Been There readers share their recommendations for the best gardens to visit around the world, from the vivid Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech to a wild orchid collection in MexicoWINNING TIP Majorelle Gardens, Marrakech, MoroccoA doorway in a dusty side road away from the hustle of Djemaa el-Fna leads to one of the city's hidden wonders. It's a stunning botanical garden, the vision of French artist Jacques Majorelle, which was bought by Yves Saint Laurent in 1980 ? his ashes were scattered there when he died in 2008. In the centre is a block of colour ? a cobalt blue so intense that once you've seen it, you will always describe it as Majorelle Blue.. +212 5 2431 3047, jardinmajorelle.com/en; entrance ?4 FloppylionUKDean's Garden, York Behind York Minster is the Dean's Garden, and it's hard to believe that it's in the centre of a busy town. It's quiet and peaceful, and a perfect place to look at the cherry blossoms in spring, have a picnic (no ball games or cycling allowed) or to just sit and admire the grandeur of the Minster. On Tuesday evenings the bell ringers practise in the Minster and sitting in the gardens listening to this is magical. 0844 939 0011, yorkminster.org, entrance free katembLevens Hall, Lake District This wonderful topiary garden near Kendal feels like a sculpture park or a 3D cubist art exhibition. The pieces on show, however, are large, 300-year-old yew trees, some sculpted and clipped over the centuries into rigid geometric shapes, while others display apparently overgrown and runaway curves and bulges. Bright flowerbeds neatly boxed-in relieve the dark back-drop. This garden delights and amazes ? just be prepared for a slightly surreal experience. 015395 60321, levenshall.co.uk, entrance to gardens only ? adults �8.50, children �4 MRFifeMirehouse Gardens, Lake District This estate is filled with fantastic rhododendrons, which at this time of year create an enormous floral tower above you as you enter the garden. The size of the pine trees and other mature plants shows how long the estate has been here. Kids will love the assault course and defending the wooden towers. Keswick is only 15 minutes away, but we have often spent days here and seen only a handful of people. 017687 72287, mirehouse.com; gardens, playgrounds and lakeside walk ? adults �3.50, children �1.50 Mel248Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, Ripon This is 20 acres of beautiful walks among a huge variety of Himalayan shrubs and trees (magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons) in a riot of colour, all nesting in a peaceful wooded valley in North Yorkshire. Dotted around the landscape are sculptures to admire. A hidden gem, only open from mid-April to mid-June each year, the garden is a haven of peace and tranquility, with friendly, knowledgeable staff and an impressive nursery for those who want to take a little bit of it home with them at the end of their visit. 01765 658009, himalayangarden.com, entrance �6, under 12s free, open mid-April to mid-June RosmonAlnwick Garden At Alnwick Garden you can sway across the wooden bridge to Britain's largest treehouse; find out how medieval monks purged themselves on bulbs in the poison garden; admire the thousands of matching purple tulips growing beneath the cherry blossom; get enjoyably soaked by the water sculptures, and still have time to pop back to the castle where you might meet Hagrid and Dumbledore performing magic shows ? the castle was a regular location for the Harry Potter films. 01665 511350, alnwickgarden.com, garden only, adults �11, concessions �9, children 1p CooperteacherCulross Palace Gardens, Fife This is a historic restored walled garden, sheltered behind a 16th-century merchant's house. It's easy to while away an afternoon wandering the terraces of fruit, vegetables and herbs, pleasingly interspersed with aromatic plants and flowers. Find a sheltered seat under one of the arches or bowers and admire the views over the Firth of Forth to the Forth Bridge and beyond. Don't forget to visit the little stall which sells its produce when in season. 0844 493 2189, nts.org.uk/Property/Culross; adults �9, family �22 AnshirLip na Cloiche, Isle of Mull This is a fabulous garden, crafted into the hillside overlooking Loch Tuath. The plant-life showcases the immense variety that can be grown in this Gulf Stream-fed climate, including some Chilean and New Zealand rarities. In early evening the dappled light of the setting sun shines through the leaves. I'm certain, though, that if you visit on one of Mull's more common "grey" days, the garden is still resplendent.01688 500257, lipnacloiche.co.uk; entrance free MrraphGermanyEmil Nolde's garden, Seeb�llEmil Nolde is famous for his expressionistic paintings of the wide skies of northern Germany. His love for bold colours is reflected in his garden, which still looks the same as it did in his lifetime. It stands out like an oasis of colour in the windswept flat land of Schleswig-Holstein. After visiting the garden, you can admire his works of art in the adjoining museum.+49 466 498 3930, nolde-stiftung.de; adults ?8, children ?3 AnnaRegMexicoOrqu�deas Moxviquil Botanical Garden, San Crist�bal de las Casas Wild orchids are the thing here, with 450 species including the impressive large white blooms of epidendrum parkinsonianum and the tiny pinky purple nageliella purpurea. Temperate-zone species arch from the branches of trees along paths to the tropical greenhouse with its jungly arrangement of branches, like a miniature dense rainforest. If you're lucky, Cisco the orchid man will be around to talk about his passion, or Xun the Mayan gardener will answer questions. The garden is beautifully laid out with ponds and sculptures, a cool place in both senses.+52 967 678 5727, orchidsmexico.com, entrance free BolomchonItalyLa Mortella garden, Ischia This beautiful hillside garden was created by the composer William Walton and his wife Susana. After you enter into a lush tropical paradise, winding paths take you on a gradual climb through a rich variety of plants. There is an amphitheatre built into the rock face, with glorious views across the bay to Forio, which stages classical concerts on summer evenings. The steepness of this volcanic hillside makes you realise what an achievement of imagination La Mortella is. +39 081 986220, lamortella.org; adults ?12, children ?2 CTDevonAustraliaAustralian Inland Botanical Gardens, Mildura These gardens are unusual. Located ten minutes' drive from the town of Mildura, they are an excellent example of a successful community project. Although supported by state governments and local councils, the creation of the gardens was the idea of local residents who raised the funds and undertook much of the work to make the idea a reality. There are plants from many different regions of the world, including a lovely rose garden, as well as a wide selection of Australian native plants. Perhaps unique to a botanic garden is the Bush Chapel, an open-air chapel with tall eucalypts for walls, which provides a wonderful feeling of serenity and calm. +61 3 50233612, aibg.org.au, entrance free RobynMarySouth AfricaKirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Cape TownCovering 36 hectares, Kirstenbosch lies at the foot of the eastern slopes of Table Mountain and gives a comprehensive taste of the Cape's flora and fauna. Shona stone sculptures from Zimbabwe are set around the grounds, and regular events include temporary art exhibitions and summer concerts in the warm evenings under starry, African skies.Energetic visitors can walk past beds of ericas and proteas to embark on a winding route up Nursery Ravine to Castle Rock, the imposing stone hunk above the gardens, and admire the vegetation ? or fynbos, as it is called ? from above. You might be lucky enough to spot a disa orchid or indigenous frog, or you can just admire the sunbirds and sugarbirds dipping their long beaks into nectar-rich blooms. +27 21 799 8783, sanbi.org/frames/kirstfram.htm, adults �3.50, children 6-17 �1 MarsarGardensWildlife holidaysYorkshireLake DistrictGermanyMexicoItalySouth AfricaAustraliaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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