Ghana



University of Accra Botanic Garden
The university is located in the Legon district in the north of Ghana's capital city, Accra. The gardens are a fairly low key affair: minimal signage, no entrance fee, no shop, and on both occasions when I visited, no visitors. Still, the grounds have gravel paths weaving between various trees, with labels giving the scientific names. It's well worth making the effort to visit the gardens, if nothing else to breathe some fresh air, and to see the weedy annuals and the amazing array of native butterflies and insects. BGCI website.

Aburi Botanic Garden
On the upper slopes of the Akwapim mountains in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, these gardens feature spectacular palm tree-lined avenues as well as huge specimens of the Silk-cotton Tree (Ceiba pentandra).
BGCI website.


India



Brindavan Gardens, Mysore
I have to say that the highly formal, rectilinear layout of this garden is not to my taste, nor the way plants are used and abused to create simple geometric shapes and patterns. However, it's worth seeing for the spectacle of the abundant fountains, especially when darkness falls and the various coloured lights come on.
Brindavan website (One page!).

Cubbon Park, Bangaluru
More formally, this is Sri. Chamarajendra Park. Located in the heart of city of Bangaluru (Bangalore), this wooded parkland has 68 genera and 96 species of plants in cultivation.
Cubbon Park website (One page!).

Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Garden, Kerala
I noticed the sign for this garden and tropical botany research centre when driving north-east into the mountains from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. At the time, I was the only visitor. Before I was admitted entry, a record was made of my passport details, I was required to complete details in a large visitors' log book, and I had to pay a foreign visitors fee costing a great deal more than Indian nationals would have to pay. A guide was pointing out the plants as we drove round the gardens. I requested that we walk and negotiated permission to take photographs! Still, it's highly recommended, especially to see the extensive collection of Bamboos.
JNTBG website.

Lalbagh Botanic Garden, Bangalore
Right in the heart of polluted and bustling Bangaluru (Bangalore), Lalbagh offers relief from the traffic although it's full of people enjoying the plants and the relative quiet. There's many attractive walks, a lake, a topiary garden and a glasshouse - The Jewel of Lalbagh - whose design was based on Crystal Palace, London.
BGCI page.

Thiruvananthapuram Botanical Gardens
The grounds of a selection of small museums and the zoo in Thiruvananthapuram are well stocked with labelled trees and shrubs, and also feature a range of ornamental herbaceous plants.

Sri Lanka



Peradeniya, Kandy
This famous botanical garden on the outskirts of Kandy is beautifully laid out, with palm tree-lined avenues and somewhat old-fashioned floral borders. Peradeniya website (Slow!).

Hakgala Botanic Garden, Nuwara Eliya
In the highlands of Nuwara Eliya, where the climate is much more temperate than that down in the coastal districts, lies this appealing garden full of nooks and crannies, easily explored by the extensive network of narrow pathways.
Hakgala website.


United Kingdom



Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh
The RBGE comprises four separate gardens in different parts of Scotland, with over 15,000 species of plants. The main garden, 70 acres of landscaped grounds and including a number of glasshouses, is located within the city of Edinburgh.
RBGE website.

Logan Botanic Garden
Logan is one of the three satellite gardens of the RBGE, situated on the Galloway peninsula in south-west Scotland. The site enjoys mild winters from the gulf stream flowing along the Scottish west coast, allowing some surprisingly exotic frost-tender species to be grown outdoors.
RBGE website - Logan.

Royal Botanic Garden, Kew
Situated on the south floodplain of the River Thames, Kew's magnificent gardens extend 300 acres, and boast a number of 19th century and modern glasshouses. The living collection comprises over 11,000 species, the satellite garden of Wakehurst bringing the number of species to over 13,000.
Kew website.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden
The 40 acre site of the gardens located in the charming city of Cambridge, feature very attractive plantings with interesting combinations of plants innovatively brought together. 19th century glasshouses add further charm and, of course, increase the species count.
CUBG website.

United States



New York Botanic Garden
An hour's ride on the subway from lower Manhattan, takes you to this expansive garden in The Bronx. Some remnants of the former woodland that grew on the island of Manhattan have been preserved and have a surprisingly remote feeling for a location so close to the bustle of people.
NYBG website.


Polly Hill Arboretum, Martha's Vineyard
The charming Polly Hill Arboretum on the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, is well worth seeking out. Not only are its woody groves, grassy meadows and lichen-covered walls rich in introduced and native plants and lichens, but the grounds provide an oasis of calm, contrasting with the summer crowds on the popular beaches.
Polly Hill Arboretum website.