70 acres.

  Opened in 2002, its focus is to preserve plants that are native to Chile. There are also many plants that are native to the Mediterranean region. Many of them are rare and endangered.
 As you walk through the gardens, you will see evergreen trees, shrubs, mountain cypress, and a lot of cacti. 

The garden is open from dawn to dusk.  Admission is free.