Japanese Garden at Devonian Botanical Garden in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Public Domain Photo: The central lake and bridge section of the Japanese Garden of the Devonian Botanical Garden located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Please do not misunderstand the name ‘Japanese Garden’ as it may give the impression that it is a Garden in Japan. In fact the name is internationally used to refer to any garden that is built and maintained in the traditional Japanese style in any part of the world. Such gardens can add beauty and the richness of Japanese culture and styling in developing and maintaining gardens, especially when they are developed as an expression of art and mostly linked to ink paintings and calligraphy. So, Japanese Gardens are very popular not only in Japan, but they are very popular in the West since the 19th century. An example is the above photo of the the Devonian Botanic Garden in Canada.

Established in 1959 by the University of Alberta, The Devonian Botanic Garden is near the town of Devon. This garden is spread over an expanse of sand dune shoreline of the pre-glacial Lake Edmonton, and it measures over 30 hectares (or, over 80 acres), to which about 110 acres of natural habitat areas was added in the year 1976. Renowned for its diverse variety of flora and fauna, including the alpine types of hardy plants found in the coldest of terrains, the University of Alberta conducts a variety research activities on plant conservation, microfungi, bryophyte ecology, horticultural plants, etc. with an emphasis on unfolding secrets of biodiversity.

Laser Show at Lumbini Park, Hyderabad, India

Public Domain Photo: Lumbini Park Laser Show auditorium, showing the history of Hyderabad

Lumbini Park in Hyderabad, India

Public Domain Photo: Lumbini Park in Hyderabad, India, with visitors in day time

Public Domain Photo: Hyderabad’s Lumbini Park entrance gate

Blood Lily (Scadoxus multiflorus)

Public Domain Photo: A visitor photographs a blood lily (Scadoxus multiflorus) at the Fairchild Tropical Garden, located in the south of Miami on an 83-acre site between historic Old Cutler Road and Biscayne Bay. The Garden is internationally renowned for its collections of palms, cycads, and other tropical plants, including many rare and endangered species of plants.

Blood Lily (Scadoxus multiflorus) is also known by names such as Football Lily, Powderpuff Lily, Poison Root, Fireball Lily, etc. The Scadoxus, having close affinities with Haemanthus from which it has been separated only recently, is a genus of 9 species native to tropical Africa. As a garden plant, or indoor plant, it is cultivated in many parts of the world, notably in North America, Europe and some parts of Asia. The plant can live in the most neglected conditions, with the least care. The ideal climate is tropical, and it may not withstand extreme cold conditions. Mostly one bulb produces a solitary bunch of flowers consisting of up to 200 individual flowers in a season, or annually. The size of the flower can be as big as a football, and it is interesting to watch as a stalk may come up from a dormant bulb from below the ground and produce a bunch of flowers, and a few leaves may grow up, mostly after the flowers wither away.

More public domain photos of Blood Lily flowers and a plant with a bud and leaves are below.

Lord Shiva as Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer

PD Photo: Sculpture of Lord Shiva as Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer, in the Botanical Garden managed by the Polish Academy of Sciences at Powsin, a neighborhood of the Wilanów district of Warsaw, Poland, photo by Albert Stanisław Jankowski, Poland.

Hansel and Gretel in the Fairy Garden in Ludwigsburg, Germany

Photo: Hansel and Gretel in the Fairy Garden in Ludwigsburg, Germany, photo by Immanuel Giel, taken on 22 June 2006.

Hansel and Gretel is a fairy tale of German origin, the story of a young brother and sister duo who discover a house of candy and cake in the forest and a child-devouring witch. The story is of immense popular interest and often found in books, films, theater, arts, theme parks, etc. The story of Hansel and Gretel is often found in school text books too. Almost similar stories on characters reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel can be found in local folklore throughout the world.

Abduction of Helen, sculpture in Schönbrunn Palace

Photo: Abduction of Helen (Raub der Helena), sculpture situated in Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria.

Schönbrunn Palace (Schloss Schönbrunn), a former imperial summer residence in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important cultural monuments in the country and a major tourist attraction in Vienna. The sculptures in the Schönbrunn Garden were sculpted between 1773 and 1780 under the direction of Johann Wilhelm Beyer. During the execution of scheme, many sculptors were employed, one among them being Johann Baptist Hagenauer.

Palm house in Palace and Gardens of Schönbrunn

Photo: Palm house and the palmhouse parterre in Schönbrunn Palace's garden, Vienna, Austria.

Sculpture of Leda and Swan, Ludwigsburg, Germany

Photo: Sculpture of Leda and Swan (Leda und Schwan) in Baroque garden in Ludwigsburg, Germany, photo by Immanuel Giel taken on 22 June 2006.

Ludwigsburg Palace, located in the city of Ludwigsburg 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) north of Stuttgart's city center, is one of Germany's largest Baroque palaces featuring an enormous baroque garden. According to Venetian adventurer and author Giacomo Casanova (who is better known as a womanizer that his name remains synonymous with the art of seduction), the Palace was one of the most magnificent courts in Europe in the 18th century.

Garden at Bayou Bend Estate, MFAH

Photo: Garden at the Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, MFAH, Houston, Texas

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens feature one of USA’s best collections of American decorative art and furniture at the former home of Houston philanthropist Ima Hogg and designed by architect John F. Staub in 1928. Miss Hogg donated the home and its collections to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) in 1957 and it was opened to the public in 1966.

‘Adam, Eve and the Snake’ in the mosaic garden, kibbutz Eilon, Israel

Photo: ‘Adam, Eve and the Snake’, mosaic sculpture in the mosaic garden situated in kibbutz Eilon, in northern Israel. It is located a mile south of the Lebanese border and six miles east of the Mediterranean coast. Kibbutz is on a ridge between the streams, Nahal Betzet and Nahal Kziv.

Botanical Garden, Berlin

The Botanical Garden in Berlin (Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem) with an area of 43 hectares, home to around 22,000 different species of exotic plants brought in from erstwhile German colonies is one of the most important gardens in the world. Located in Dahlem neighborhood of the borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, it was constructed between 1897 and 1910 under the supervision of architect Adolf Engler.

Now, being a part of the Free University of Berlin, the Botanical Museum complex, with a large herbarium and a large scientific library, consists of several buildings and glasshouses, such as the Cactus Pavilion and the Pavilion Victoria, and its arboretum is spread over 14 hectares. The Great Pavilion, the largest glasshouse in the world, is a 25-meter tall steel structure covered by glass with floor area of width 30 meters and length 60 meters, with a constant temperature level at 30 °C and high air humidity.

Bronze sculpture: Young Girl at Botanical Garden in Berlin, side view

The Young Girl (Junges Mädchen), a bronze sculpture by German sculptor Fritz Klimsch (1870-1960) located at the Botanical Garden in Berlin (Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem), which is one of the most important gardens in the world, spread over an area of 43 hectares with around 22,000 different plant species (photo taken on 2 September 2006). Permission to reuse this photo: This is NOT a public domain photo, but Axel Mauruszat, © the copyright holder allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided the copyright holder is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other uses are permitted.

Young Girl at Botanical Garden in Berlin by Fritz Klimsch: front view

Bronze sculpture, ‘Young Girl’ (Junges Mädchen) by German sculptor Fritz Klimsch (1870-1960) at the Botanical Garden in Berlin (Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem), which is considered one of the most important gardens in the world, with an area of 43 hectares and around 22,000 different plant species. The photo was taken on 2 September 2006 by Axel Mauruszat. Permission to reuse this photo: This is NOT a public domain photo, but Axel Mauruszat, © ‘the copyright holder of this file allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other uses are permitted’.

The Beautiful Well, sculpture in Schonbrunn Garden

The Beautiful Well (Nymphe Egeria) is a sculpture in the Schönbrunn Garden of Schönbrunn Palace, a former imperial summer residence in Vienna, Austria. As it is one of the most important cultural monuments in Austria, it has become one of the major tourist attractions in Vienna. The palace and gardens illustrate the tastes, interests, and aspirations of successive Habsburg monarchs. The sculptures in the Schonbrunn Garden were mostly created between 1773 and 1780 under the direction of Johann Wilhelm Beyer, employing many sculptors.