what are the top botanical gardens in USA?

[coco305]

I am looking to visit all of the top botanical gardens in USA for inspo for my own gardens. what are the best botanical gardens to visit?

 

[Silas_Sancona]

  On 5/14/2023 at 9:06 PM, coco305 said:

I am looking to visit all of the top botanical gardens in USA for inspo for my own gardens. what are the best botanical gardens to visit?

 

Expand  

Oof.. So many that are well worth visiting..

My list of the best in this part of the west  ( Visited most of them as well )...

S. Cal:

* Huntington  ..Just go there, ..you may never leave, Lol.

* L.A. Arboretum

* Ganna Walska Lotusland, Santa Barbara.

* San Diego Botanical ..and the Zoo(s) ( = San Diego / Escondido < wild Animal park > ) ** Added Bonus: Balboa Park, when you visit the San Diego Zoo location closer to the coast..

* Fullerton, **Now California Botanical.

* South Coast Botanical ( Rancho Palo Verdes )

* The Living desert Zoo and Botanical Garden


....I'm sure i'm missing others...



Arizona:

* Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson

* Tohono Chul park, Tucson

* Tucson Botanical  ...Tucson

Soooo many places to visit to see Sonoran desert habitat, plants growing at 7-9K ft up the mountains, etc  to list for side trips if in town to visit any gardens.

*Boyce Thompson Botanical, Superior.

Up there all the time.. Surrounding area, (  Oak Flat, just to the east, Picket Post Mountain Trail Access area ) are also worth a few hours worth of exploring to see " upland sonoran desert / Arizona Chaparral " habitat. Superstitions are nearby as well.. Worth a trip there too.


* ...Desert Botanical. I say this with some hesitance.  The garden is worth seeing, but, for where the garden is located ( can grow a lot of really amazing, desert / heat tolerant tropicals ..beyond Cacti, you'll see MUCH more variety of stuff up at Boyce Thompson ..and the gardens in Tucson.

* PHX. Zoo supposedly has some interesting stuff, but never visited.. Whole area over there is just too crowded / too " Scottsdale " for my taste..

D.B.G. is also expensive and almost always crowded as well. Need to get over there to check things out since my last visit ( Several years ago ) but not a high priority trip  ..And i'm nearby.



S.F. Bay Area:

Golden Gate park / S.F. Botanical

U.C. " Berkeley " Botanical, Berkeley


 

[ASHCVS]

That’s a great So Cal list. I might add the grounds of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which were designed by the artist Robert Irwin.

[kinzyjr]

@coco305

A few that are easy to get to from your location:

Naples Botanical Garden is pretty close: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/75655-naples-botanical-garden-florida/

Ford/Edison Estate (Ft. Myers):

• https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/9693-edison-estate-part-i/
• https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/9706-edison-estate-part-ii/
• https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/9748-edison-estate-part-iii/
• https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/9807-edison-estate-part-iv/

[bubba]

National Tropical Botanical Garden! Enacted by Congress. Five (5) Gardens, four (4) in Hawaii and one (1) in Florida, the Kampong:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Tropical_Botanical_Garden

[Rivera]

Some views from the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco, photos taken a few days ago. Worth a visit if you find yourself in SF, especially considering it's right across the street from the SF botanical garden. 

[Patrick]

If you're going to get out to the CA bay area, the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek may be worth a visit. Just over the hill from Berkeley. 

 

Over in Florida, Fairchild Garden in Coral Gables is not to be missed- and there are a couple more in the Miami area. The Kampong was already mentioned and should also be on the itinerary...

Edited May 17, 2023 by Patrick

[teddytn]

Plant Delights/ juniper level botanic garden. Raleigh, NC. Not sure it gets the credit it’s due. I personally didn’t have much of an idea until I visited. Has the most complete collection of a bunch of different plant groups in the world so they claim. Landscaping/ hardscaping is also top notch. Vast collection of Sabal species, yuccas, cactus, and agaves to name a few. JC Raulston arboretum at NC state is 15 minutes up the road as well.