With a phone in hand, garden enthusiasts snap photos of exotic plants, dreamy containers overflowing with color and rose gardens with thousands of bushes in full bloom. Across the U.S., plant lovers flock to botanical gardens for inspiration and a day exploring outdoor rooms. From rare plants from across the world to conservatories from another era, garden lovers get eyefuls of color and ideas for their own gardens. Here are the best gardens in the U.S.
Best Gardens in the U.S.
New York Botanical Garden
Missouri Botanical Garden
Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix
Garvan Woodland Gardens
The Huntington
Biltmore Estate
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Longwood Gardens
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Hershey Gardens
International Rose Test Garden
Innisfree Gardens
Japanese Friendship Garden
Japanese Tea Garden
New York Botanical Garden near NYC
In New York City’s northernmost borough, visitors can walk through the New York Botanical Garden, a 250-acre garden with over one million plants. It is one of the best gardens in the U.S.
The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a Victorian-age beauty, is also a New York City landmark. Inside the traditional greenhouse, displays of orchids, palms and desert-loving plants are on display.
The New York Botanical Garden is a destination for residents and travelers alike. It offers a herbaceous border with 150 different peonies scenting the air and themed garden rooms. Its rose garden offers 650 different rose varieties and classical structures to showcase the flowers.
Visitors can make a day of it and enjoy lunch at Hudson Garden Grill, a full-service farm-to-table restaurant across from the Ross Conifer Arboretum.
Located at 2900 Southern Blvd., Bronx. It is accessible by public transportation. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., along with Monday holidays. Adult admission is $35, with discounted admission for seniors and students at $31, and kids (2 – 12) are $15.
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Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis
With 6.6 million specimens, the Missouri Botanical Garden is second to only the New York Botanical Garden in number of specimens in the U.S. Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the oldest institutions in the U.S. and is a National Historical Landmark. The Missouri Botanical Garden’s horticulturalists actively collect, catalog and cultivate the threatened species worldwide.
Henry Shaw donated this 79-acre parcel and spent time in his native England studying botany and its gardens. Many of its original features take their design cues from English gardens.
For visitors, the 79-acre display garden is spectacular. It offers many themed gardens from the enclosed Climatron, a geodesic dome conservatory to the 14-acre Japanese garden to a children’s garden with a playground.
The Missouri Botanical Garden hosts events throughout the year, like the wildly popular holiday Garden Glow with over 2 million lights. The Orchid Show brightens February with its tropical blooms.
The Missouri Botanical Garden offers a restaurant and a cafe. There is a well-stocked gift shop at the front of the visitors center. Note, picnicking is not allowed in the garden.
Located at 4344 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission (13+) is $16, and kids 12 and younger are free. There is an additional admission to enter the children’s garden, and kids aged 3 to 12 enter for $5 all others enter for free.
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Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix
The Desert Botanical Garden, a 140-acre botanical garden in Papago Park, was founded in 1937. Its collection includes 50,000 specimens, one-third of which are native to Southern Arizona. Of note, the garden includes over 4,000 agaves and nearly 14,000 cacti. This is one of the Best Gardens in the U.S.
In addition to native plants, the Desert Botanical Garden features an Australian garden and a collection of plants from Baja California and South America. The collection started in the 1930s when concerned residents wanted to save the desert and share their personal collections of plants.
Located at 1201 N. Galvin Pkwy, Phoenix. Open daily from May 1 to September 1 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. From September 2 to April 30, it is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Adult admission ranges from $24.95 to $29.95, and kids 3 to 17 enter from $14.95 to $16.95. From June 1 to September 1, all enter for $16.95.
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Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs
With 210 acres to explore, Garvan Woodland Gardens is one of the best gardens in the U.S. Created by Verna Cook Garvan, the gardens are located in the Ouachita Mountains. Its rolling terrain is punctuated by water features, like man-made streams and ponds, along with small waterfalls.
The Garvan Woodland Gardens feature many garden rooms, many with seasonal colors, like the 150,000 tulips in the spring or the gourd displays in the fall. Visitors can meander through the garden along shaded paths and over bridges, like its full moon bridge.
The Garvan Woodland Gardens offers several themed gardens, like the Weyerhaeuser Bonsai Garden, Perry Wildflower Overlook and the Three Sisters of Amity Daffodil Hill.
One of the property’s most striking features is the Anthony Chapel. Designed by Maurice Jennings and David McKee, it uses yellow pine and glass to create a space that blends into the surrounding woodlands.
The Evans Treehouse is another standout in the Children’s Adventure Garden. Set on stilts, it borrows design elements from nature and offers a magical space for make-believe.
Located at 550 Arkridge Rd., Hot Springs. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (closed in January). Adult admission is $25, kids (4 -12) are $15 with dogs entering for $5.
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The Huntington near Los Angeles
More than a botanical garden, The Huntington is a library and art galleries set among the gardens. Its library features 11 million items from the 11th century to the present. The Huntington galleries house more than 45,000 pieces in its collection, including photography, decorative arts and sculpture.
Its gardens cover 130 acres and are open to the public. Over a dozen themed gardens, including 83,000 plants, are located there. Top themed gardens include the Camellia Garden, the Chinese Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Rose Garden, the Shakespeare Garden and more. The Huntington also offers sculptures and buildings throughout.
Located at 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino. Open Wednesday to Monday (closed Tuesday) from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Reservations are required for the weekends and recommended for the weekdays. Adult admission is $25/$29 for weekdays/weekends with a discount for students and seniors of $21/$24, and kids ( 4 -11) enter for $13.
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Biltmore Estate in Ashville
In the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, the Biltmore Estate is the largest privately owned home in the U.S. Built by George Vanderbilt, it’s a French Renaissance Revival showpiece designed by Richard Morris Hunt.
The wows continue into the gardens. Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, who created NYC’s Central Park, the Biltmore grounds cover 8,000 acres and include gardens. As America’s first managed forest, it spurred the forest conservation movement.
Surrounding the house, visitors can walk through the Italian Garden and the Rose Garden, which has 250 different varieties. The white conservatory makes gardeners weak with envy. The gardens evolve with the seasons, peaking with decorations during the Holiday Season.
Located at 1 Lodge St. in Asheville, North Carolina, it is open every day year-round with varying hours throughout the seasons. The house tour starts at $80 per person with advance purchase; kids 9 and younger are free during the summer season, with kids 10 to 16 entering for $10. The Biltmore House is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the gardens remain open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
On the shores of White Rock Lake, visitors can explore a 66-acre garden with rainbow-colored blooms throughout the seasons. This is one of the best gardens in the U.S. Spring pops early with tulips and azaleas in a celebration of color. The summer is bright and colorful. With the cooler weather of the fall, the maples turn fiery shades of red.
With a mix of sculptures and hardscapes, each garden feels like a unique room that flows into another. The Sunken Garden is a favorite. The Crape Myrtle Allée is a sight in full summertime bloom. The Kids Adventure Garden is a must for families (additional $3).
For fall foliage, the Maple Garden offers 80 varieties of Japanese maples. The Pecan Grove is home to the Pumpkin Houses, fanciful gourd getaways.
Located at 8525 Garland Road. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adult admission is $22 with $5 admission from January to mid-February, July and $3 admission in August. Kids (2 – 12) enter for $12. Parking is an additional $15.
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Longwood Gardens near Wilmington Delaware
With 1,077 acres in the Brandywine Creek Valley, the Longwood Gardens offers six districts to explore. From the Conservatory District with its 19th-century building to the Main Fountain Garden District, this garden is one of the best gardens in the U.S.
Pierre du Pont’s European travels inspired the Main Fountain District and features a formal garden dotted with plantings and fountains. The Conservatory offers water features, an Orchid House, an indoor children’s garden and a silver garden.
The Longwood Gardens offers a lake district along with Meadows and Forest District. The fountains offer shows on the hour from 10:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.
Located at 1001 Longwood Rd., Kennett Square, PA. Open Sunday, Monday and Wednesday (closed Tuesday) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday to Saturday, it is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the summer season and 11 p.m. during the Holiday season. Timed entry tickets are required. Adult admission is $32, with seniors and students entering for $28, kids (5 – 18) enter for $17, and those 4 and younger enter for free.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison
In the heart of Madison, Wisconsin, the Olbrich Botanical Gardens offers 16 acres of cultivated gardens, including the Bolz Conservatory. It also offers an indoor tropical garden with a waterfall and free-flying birds, which is a favorite during the winter with locals and visitors alike.
A stand-out of the outdoor gardens is the Olbrich Thai Pavilion, the only one in the U.S. Encrusted with gold leaf and featuring a reflecting pool; it is a stunning spot in Madison. Other gardens include a sunken garden, a season-to-season perennial garden and a herb garden.
Located at 3300 Atwood Avenue. Open April through September from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., October through March from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free to enter the outdoor gardens. For the conservatory, adult admission is $6, and kids (6 -12) enter for $3, with 5 and younger free.
Hershey Gardens in Hershey
What’s better than smelling roses? Smelling roses and chocolate at the same time. Catch a hint of chocolate wafting through the entire town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, when you visit the Hershey Gardens.
Milton Hershey, the chocolate magnate, built a 23-acre garden for his wife, Catherine, and their community. Opening in 1937, it instantly became a favorite among locals.
Today, the garden features a rose garden with over 7,000 individual plants in 275 varieties. The American Rose Society even named a rose after Hershey, M.S. Hershey.
Along with roses, visitors will find a butterfly house with over 300 butterflies in each stage of its life cycle. The children’s garden is another jewel for families.
Located at 170 Hotel Road in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily during the summer season with seasonal hours throughout the year. Adult admission is $16.50, and kids (3 – 12) are $12.50.
International Rose Test Garden in Portland
Don’t let the name deter garden lovers. The International Rose Test Garden is a picturesque sanctuary for rosarians. In 1917, the American Rose Society worked with Portland to establish a garden and showplace to test and promote roses in the U.S.
Located in Portland’s Washington Park, visitors can walk among 10,000 roses from 650 varieties. There are climbing varieties, Floribundas, hybrid teas as well as shrub and landscape roses. The garden still conducts tests on new varieties from growers along with displaying past winners.
Located at 400 SW Kingston Ave. Open from dawn to dusk. Roses bloom from late May until October. Free though metered parking is required in Washington Park.
Innisfree Gardens in Millbrook New York
Perched around Tyrell Lake, Innisfree Gardens is a 185-acre site that fuses Asian design principles with North American plant selections. It uses stacked stone terraces, steps and water features and is considered one of the best gardens in the U.S.
It was the country residence of Walter and Marion Beck. Landscape architect Lester Collins, Dean of the Harvard University Landscape Architecture program, worked on Innisfree Gardens for 55 years.
Located at 362 Tyrrel Road, Millbrook. Open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. from late April to mid-November. Adult admission is $10 and kids 5 to 15 enter for $5.
Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego’s Balboa Park
Inside San Diego’s Balboa Park, visitors will find the 12-acre Japanese garden. As an expression of friendship between San Diego and its sister city, Yokohama, this garden opened in 1991.
The Japanese Friendship Garden features 200 spring-blooming cherry trees, a symbol of Japan. It also features sukiya-style buildings reflecting in the koi ponds with swimming koi. The azalea collection is also extensive, along with the Japanese artifacts.
Located at 2215 Pan American Plaza in Balboa Park. Open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. most of the year. Adult admission (18+) is $14, with students and seniors entering for $12, and kids 6 and younger are free.
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Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio’s Breckenridge Park
Set in an old rock quarry in Breckenridge Park, this area dates back to 1899. The Japanese Tea Garden was completed in 1916 and features paths and footbridges that meander through the tropical oasis.
The garden includes stone arch bridges and paths that meander through the shallow koi fish pond. The Japanese Tea Garden also features a 60-foot manmade waterfall that tumbles down a wall.
Located at 3853 N. St. Mary’s, Open daily from dawn to dusk. Free to enter.
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