15 Most Beautiful Gardens in the World

sometimes a little neighborhood rivalry is okay but these gardeners took things a bit too far let's take a look at the 15 most over-the-top gardens number 15 villadesta located in the town of tivoli italy villedesta is a huge estate that dates back to the 16th century the villa itself is now a unesco world heritage site but for many visitors the real appeal is in the gardens which are some of the most ornate and lavish you'll find anywhere in the world it's best known for the complex network of water features which includes 51 fountains 398 spouts 364 water jets 64 waterfalls and 220 basins with just over half a mile worth of canals that feed water to the individual elements amazingly there are no pumps or electronic devices used to make this all work and instead it uses the power of gravity to generate the pressure that's needed the entire complex is one of the best examples of renaissance design that there are and covering an area of around four and a half hectares it's quite possible to get lost within the grounds while being surrounded by perfectly manicured hedges open spaces and a wide variety of flowers during every season if water gardens are interesting to you then there's simply no place better to visit than villa dest 14 royal botanic gardens q q gardens which is in southwest london was opened in 1759 with the express intent to collect and study species of plants from around the globe today it's home to the world's largest collection of species which include 27 000 different types of plants that are going on site as well as more than eight and a half million preserved plant and fungal specimens and one of the most comprehensive botanical libraries with more than three quarters of a million volumes on its shelves for most people though the draw of the gardens is from the stunning layout that's filled with historical buildings and a wealth of floral color no matter where you look there are nine main plant houses where species are grown that wouldn't naturally thrive in the british climate as well as a series of ornamental buildings that include a 164 foot tall pagoda that stood there for more than 250 years possibly the most famous structure though is the tempered house which is the largest surviving victorian era greenhouse in the world it's used as a greenhouse where extremely rare and stunning plants are grown and it's the focus of many of the research programs that are run on site covering an area of more than 300 acres it's simply impossible to see all that q has to offer in one visit so it's no wonder that they have more than 1.3 million guests each year number thirteen non-nucha tropical botanical garden in 1954 two businessmen bought an 800 acre plot of land in the chonburi province of thailand with the intent to turn it into a fruit plantation but once they got to work on developing the land they decided instead that it was ideally suited to becoming a wildlife conservation project where they could grow countless species of tropical plants and flowers it took them 26 years before the long news tropical botanical garden was ready to be opened to the public but now covering 500 acres it's become one of the most popular attractions in the country it's split across nine sections each of which is dedicated to plants from a certain region they include the french garden the european garden the cactus and succulent garden and the orchid display garden but what the venue has become most renowned for is its scientific research into cycads from across southeast asia africa and the americas and has a collection of virtually every known species as well as the extensive gardens dongnuch has a variety of activities to entertain visitors such as religious ceremonies martial arts demonstrations and elephant performances but it's the perfectly designed landscape the row upon rows of vibrant colors and the traditional structures throughout the garden that truly puts it a step above the rest number 12 the bouchard gardens the bootshark gardens in british columbia canada is designated as a national historical site of canada and is one of the largest most popular botanical gardens in the world with more than a million visitors each year it was built on the land of the broochart family who had excavated the area for limestone and constructed a sunken garden in the quarry that was open to guests in 1926 due to its success they proceeded to replace their tennis courts with an italian garden and planted a rose garden where their kitchen garden used to be and further development took place in the 50s and 60s when miles worth of electrical cables were laid to allow the site to be illuminated at night along with the installation of a huge fountain in the lower reservoir it now houses one of the greatest collections of roses in north america and as well as the extensive varieties of flowers also has several huge birdhouses where a large number of ornamental birds such as peacocks and parrots are kept there are also several large sculptures from renowned artists throughout the grounds and of 2008 even an electric 12-person boat to provide tours from different perspectives with a focus on education a children's pavilion was opened in 2009 and to add to the entertainment on offer the gardens often host regular fireworks displays concerts and even install an ice rink during the winter number 11. keukenhof also often called the garden of europe kukenhof is one of the world's largest flower gardens it's in the town of lees in the netherlands and more than 7 million bulbs are planted across the 79 acres every year this creates astonishing displays and while it's most famous for the wide variety of tulips the botanical garden also creates mesmerizing fields full of hyacinths daffodils lilies roses and many more the bulbs are donated to the garden every year by a group of 100 growers from across the country and it's the job of just 40 gardeners to plant them each fall it's only open to the public for eight weeks between march and may and special care is made to ensure that each row of flowers is in perfect bloom during that time in fact on each spot three bulbs are placed with the shallowest one emerging for the first three weeks than the one beneath for the next three and the final one for the last weeks of the display amazingly it's such a popular attraction around one and a half million people visit each year which spread out across the two months that it's open means that 26 000 people walk through the gardens each day making it by far the most visited place in the netherlands during that time number 10. pukakura park fukukura park is a designated garden of national significance that can be found in the city of new plymouth which is in the taranaki region of new zealand's north island it covers an area of around 128 acres and amazingly it's taken care of by just 10 full-time gardeners it was first developed and opened to the public in 1876 and is now home to many thousands of different species of plants although the gardeners themselves admit they don't know quite how many there are in the grounds the fernery and display houses are a particular draw but with such an incompatible climate for many of the species to grow the developers of the park had to be creative with their designs to create the perfect conditions for the plants three caves were dug into a hillside and covered with glass ceilings which has created a stable temperate environment where indoor and outdoor plants from across the world can thrive with the peaks of the nearby mountain range rising above the landscape pukakira park has split into different zones such as the rhododendron del the curiosity walk and it's been open for so long there's a number of plants that are now more than 100 years old meaning the only other place you'll see such mature specimens are within the hard-to-reach jungles that they originated in what's even more impressive is that the land was originally flat and every lake tunnel and stream that you see was meticulously carved by hand pukakura park is a one-of-a-kind place so much so that it's been featured in various tv shows and movies it was even where parts of the last samurai which starred tom cruise were filmed number nine jardin majorel created over almost 40 years by french artist jacques mazurel the measural botanical garden covers two and a half acres of land in marrakesh morocco he was drawn to this location because of the warm weather and it served as his home from 1923 to the 50s and after falling into a state of disrepair was purchased by yves saint laurent and pierre berge in the 1980s so they could restore it and open it to the public some of the brightly colored buildings throughout the site are used as museums that are dedicated to certain artists or artistic styles and has become renowned for its unusual collection plants particularly the cacti as well as the large sculptures that adorn virtually every vista on show it has become one of the most important tourist attractions in marrakech with more than 700 000 visitors each year and even though its creator died a long time ago the funds that are raised are put back into research and development to ensure that the plants on show remain relevant and enticing [Music] we are constantly adding more people to the top fives production team to bring you all the best content be sure to subscribe with notifications on and hit the like button number eight san souci park the san souci palace in potsdam germany was once the residence of the king of prussia frederick the great and while the building itself is a stunning example of architecture from the time it's the grounds around it that have drawn the most attention for their beauty and are thought of as the best example in the world of baroque garden design a vast complicated network of fountains was built in the 18th century but the king would never see it in its full glory the designers hadn't planned on how water would actually flow through the basins and pipes it was only a century later with the introduction of steam power that the true vision could be realized the inspiration of baroque fruit gardens is plain to see with thousands of fruit trees and several nurseries devoted to growing oranges melons peaches and bananas there are also a number of structures alongside the palace which include a large picture gallery several grottos two temples a church and roman baths there's also a large moat that feeds a pond around which countless trees and shrubs grow number seven gardens of versailles the palace of versailles is one of the most recognizable structures in the world and has been one of the most important buildings in paris since it became the home of french royalty in the 17th century as you'd expect the interior is full of lavish decorations fit for a king and this design aesthetic extended to the surrounding landscape too the gardens of versailles are on the west side of the palace and cover an area of almost 2 000 acres they are landscaped in the traditional french formal garden style and among the stunning manicured lawns the symmetrical plant beds and the numerous sculptures is a network of waterways and fountains that was far ahead of its time when it was built almost 400 years ago still fully operational with the original hydraulic mechanisms displays are often put on during the summer months to show people what a magical place it truly is in total the gardens are believed to contain two hundred thousand trees two hundred and ten thousand flowers that have to be replanted each year six hundred and twenty water jets and 10 miles of piping all of which have made the area such a part of french history that the gardens have been designated a unesco world heritage site in their own right number six jardim botanico do rio de janeiro when you think of rio de janeiro the first thing that comes to mind tend to be the beaches and the crystal redentor statue that looks down over the city but there's another stunning place that draws visitors from around the world rio de janeiro botanical gardens it was founded in 1808 by king john vi of portugal and while the original intent was to use it as a place to acclimatize plant species they were hoping to grow in south america it's now become a place where the finest specimens from across the continent are nurtured there are more than 6 500 different plant and tree species across the 130 acre site 900 of which are different palms and the 2460 foot long entrance road is lined by an amazing display of 130 palm trees all of which descended from the same single tree designated as a unesco biosphere in 1992 only 40 percent of the park is actively cultivated and the rest is natural atlantic forest that grows up the side of the nearby corcovado mountain as well as being a way to display the flora from the region the botanical gardens also host a research institute that specializes in the identification and conservation of the native species there are also various artificial ponds sculptures fountains and buildings and it's also become a wildlife reserve too with more than 140 species of birds including channel built toucans white-necked hawks and plenty more number five desert botanical gardens the desert botanical gardens in papago park which is in phoenix arizona isn't your ordinary botanical gardens instead of curating a selection of species from different climates around the world this one focuses purely on those that grow in hot and arid environments covering an area of 140 acres it was founded in 1937 and now contains more than 50 000 individual specimens a third of which are native to the surrounding area 379 of which are considered to be endangered split into three main areas the australian collection the baja collection and the south american collection a particular note are the 13 973 different cacti from 1320 species and the 4026 agave from 248 species it's run by the arizona cactus and native flora society and was set up as a non-profit museum to further research and educate about desert plants which are rarely present in substantial numbers in any other botanical gardens because of the specific environments they need to grow in as a result of the work that's done there several new species have been discovered and a number have been saved from extinction due to the changing climate in their native areas number four claude monet's gardens claude monet is one of history's most renowned artists and was one of the founders of the french impressionist movement you'll probably be familiar with his work that often depict landscapes or gardens particularly ones filled with lilies but did you know that he was also a keen gardener many of his paintings were of his own garden so the story goes he was traveling through the northern french region of giverny by train and while looking out the window he decided that this was where he wanted to live he began by renting a house but by 1890 had earned enough to purchase it outright which was only begun to transform the land to his own designs mainly because he wanted to create the perfect scenes to paint he had a particular fondness of climbing plants and built a japanese bridge over a pond that was covered with lilies and surrounded by wisterias and azaleas following his death he left it to his son who in turn left it to the academy demo arts in 1966. the organization invested heavily to restore the gardens to how they were in their prime including renovation work to his studio and a complete replanting of the flowers to how he had done his large collection of japanese wood block prints was displayed throughout by 1980 it was open to the public as a museum it's now incredibly popular both because of the people wanting to see the scenery that inspire the artist those who visit the best gardens in the world and it's especially popular during the summer months when most of the flowers are in bloom guests have access to most of the gardens as well as to the ground and first floor of his former home and the studio which was where he painted his famed works such as the water lilies that are now exhibited around the world is now the gift shop number three brooklyn botanic gardens the brooklyn botanic gardens covers a 52-acre plot of land within mount prospect park in brooklyn new york and is so popular that almost a million people visited each year it has always been the plan to create a botanical garden on the site ever since prospect park opened in 1873 and after delays due to disagreements on the form it would take it was finally open to the public in 1910 across the site are more than 14 000 taxa of plants across eight main specialty gardens of particular importance are the collection of more than 200 cherry trees from 42 different species to create a sea of blossom every spring in the simply stunning japanese hill and pond garden that features three hills a waterfall and an island all of which are artificially constructed and adhere to traditional japanese styles other attractions include the cranford rose garden the shakespeare garden the water garden and the children's garden each of which focuses on a particular species and environment and aim to offer relaxing surroundings while educating visitors on the range and beauty of our planet's plants the garden also provides valuable research and conservation work with a herbarium that contains more than 300 000 preserved specimens which are used to help track the spread of native species and invasive species throughout the surrounding area and will help to reintroduce species that have been lost due to climate change or human impact [Music] number two the ssr botanical garden the cersei woo sugar around botanical garden which is also known as the pamplemoose's botanical garden is a 91-acre site near the city of port louis and mauritius first built in 1770 it's the oldest botanical garden in the southern hemisphere thanks to the island's climate it's known for its wide collection of tropical species that are rarely seen growing outside in similar gardens around the world it's most famous for its large pond that's covered in giant water lilies but it also has a wide variety of spices ebonies boababs sugar canes and more than 85 species of palm trees that have been collected from the americas asia africa and the islands around the indian ocean in total there are more than 650 different species of plants across the site and has such an important venue on the island many of the trees have been planted by visiting dignitaries from countries across the world it's also performed a vital role in the health of the country's population throughout history not just because of the medicines that have been derived from the species that grow there but because of how the land has been used to grow plants that are in particular demand in 1866 for example mauritius was struck by a malaria epidemic and the botanical gardens were used to grow thousands of eucalyptus trees that were then moved elsewhere to help dry out the country's marshes which were the breeding grounds of the mosquitoes that spread the disease the gardens therefore have an important significance in the country's history and for this reason they were renamed in 1988 after mauritius first prime minister number one kenrokuen considered to be one of the three great gardens of japan kenrokuwen is a stunning private garden in the city of kanazawa it's one of the oldest surviving gardens in the country having been developed between the 1620s and 1840s and remains one of the greatest examples of japanese horticultural design it's a strolling garden which means the intent is for visitors to walk through it to reveal changing vistas and incredible scenes as opposed to sitting in one position and it's full of ponds hills cottages and tea houses with large open spaces around the garden has an estimated 8 750 trees and more than 183 different species of plants as well as several traditional structures that act as focal points it has the oldest fountain in japan which is operated by using natural water pressure a tea house which is the oldest building in the garden and was built in 1774. the flying geese bridge that's made from 11 red stones that are arranged to look like a flock of birds and a two-legged stone lantern by one of the ponds which has become one of the garden's most recognizable objects the garden has been specifically designed to take on a different persona as the seasons pass no matter when you visit there will be a wealth of color and countless flowers in bloom it's no wonder that this is the most visited garden in japan and because of its meticulous design is undoubtedly one of the most over-the-top gardens in the world watch our nature playlist for more top 15 videos about beautiful nature sit back relax and binge watch all of our best nature videos

Channel: Top Fives

Views: 588,452

Rating: 4.8876877 out of 5

Keywords: Most Beautiful Gardens in the World, gardens

Id: 6-80TdR4wsg

Length: 20min 28sec (1228 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 05 2020