I haven’t had time to blog in ages this roundup of virtual garden tours has been on my to blog list for so long. I got to take these tours in my PJ’s before my workload doubled. If you have spare time and have a passion for pretty flowers you should check out these virtual tours.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa
Most lists of beautiful gardens overlook this gem. Kirstenbosch is one of my favourite places in Cape Town, my hometown. It is located on the slopes of Table Mountain and is home to fauna and flora that only grows in the region.
Take the tour at : https://www.sanbi.org/gardens/kirstenboch/tours/virtual-tour/
It’s not as interactive and you need to read whilst viewing the images but, it is worthwhile especially if you’re thinking of visiting Cape Town once it’s safe to do so again.
To read more on Kirstenbosch see my post, Kirstenbosch the most beautiful botanical gardens in Africa
Kew Gardens, Richmond, England
Kew Gardens is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is home to 14,000 trees and over 50,000 plants. The garden is steeped in history and is almost 400 years old. There is an art gallery which has 800 paintings of flowers and plants, the guided tour features the top 10 attractions of the gardens.
Kew Garden also has an anti slavery statement on its website. I found this a bit strange then read this article : https://www.independent.co.uk/property/gardening/bitter-fruits-on-the-anniversary-of-the-abolition-of-the-slave-trade-emma-townshend-considers-how-5337253.html Which made it clear why a garden would have a anti slavery statement on its site.
Claude Monet Garden, Giverny, Normandy, France
Monet Is well known for his impressionist paintings. He was an avid gardener and was so inspired that he painted 250 paintings which form part of his Water Lilies series. He once said “ My garden is my most beautiful art work” The garden is split in two which a flower garden out front and a Japanese- inspired garden. A whole team of gardens ensure that this garden is well maintained.
Waddesdon Manor, Waddesdon, England
In 1874 Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild purchased the property. He had fully grown trees planted on the property creating an instant garden. It has been home to the Rothschild family since then. The gardens are outstanding example of late Victorian gardens.
The tour is informative but, it’s funny when the guide says he had to create the garden when referring to Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild. Then afterward you hear the next guide telling you how the gardeners had to work hard to create and maintain the garden. The background classical music, the beautiful garden, and information make it an interesting 5-minute video. But, I’m pretty sure Rothschild himself wasn’t flattening the earth to plant the trees and flowers.
Keukenhof, Lisse, The Netherlands
Keukenhof is so popular that it gets 1 million visitors a year. This garden was planted in the 15th century and opened to the public in 1950. Keukenhof, means ‘kitchen garden’ in Dutch. It only blooms in spring and the tulips don’t stay around for long. The video tour provides you with a sneak peek of what the garden looks like. The video quality is a bit poor sadly. I still think it’s cool that the garden team came up with a virtual tour especially as the world is facing an pandemic outbreak. It is uplifting to see such a spectacular garden.
Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, Papaikou, Hawaii, U.S
The garden boasts an array of tropical plants and flowers, indigenous to the region and from all over the world. There’s 2000 different species of plants. That’s a whole lot. This garden has stunning waterfalls, clear streams and the seascapes of the rocky Pacific Ocean all bundled into one. There’s no guided tour. No one talks over the scenery which can be very relaxing.
The U.S Botanical Garden, Washington, U.S
This is one of the oldest botanic gardens in North America. The U.S Botanical Garden was founded in 1820. It is situated in Washington, and is managed by the U.S Congress via the architect of the Capitol. Here you will see roses, orchids and more. The virtual tour is in Google street maps view which can make you a bit dizzy at times. But, I still took a quick look around after a while it becomes easier to master Google street view tours. See the tour: https://bit.ly/3cVS649
New York Botanical Garden , New York, U.S
You can take a virtual tour of the Orchid Show of the New York Botanical Garden. This is a longer tour with much more detail then the other tours I have written about. The guided tour is 21 minutes long. If you love orchids this is the tour for you. I really enjoyed the videographer’s style and there’s a wealth of information in this tour. I learnt that there are orchids which grow in deserts something I never knew before watching the tour.
Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago, U.S
The video gives you a short 2-minute tour of the garden in summer. There are many different flowers, hydrangeas, lilies, and more. More than 1 million people visit this garden yearly, it’s popular. The video is a fast burst of colour and a preview of what you can see once it’s possible to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden.
The RHS Wisley Garden ,Surrey, England
The RHS Wisley Garden in Surrey was first designed by horticulturist Graham Stuart Thomas. The garden is large and includes a glasshouse which has 3 different climate zones. The tour provides you with an aerial view of the garden. You can go on a virtual tour here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2WealAPZHU
Jardins du Château de Versailles
The Garden of the Palace of Versailles virtual tour forms part of the tours of the Palace itself. Google street view allows you to “walk” around in the garden. It is gorgeously green even though when I see people without masks on whilst taking these tours it feels weird now.
Take the tour of the Palace of Versailles Garden here:https://bit.ly/3hwxkMf
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Please feel free to comment.
Take care guys
Nikki xx
Nikkidiscovers 