We have visited dozens of botanical gardens around the world, and they’re always some of our favorite stops on a trip. We shared some of the most beautiful we’ve seen around the world on ABC TV’s The Daily Refresh in honor of Earth Day and National Garden Month. Click to watch the video, then read on to learn more!

According to Botanic Gardens Conservation International, “A botanic garden is an institution holding documented collections of living plants for the purposes of scientific research, conservation, display and education.”

Worldwide, there are about 1,800 botanical gardens and arboreta in about 150 countries, and these gardens attract about 300 million visitors a year.

The idea of “scientific” gardens used specifically for the study of plants dates back to antiquity. Royal gardens containing at least some plants gained by special collecting trips or military campaigns abroad are known from the second millennium BCE in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Crete, Mexico, and China.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, botanical gardens began their contribution to a deeper scientific curiosity about plants. The botanical gardens of Southern Europe were associated with university faculties of medicine and were founded in Italy, including the Orto botanico di Padova in 1545, which is the oldest academic botanic garden still at its original location and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to UNESCO, “The Botanical Garden of Padua is the original of all botanical gardens throughout the world and represents the birth of science, of scientific exchanges, and understanding of the relationship between nature and culture. It has made a profound contribution to the development of many modern scientific disciplines, notably botany,  medicine, chemistry, ecology, and pharmacy.”

Another UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Royal Gardens at Kew, which were founded in London in 1759 as part of a royal medicinal garden. At this time, British horticulturalists were importing many plants from their colonies in North America, and horticulture was becoming incredibly popular. By the end of the 18th century, Kew was in its a golden age of plant hunting, sending out collectors to the South African Cape, Australia, Chile, China, Ceylon, Brazil, and more, acting as “the great botanical exchange house of the British Empire.” According to botanists and historians, Kew is in many ways the ideal botanic garden. 

In 1728, John Bartram founded Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia, America’s first botanical garden. It has been followed by hundreds of others, including the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, the New York Botanical Garden, Portland Botanical Gardens and the International Rose Test Garden, Denver Botanic Gardens, California’s Huntington Botanical Gardens, and the United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C.

The only other botanical garden in the world to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its cultural contributions is the Singapore Botanical Garden. Established in 1859, this tropical garden transformed the island into “Garden City” and played a vital role in the region’s economy by developing its rubber trade using seedlings sent from London’s Kew Gardens in 1877. Singapore Botanical Gardens are also home to Singapore’s National Orchid Gallery, featuring more than 1,200 species and 2,000 hybrids from around the world. 

Some of the world’s most famous gardens are classified as display gardens rather than botanical gardens. On Vancouver Island in Canada’s British Columbia province, Butchart Gardens are a National Historic Site and a destination for more than a million visitors each year. The gardens feature more than 900 varieties of plants showcased in several themed areas, including a Japanese garden with over 500 rhododendrons and azaleas, an Italian garden with 18 formal beds, a Mediterranean garden with drought-resistant plants from around the world, a rose garden with 280 different varieties, and the Butchart centerpiece: the sunken garden.

These are just a few of the gorgeous gardens we’ve explored during our travels. For more beautiful blooms from around the world, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to plan a glorious garden adventure of your own!