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For nature lovers, an oasis of lush greenery can provide an endless source of calm and inspiration.

With an abundance of flowers, plants and shrubbery, it’s no surprise that gardens throughout the world attract millions of visitors every year. In fact, the national tourist board for England, VisitEngland, found that gardens had the highest percentage growth in visitor numbers during 2019.

But there's much more to a garden than its greenery, from dazzling architecture to scenic sculptures, these landscapes certainly have the WOW-factor. ����ý Bitesize takes a look at some mesmerising gardens from across the globe.

Montreal Botanical Garden – Canada

Located in the heart of Montreal is 75 hectares of vibrant greenhouses and thematic gardens. The Montreal Botanical Garden was founded by the Canadian botanist and scientist, Brother Marie-Victorin in the 20th Century and now boasts more than 20,000 species of plants under cultivation.

Host to a number of living plant sculptures, the gardens double up as an art gallery made entirely from nature.

It contains a number of outdoor themed parks, such as the Chinese, Japanese and rose gardens. Buildings, such as the garden’s pavilion, are inspired by both Beaux-Arts and Art Deco styles.

In 2007 it was acknowledged as a National Historic Site of Canada and described as one of the most important botanical gardens in the world due to its extensive collections and facilities.

Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew – UK

One of the largest botanical garden in the world, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew hosts more than 8.5 million preserved plant and fungal specimens.

You may notice it is called ‘Kew Gardens’ as a plural, rather than singular. This is because in 1772, King George III inherited the Kew estate and joined it with the royal estate in Richmond, merging two gardens into one of epic proportions.

The gardens are home to a network of underground railway tunnels and even had their own police force established in 1845. They also served as a location of protest in the suffragette movement, when campaigners burnt down Kew’s Tea Pavilion to draw public awareness to their cause.

As well as a rich history, the gardens are also looking to the future. In 1985, Sir David Attenborough buried a time capsule in the garden’s Princess of Wales Conservatory. The capsule, containing seeds of important food crops, will be opened in 2085, when many of the plants it contains are predicted to be rare or extinct.

Jardin Majorelle – Morocco

Meticulously crafted over a 40 year period by the French artist Jacques Majorelle, what was once his studio and workshop has now evolved 100 years later into one of the most popular attractions in Marrakesh.

Painting the buildings in his own trademarked colour, bleu Majorelle, and carefully cultivating 135 plant species from across five continents, Jacques’s enchanting gardens certainly present a lot of photo opportunities to modern day visitors.

In 1966 the Jardin Majorelle was discovered by the fashion designer Yves Saint-Laurent and his lifelong business partner and life partner Pierre Bergé. When they heard of the plans to destroy the gardens later in 1980, the pair purchased the property and set themselves to restoring it in line with Jacques’s original vision.

Yves Saint Laurent himself said: “For many years, the Jardin Majorelle has provided me with an endless source of inspiration, and I have often dreamt of its unique colours.”

Gardens by the Bay – Singapore

A fascinating combination of floral displays and striking architecture, Gardens by the Bay is a modern nature park based in the Central Region of Singapore. A hotbed of horticulture, the site comprises of three waterfront gardens, each unique in design.

Inside the garden’s Flower Dome is a blossoming paradise, which broke the Guinness World Record for world’s largest glass greenhouse in 2015.

Towering over the gardens are 18 futuristic ‘supertrees’. These trees stand up to 50 meters above the ground and come alive with light at night.

A popular tourist attraction, the park has welcomed more than 85 million visitors since it first opened in 2012.

The planet of Xandar in the film adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy is thought to have taken inspiration from the location.

Gardens of Villandry – France

Fancy getting lost in a historic hedge maze? This might just be the place for you.

Situated on the left bank of the Cher River, these enchanting gardens surround the last Loire chateau to be built during the Renaissance period and are recognised as some of the best-known in the world.

By the end of the 19th Century the property had been virtually abandoned, before it was purchased by Spanish doctor Joachim Carvallo and his wife Ann Coleman in 1906.

The six picturesque gardens are framed by a series of terraces. These include a water garden, a vegetable garden and a large ornamental garden. Villandry’s maze, or labyrinth, is formed of hornbeam hedges, known as charmilles.

Unlike a traditional Greek labyrinth, a place where people would get lost on an endless search of dead ends, this hedge maze was designed as a place of progression, where the path taken by the walker symbolised the progress of life.

This article was published in September 2022