Feeling hemmed in? Yearning for some peaceful moments communing with nature and beauty? Your city probably has just the spot to satisfy: botanical gardens. Created to grow, study, research, conserve, display and educate, these lush gardens offer respite from all that is hectic and stressful.
This overview introduces you to some of the best botanical gardens to be found near Taylor Morrison communities.
ARIZONA
Desert Botanical Garden – Wildflowers are the springtime stars, but you’ll also enjoy scenic trails, events, exhibitions, classes and more. Be sure to bring water, sunscreen and a hat to shade you.
CALIFORNIA
Gamble Garden – Located in Palo Alto, this free-admission destination is just one of the Bay Area Public Gardens, located in the cities of Santa Cruz, Walnut Creek, San Francisco, Woodside, Berkeley, Saratoga and Glen Ellen.
Jensen Botanical Garden – This 3-1/2-acre Carmichael garden offers a paradise filled with Tulips, Japanese Maples and a variety of Magnolias and Dogwoods.
Best Botanical Gardens in OC – Here’s a wonderful list of botanical gardens in Orange County compiled by CBS Los Angeles.
Descanso Gardens – Take in a tour, relax in the café, or stroll the verdant winding paths of this La Canada Flintridge garden in Los Angeles.
COLORADO
Denver Botanic Gardens – The garden offers too many options to list, but favorites include the 2015 Summer Concert Series, pre-ordering bulbs for September planting, seedling classes for kids, instructional programs like Pumpkins – The Art of Growing Giant Fruit, and periodic films.
FLORIDA
Naples Botanical Garden – Through July 5 you can ooh and aah at the Unearthed Dinosaurs in the Garden exhibit of life-sized, moving, growling dino replicas in a garden setting, but there is plenty to do any time of the year.
Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens – Wander the trails of this 120-acre urban woodland that feature a series of distinct ecological habitats, inspiring views, and over 100 labeled plants.
Leu Gardens – Just minutes from downtown Orlando, Leu Gardens offers kids’ programs and a variety of tropical plants and flowers.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens – Find nature on a Sarasota bay-front setting and discover horticultural displays and a center that focuses on education, research and conservation.
USF Botanical Gardens – As part of the Department of Geography, Environment and Planning at the University of South Florida, these gardens span about 16 acres and include a greenbelt on the Tampa campus.
TEXAS
Zilker Botanical Garden – Locals call it “the jewel of Austin.” Visitors enjoy rose gardens, a Japanese garden with streams, waterfalls and Koi ponds, and the recreation of a local prehistoric dinosaur habitat.
Houston Botanic Garden – Although the gardens began as an idea over 30 years ago, it wasn’t until 2015 that the board of directors received City Council approval to transform the site into a botanical garden.
