Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

You cannot imagine a garden without roses. The garden looks vibrant with its beauty and fragnance. Daylillies, peonies, irises, daffofils, sunflowers, hydrangeas, and ornamental grass like prairie dropseeds and many more are the soul of the garden.

 

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is located in Richmond, Virginia and is rated one of USA's best Botanical Gardens. It is famous for millions of blooms and attracts a huge number of garden lovers. Don't forget to ask for a map of the garden while entering the premises. Entry is not free as an admission fee is required to maintain this magnificent garden.

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Walking along the path within, I came upon many roses, red, pink, white, yellow, and multi-colored too. This is the Cochrane Rose Garden where people pause to see its arbors, arches, and pavilions, draped in more than 70 varieties of blooming roses. 

 

Roses vary in size and shape. Some have tight petals and some have loose petals. They ranges in size from compact, miniature roses, to climbers that can reach several meters in height. Different varieties like the 'Marie Rose', 'Triviata', and 'Cherry Parfait' bring an array of colors to the garden.

 

There are walking trails all over the garden, and every corner awaits a surprise. On the left of the rose garden, furnished with greenery is Asian Valley, where you see a cluster of small, purple spotted flowers in bloom, which are dwarf irises. There are many conifers and broad leafed evergreens and many interesting maples all over the Asian Valley. The spring of water falling over the small stones adds a quiet and serene environment.

 

Just across the Asian Valley, you will see the Lotus Bridge; you are close to the Henry M Flagler Garden and Grace Arents Garden. Woodland Walk is a part of the Flagler Garden with a winding path and greenery everywhere. If you are tired walking down the trail, there are wooden benches to sit and enjoy the wooded area. It welcomes you with an array of shade-loving plants with a bonus of perennial, shrubs, and bulbs. You can stop at the Flagler Garden to see Virginia Bluebells, tulip, magnolia and above all, shaded by the huge Weeping Cherry Tree. 

 

Another show-stopper is the Grace Arents Garden, where azaleas, daffodils, violas and many more flowers bloom in spring. The garden has a gazebo, and latticed arches with climbing roses, and traditional boxwood border. You can sit on the bench, read a book and enjoy the natural beauty.

 

As I entered the conservatory, I found the majestic and stunning Giganteum Allium standing tall surrounded by prairie dropseed, an ornamental grass. The purple beauty attracts everyone. 

 

 

The Conservatory is the "Jewel of the Garden" with a 63-foot tall dome. It has several wings; the central Palm House houses palm and cycad collection, the East Wing displays the orchid collection, cacti in the West Wing, and it also has a display corner with lots of colour and interest. This Wing has a thatched house in the middle that displays the seasonal changes. The North Wing has a special exhibition on butterflies that will continue until October 15, 2017.

 

The Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden features more than a dozen themed gardens -- including the Rose Garden, Asian Valley, Cherry Tree Walk, Woodland Walk and Children's Garden. This is an historic property with more than 50-acres of spectacular gardens with dining and shopping. www.lewisginter.org