The Battery, United States

The Battery, the oldest park in New York, is situated along the water, on the southernmost tip of Manhatten. Dutch pioneers settled here in 1623, setting up their 'battery' of cannons to defend the city of New Amsterdam. The park therefore plays an important role in the history of the Big Apple. With its 23 hectares, The Battery is the largest park in the city. The extensive lawns, shaded lanes with overhanging trees, colourful borders and long boulevards attract many visitors - around four million people come here every year, American and foreign tourists, schoolchildren, New Yorkers and people from surrounding office blocks. The Gardens of Remembrance were created in honour of those who died and those who survived the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001. The gardens were designed by the Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf. He has made striking use of many varieties of grasses and flowering perennials. The gardens were laid out on 8 May 2003 and during the summer visitors could already admire a display of flowers. Dutch bulbs were added to the planting scheme in the autumn of 2005. Included were: Crocus tommasinianus, Allium christophii and Allium karataviense, Tulipa Queen of Night and Tulipa Spring Green. These provided a colourful display from early spring 2006.

www.thebattery.org/gardens.htm

Keukenhof, The Netherlands

The 32 hectares of the Keukenhof were formerly part of the enormous estate Slot Teylingen. At the start of the fifteenth century this was the seat of Jacoba van Beieren, Countess of Holland. The countess grew herbs and vegetables in part of her garden and every day she gathered the ingredients for the meals that were prepared in the castle's kitchen, thus giving the name to the largest park in Europe: the Keukenhof, or kitchen court. The main lines of the park were laid out in 1840 by garden and landscape architects Zocher & Zn, who were also responsible for the design of the Vondelpark in Amsterdam. The Keukenhof that we know today was designed in 1949 - an annual display of flower bulbs in an extensive outdoor setting. The spring display attracts on average 700,000 to 800,000 visitors each year. Famous visitors have included President Clinton, Queen Elizabeth of England and Princess Maxima and her husband crown prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands. Today, at the beginning of the 21st century, the park is one of the most famous and most frequently photographed places in the Netherlands.

www.keukenhof.nl

Versailles, France

André le Nôtre, a garden designer who lived in the seventeenth century, was responsible for the design of the gardens at Versailles, "the most beautiful palace in France and Europe", according to Louis XIV. The starting point for the court designer was to create gardens that were in perfect harmony with the enormous palace. The results are still there: the design has remained unchanged since that time. The gardens are characterised by their symmetry. The enormous parkland provides a changing aspect of luxurious flower beds, shrubberies and arcades, with their minutely trimmed trees, together with seating areas with beautiful views over the landscape. From here, the Sun King could survey all he possessed. The interplay of buxus sculptures, statues, fountains and long walks create a lasting impression on all who visit the gardens.

www.euroreizen.be/vakanties/kastelen_parken/tuinen.htm
www.chateauversailles.fr

Enköping, Sweden

The Swedish town of Enköping is unusual. In and around the centre there are no less than around twenty parks. Although different in layout, style and atmosphere, they all have an abundant variety of - sometimes exotic - plants and flowers. The city calls them "green rooms with a large, inspirational value". Even for people not normally interested in plants and flowers, Enköping's parks are certainly worth a visit. With this approach the municipal council of this special city wants to show that beautiful parks can entice people to leave their homes to enjoy nature. Through this involvement with nature - which can be formed at a young age - the level of destruction should be kept to a minimum. The parks have a lot to offer, from Siberian cork trees and magnolias to hundreds of varieties of perennials, bulbs and grasses, planted in a natural style. During the summer months the annuals create magnificent colour schemes. The design of one of the parks, Dream Park, was carried out by the Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, who also designed the Gardens of Remembrance in New York. Dream Park has around 220 perennials, in combination with various grasses. If you visit the park during the summer you will experience a firework display of colours and scents.

http://www.enkoping.se/swwwing/app/cm/Browse.jsp?PAGE=39035

Sissinghurst, England

Sissinghurst Castle has a long history. The castle was built in the Tudor style for Sir Richard Baker in the middle of the sixteenth century. It is situated on a ridge overlooking a valley in Kent. It was one of the first stone buildings in England. In the nineteenth century the property was neglected and would now be in ruins if the authors Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson had not intervened. Harold made plans for the layout of the garden, but the inspiration and implementation was largely the work of Vita. She abhorred rigid rows of plants and flowers, preferring instead a careful balance between colour, form and the seasons. The result is a stylish garden with a sophisticated combination of rare and traditional garden plants. Apart from a somewhat formal herb garden, there is also an unregimented orchard. In spring, there is a dramatic display of bulbs. The Lime Walk takes visitors past a host of different varieties of flowering bulbs which create a lively and refreshing display. Sissinghurst is especially famous for its rose garden, in which there are many traditional rose varieties. It is one of the most beautiful gardens in Europe. Vita died in 1962, and the garden is now managed by the National Trust.

www.touruk.co.uk/gardens/gardenskent_siss.htm