The world's most beautiful botanical gardens
They are places that stage the wonderful world of plants for visitors. Rare and endangered plants are nurtured in botanical gardens. A foray through the green hideaways.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Kew Gardens in southwest London is home to the world's largest Victorian greenhouse: the Temperate House. One of the rarest plants on display will be the South African Encephalartos woodii, a palm-like cycad with leathery, green leaves. Only one such specimen was ever found growing in the wild, and it has long-since disappeared from the natural world.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
Cape Town's Botanical Garden is located on the eastern slope of Table Mountain. Founded in 1913, Kirstenbosch is the first botanical garden in the world to preserve and display only those plants native to the region. Among the 7,000 plant species are grasses and of course the Protea, the national flower of South Africa.
Arctic-Alpine Botanic Garden Tromsø
Above the Arctic Circle in the world's northernmost botanical garden, thousands of plants from polar regions and high mountains bloom in summer - including the blue poppy from the Himalayas. The small garden in Tromsø belongs to Norway's Arctic University.
Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden
UNESCO declared this botanical garden, founded in 1808, a biosphere reserve. The huge garden is home to around 6,500 plant species, many of which are threatened by extinction. The surrounding district in the south of Rio de Janeiro shares the same name as the garden: Jardim Botânico.
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Singapore's tropical botanical garden is one of Asia's most popular gardens and is best known for its large orchid collection. Visitors can also walk through a rainforest in the garden. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015.
Montreal Botanical Garden
Ten greenhouses and around 30 themed gardens can be found in the Montreal Botanical Garden, like the Chinese Garden (picture), the largest of its kind outside of China, which was inspired by the private gardens of the Ming dynasty. The First Nations Garden features native plants such as the maple tree and an exhibition on the natural knowledge of Canada's indigenous peoples, the First Nations.
Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden
On Mauritius the Botanical Garden is famous for its huge water lilies and lotuses. The garden is located near the village of Pamplemousses and was originally created to grow spices. It is named after Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, the first Prime Minister of independent Mauritius.
Berlin Botanic Gardens
With 43 hectares, the Botanical Garden in Berlin-Dahlem is the largest botanical garden in Europe. It belongs to the Freie Universität Berlin and in a single tropical house and surrounding gardens it is home to 20,000 plant species from all over the world, among them palms, vines and a giant bamboo.