Black Book

INTERNATIONAL FAIRE

FROM THE ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS IN ENGLAND TO THE JARDIM BOTÂNICO IN RIO DE JANEIRO, HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOP BOTANICAL GARDENS ACROSS THE GLOBE. ONCE TRAVEL RESUMES, MAKE SURE TO CALENDAR YOUR TIME TO VISIT ONE OR ALL.

ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS | KEW, ENGLAND

Kew Gardens may be the most famous botanical park in the world. More than 50,000 plants thrive here due to the climate-controlled Princess of Wales Conservatory. The glasshouse is carved into zones: one is dedicated to carnivorous plants like Venus flytraps; another to dry tropics such as succulents and cactuses; and a third that is humid and tropical enough to grow Victoria Amazonica, the world’s largest water lilies. The property also has a rock garden with a tiered waterfall and an arboretum with 14,000 trees, including giant redwoods and black locusts dating to the 18th century.

ARCTIC-ALPINE BOTANICAL GARDEN | TROMSØ, NORWAY

The Arctic-Alpine Botanical Garden, the world’s northernmost botanical garden, showcases traditional perennials and herbs from the top of Norway. It also boasts a surprising array of plants from other continents. Part of the University of Tromsø, there are 25 collections in total, specializing in Arctic and Antarctic plants, as well as species native to the Himalayas, South America and Africa. The garden is open year-round and free to visit, but most flowering takes place between May and October.

KIRSTENBOSCH NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDEN | CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

It’s hard to beat a backdrop that includes Table Mountain National Park. Nestled into the eastern slopes of South Africa’s most iconic landmark, this world-renowned garden lives up to its hype: 1,305 acres with more than 7,000 species of plants, most of which are native to the Cape and southern Africa. Located eight miles from the heart of Cape Town, the 107-year-old Kirstenbosch National Botanical offers not only wide arrays of flora but hiking and mountain biking trails, expansive lawns for picnicking, and a 427-foot tree-top walkway that arcs gently above the arboretum’s canopy.

JARDIM BOTÂNICO | RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

Rio’s 350-acre Jardim Botânico has built a reputation as one of the finest tropical gardens on the planet. Of its 7,000-plus species of tropical plants, the vast majority are native to Brazil. And though it’s the garden’s Avenue of Royal Palms that surface repeatedly on Instagram, its rare bromeliads and traditional Japanese garden are not to be missed. Note to birders: Bring your binoculars because more than 100 species of fowl are known to shack up in this garden.