Six of the world’s great botanical gardens

Elisa Biondi, orchid guru and supervisor of the Princess of Wales Conservatory at London’s Kew Gardens, tells Ianthe Butt about six spots – from cacti-studded deserts to mangrove-fringed shorelines in Mexico – guaranteed to delight garden lovers

Riviera Maya, Mexico

The combination of wild plants, deserted cenotes and crystal-clear ocean makes this a stunning place to relax and explore. Just outside of Tulum (about an hour and a half south of the airport) there are many coastal mangroves – plants that look like arms reaching from the water. I grow mangroves in the Kew glasshouse, so seeing them in nature was very special. Also, close to the ancient Mayan city of Coba, there are lots of Tillandsias (air plants) in the trees, which live off the humidity and what’s present in the air. If you’re lucky you’ll spot Mexican Schomburgkia orchids. They have pink, frilly edged petals and ugly green pseudo-bulbs at their base, where the flower stores nutrients and ants live inside hollow parts.

Fy to Cancun

Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona

Deserts are fascinating because you see plants at their extremes: huge saguaro and towering cacti. In Phoenix, don’t miss the Desert Botanical Garden’s mix of drought-tolerating plants and art. For epic scenes, go further south towards Tucson to the Sonora Desert Museum. Here you can learn about the plants and hike in surrounding desert. Nowhere makes you feel more keenly aware – in a nice way – of how small you are. In cities we wonder at the power of man, but in the desert you appreciate nature’s power – super-tall cacti silhouetted against huge skies, where streaky sunsets transform into glittery, star-filled spaces.

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Hong Kong

It may be a skyscraper-filled metropolis, but there are two not-to-be-missed gardens at its heart. Nan Lian Garden in Diamond Hill is a public park built in the style of the Tang dynasty. It’s a peaceful Chinese garden with water features, a bridge, temple and incredible topiaries. Next-level calm is the nearby Chi Lin Nunnery, an elegant wooden temple complex surrounded by a pretty garden. Admire ponds with floating water lilies, a rock garden and intricate topiaries. It’s also worth taking a day trip to Lantau Island to see the majestic Tian Tan Buddha – go on the cable car for views of Hong Kong’s wilder landscape.

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Nice and the French Riviera

There is a huge diversity of gardens and parks in Nice. The Botanic Garden has an interesting collection of agave – a plant that loves dry conditions and has architectural spiky foliage – the most famous being Agave tequilana (used to make tequila). There’s also Parc Phoenix in the west of the city, which has ornamental temperate plants and a tropical glasshouse. If you go to Monaco visit the Japanese Garden, a cool Zen spot that looks good in every season but is particularly striking in autumn when the acers (or Japanese maples) are bright red. There are also many private estates to visit in Monaco – the Villa and Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild has formal beds brimming with roses, azaleas and succulents, which frame a spectacular building.

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Ischia, Italy

Capri may be the more famous of the islands in the Gulf of Naples, but Ischia is my favourite. It’s a volcanic island carpeted with towering palms, pine forests and aromatic plants such as lavender and rosemary – plus there are hot springs and amazing food. There are also plenty of panoramic walks, but gardeners must visit La Mortella to see a spectacular mix of subtropical and Mediterranean plants, orchids, highly landscaped paths and a bijou glasshouse. Not far from it is Giardini di Ravino, a cacti lover’s paradise with huge barrel and column-shaped specimens. In the past few years interest in cacti has gone through the roof, probably partially due to Instagram – they are easy to photograph due to their unusual shapes.

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Osaka, Japan

Next on my wish list is a return to Japan – I’ve been to Tokyo but am keen to head to Osaka to see Sakuya Konohana Kan, one of the world’s largest glasshouses. It’s home to around 5,500 species of plants (including rare Himalayan blue poppies) from different climates worldwide. It’s a bit like a bigger version of Kew’s Princess of Wales Conservatory. In-the-know horticulture friends tell me Nishinomaru Garden is particularly beautiful in springtime, when its plum orchard bursts into bloom.

Fly to Osaka

Check out the upcoming exhibition by iconic US artist Dale Chihuly at Kew from 18 April 2019. His breathtaking glass sculptures can be seen across the gardens until 27 October 2019. To find out more, click here

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This article has been tagged Destination, Travel Tips