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Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil
The Jardin des serres d’Auteuil is a botanical garden created in the 18th century and located in the Bois de Boulogne, in Paris. Its main attraction is a series of large greenhouses, built around a French-style garden. Entrance is free.
Jardin des Plantes
The Jardin des Plantes is a large botanical garden located in central Paris. It also has a small zoo (Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes).
Parc de Bagatelle
Parc de Bagatelle is located inside Bois de Boulogne, in Paris. It was created in 1775 at the behest of Queen Marie-Antoinette. Its highlight is a rose garden featuring 10,000 rose bushes from 1,200 different species.
Keukenhof
In mid-April, I went to the Keukenhof, one of the world’s largest flower gardens, near Amsterdam. It is only open for 2 months every year (from mid-March to mid-May). It was a bit too early for tulips during my visit but the park has many other types of flowers.
Jardins Secrets de Vaulx
The Jardins Secrets (Secret Gardens) are a private garden and residence in Vaulx, near Annecy in Haute-Savoie. It was built over 30 years by one man and his family. It can be visited from April to October.
Hydrangea & cats at Hakusan Shrine
Hakusan Jinja (白山神社) is a shinto shrine in Bunkyo, Tokyo. It is especially popular in early June when it holds its annual Bunkyo Hydrangea Festival (文京あじさいまつり). I was too early for the best viewing but there were still a few flowers (and a lot of cats) when I visited.
Azalea Festival at Shiofune Kannon-ji Temple in Ome
While I was in the Ome area, I went to see the azalea festival at Shiofune Kannon-ji Temple (塩船観音寺). The temple is surrounded by a huge azalea garden with a giant statue of Kannon watching over it.
Peony Festival at Ueno Toshogu Shrine
A peony festival is currently taking place at the peony garden of the Toshogu Shrine in Ueno, until mid-May.
Wisteria Festival at Kameido Tenjin Shrine
A wisteria festival (藤まつり; fuji matsuri) is currently taking place at the Kameido Tenjin shrine (亀戸天神), in eastern Tokyo, and will last until early May. I was there a couple of days ago: Purple wisteria flowers were dangling from trellises surrounding the pond, which was crawling with turtles.