Top Gardens

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1. Versailles, France 
                                  The famous French landscape designer André Le Nôtre laid out these gardens southwest of Paris in the 17th century at the behest of Louis XIV. The Sun King wanted them to magnify the glory of his palace at Versailles, which was itself a monument to his absolute rule. The 250 acres (101 hectares) are riddled with paths that lead to flower beds, quiet corners decorated with classical statuary, ornamental lakes, and a canal that King Louis used for gondola rides
   
2. Kew, Richmond, Surrey, England
                                  Set amid 132 hectares (326 acres) of landscaped grounds, greenhouses are a popular feature of the gardens. Underneath their domes, botanical science and conservation come together in an elegant setting 16 kilometers (10 miles) from London. The Temperate House is the world’s largest Victorian greenhouse; the Bonsai House has trees more than 150 years old. Beneath the sloping glass roof of the Palm House, ten climatic zones grow baobab trees and vanilla orchids. Queen Charlotte’s Cottage for royal picnicking and the Orangery for lunch are enchanting.
   
3. Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland
                                  The gardens and grand Palladian villa at Powerscourt, south of Dublin, were designed in the 18th century and punctuate 19 hectares (47 acres) of formal walled gardens and shaded ponds. The grounds, waterfalls, parks, garden pavilions, and fine tree-lined arbors were suggested by the Italian Renaissance and the great estates and gardens of France and Germany. Cascading terraces and formal landscapes are planned with carefully designed walks that are framed by the gentle beauty of the Wicklow Mountains.
   
4. Vancouver Island, British Columbia
                                  The Butchart Gardens are a dazzling example of a successful reclamation project. The land, used for years by Portland Cement, by 1904 had exhausted its value as a quarry. That's when Jennie Butchart, the wife of Portland Cement's owner, filled the space with soil from nearby farms. Her vision expanded into a 55-acre (22-hectare) tract filled with 700 varieties of plants that bloom from March to October..
   
5. Tivoli, Italy
                                 A Renaissance cardinal decided to make life in Tivoli bearable by turning a dilapidated Benedictine monastery into a lovely villa, the Villa d'Este. This was embellished by one of the most fascinating garden and fountain complexes in the world, recently listed by UNESCO as one of Italy's 31 major historical/artistic sites. Among the most bewitching of the mossy fountains are the Fontana del Bicchierone (water pours out from a large shell-shaped basin); the Rometta fountain, which is a miniature Rom complete with a wolf-suckling Romulus and Remus; and the Avenue of the Hundred Fountains, where animal heads, lilies, a small boat, basins, and so on all spurt water.