Botanical gardens are major tourist attractions around the world, but the Royal Botanic Gardens of Sydney are perhaps some of the most visited on the planet. Along with an inspirational landscape, these gardens boast year-round access free of charge. The gardens are located along the impressive Sydney Harbour adjacent to the iconic Sydney Opera House, and they span about 74 acres.
Garden History
The Royal Botanic Gardens is the oldest scientific institution in Australia, which began as a center for acclimating plants from other regions to the relatively infertile soil. Since 1816, the gardens have remained integral to botany research, though most of the gardens seen today were not developed until the period of 1848-1896 under the direction of Charles Moore.
Exceptional Features
One of the most iconic elements of the Royal Botanic Gardens is a hand-hewn sandstone wall that separates the garden from the harbor. Inside the gardens, there is an Oriental Garden, Begonia Garden, Rose Garden & Pavilion, Succulent Garden, and Rare & Threatened Plant Garden. These features are separated among the Lower Gardens, Middle Gardens, and Palace Gardens, which all boast very distinct scenery and garden surroundings.
Destructive Species
For a period of several decades, trees within the garden were threatened by a large species of fruit bat called flying foxes. These bats caused significant damage by killing dozens of trees in Palm Grove Center. Fortunately, eviction plans implemented in 2013 have been successful in relocating the colony of bats, thus restoring some of the damaged trees.
The amazing gardens of the world can inspire your own landscape at home when you work with the local experts at Santa Rita Landscaping in Tucson. We have been serving the southern Arizona community for decades with landscape planning and commercial landscape maintenance, so give us a call at 520-623-0421 or visit our website to get a look at some of our previous work.
This article is part of our collection of The Most Spectacular Gardens in the World!
