I am not certain when I first became interested in botanical gardens, but I have been visiting and photographing them for many years. Here are some of my favorite places and photos:
Connecticut College Arboretum — I was lucky enough to attend college in the midst of this beautiful arboretum that surrounds the campus. I spent many hours exploring the wild areas and Mamacoke Island with my friend Jens, as well as attending classes and plays in the natural amphitheater. When I looked up the website to include in this blog post, I learned they were having a photo contest and dug out my (pre-digital) photos to scan. conncoll.edu/the-arboretum
Jardin botanique de Montréal — I traveled to Quebec in July 2003 for genealogy research into my Benoit ancestors. While there I visited the jardin botanique and its beautiful Japanese and Chinese gardens, where I got my treasured plum blossom earrings. espacepourlavie.ca/en/botanical-garden
Hawai‘i Tropical Botanical Garden — Jim was happy to tour this garden near Hilo with me on our honeymoon. We saw many amazing tropical plants and faced swarms of mosquitos in the humid environment that characterizes the eastern/windward side of the Big Island. htbg.com
Oak Park Conservatory — We used to visit a lot together when Simon was little. He also had his 7th birthday party there and we visited on George the parrot’s birthday. I love the bridge over the koi and turtle pond. Thy have great gardening and composting classes, annual plant sales, and other frequent events. oakparkconservatory.org
Morton Arboretum — We have met our friends the Kalbsters here to walk, play in the children’s garden or the hedge maze, see toy trains, hear world music, climb on enormous sculptures, and take in walking plays. I find it a bit inconvenient that you need to prepay for admission here and then go to the service desk to be refunded, but I hope they will change how they administer the reciprocal program some day. This is certainly the botanical garden we have visited most often. My sister and I have also attended the holiday Illumination program which was beautiful. mortonarb.org
Missouri Botanical Garden — We visited in 2014 on a summer vacation with the families of my high school friends, and first saw Sean Kenney’s Lego sculptures (natureconnects.info). I recall that Simon got drenched in a splash pad and I had to buy him a dry adult-sized T-shirt at the gift shop. missouribotanicalgarden.org
Fernwood Botanical Garden, Niles, MI — We were introduced to these beautiful gardens and arboretum because our family friend, Carol Line, was the executive director. Carol was friends with both our mom and our dad and donated a tree planting in dad’s honor after his death. I have made memorial gifts to honor my mom and Aunt Fran. I know they all would have loved Fernwood too. There is so much to enjoy but I especially love the paths through the woods down to the river, where I attended a yoga nidra session once. See my video clip of the woodsy sounds below. fernwoodbotanical.org
The Gardens on Spring Creek, Fort Collins, CO — Jim, Simon and I visited on one of our many trips to see our family in Colorado. The arid gardens were new to me and full of fantastic sculptures. gardens.fortcollins.gov
Tucson Botanical Gardens — My friends Janine and Peter took me here when I visited them in 2024. There was a wonderful art fair going on with beautiful rugs and pottery as well as food trucks. tucsonbotanical.org
I am a big fan of the American Horticultural Society reciprocal admission program. As members of Fernwood and the Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory, we can usually get free admission for two to other gardens and arboretums in the program. Simon and I have been to many in our Midwest travels and day trips:
Bookworm Gardens, Sheboygan, WI — This is a beautiful place for a day trip, and we loved the children’s literature theme. We can meet Aimee and have lunch nearby. Weeping katsura is one of my favorite trees and I can never resist stepping beneath the canopy. bookwormgardens.org
Mitchell Park Domes, Milwaukee, WI — This was our most recent day trip to meet Aimee and Jeremy in his hometown. The domes were designed by Donald L. Grieb and opened in the 1960s, but the conservatory and park date to the 1890s. mitchellparkdomes.com
University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska, MN — Simon and I visited this arboretum while Jim was touring Prince’s home and studio, Paisley Park. The woodland garden was my favorite. arb.umn.edu
