10 Beautiful Virtual Garden Tours You Can Enjoy at Home During Quarantine

These days, it’s not possible for many of us to get out and enjoy nature. Luckily, some of the world’s most beautiful botanic gardens are helping bring nature to us with virtual online tours of their gorgeous flowers, trees, greenhouses, and other natural areas. Here’s a look at 10 virtual garden tours you can take from the comfort of your own home.

10 Best Virtual Garden Tours

1. United States Botanic Garden

The United States Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., is one of the oldest botanic gardens in the country, founded in 1820. With help from Google Maps, the garden created an interactive virtual tour of its outdoor plants, as well as inside its conservatory. The conservatory includes a wide variety of plants and flowers, including a tropical jungle, desert succulents, orchids, rare and endangered plants and habitats, and more.

Take the tour here.

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2. Hawaii Tropical Botanic Garden

This lush garden, located on the Big Island of Hawaii, includes more than 2,000 species of tropical plants, and features acres of jungle trails, streams and waterfalls. The gardens are also home to diverse species of wildlife, including geckos, Mynah birds, Hawaiian hawks, and Hawaiian monk seals. A beautiful video tour offers a peek into different parts of the garden, complete with a relaxing soundtrack.

Take the tour here.

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3. Birmingham Botanic Gardens

The Birmingham Botanic Gardens in England, opened in 1862, are home to more than 7,000 plant species, as well as a gorgeous rock garden, fern garden, and glasshouses containing tropical and desert species. A virtual tour of the Garden Terrace allows you to explore the more landscaped areas of the garden. A professional horticulturist at the gardens, Chris Howell, also maintains an excellent Instagram account where he regularly uploads photos of the gardens in bloom.

Take the tour here.

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4. RHS Wisley

The Royal Horticultural Society garden at Wisley is one of the most visited botanic gardens in the UK. The gardens, covering 240 acres, include multiple glasshouses with desert and tropical displays, a fruit field, an alpine meadow, a vegetable garden, and more. In a “lockdown edition” video tour of the gardens, curator Matthew Pottage gives viewers an aerial tour of some of the gardens’ most beautiful areas.

Take the tour here.

5. Kew Gardens

These expansive gardens on the outskirts of London date back to 1759, when Princess August, the mother of George III, created a nine-acre botanic garden on the grounds of Kew Palace. Today, Kew is home to 330 acres of gardens and glasshouses, and is also a global hub for scientific research on plants, fungi, and their relation to issues like climate change. Right now, Kew Gardens is offering an online hub for exploring its many attractions, including the Tropical Nursery, the Palm House, and the Princess of Wales Conservatory.

Take the tour here.

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6. Chicago Botanic Garden

The Chicago Botanic Garden has a virtual video tour of their gardens, focusing on what’s in bloom in the summer. The garden is also still updating its Instagram page with gorgeous photos of flowers, trees and natural areas.

Take the tour here.

7. Monet’s Garden

Take a stroll through Monet’s garden in Giverny, France, with a video tour of the famous site, courtesy of Britain’s Royal Academy of Arts. The tranquil tour is a mix of photos of the modern garden and glimpses into how it appeared in Monet’s time.

Take the tour here.

8. The Gardens at Waddesdon Manor

These resplendent gardens in the grounds of Waddesdon Manor in England were built in the late 19th century by Baron Rothschild, originally as private pleasure gardens for his guests. Now open to the public, the gardens include cultivated shrubberies and flower beds, a rock grotto, an aviary, and more.

Take the tour here.

9. The Royal Gardens at Highgrove

The Royal Gardens at Highgrove are part of the personal residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. When Prince Charles moved to Highgrove in 1980, the gardens were not extensive and had been neglected, and the prince made it a personal passion project to restore the grounds to their former splendour. Google Arts and Culture is offering a virtual tour of this charming British landmark.

Take the tour here.

10. Hidcote Gardens

This stunning garden in southwestern England features impressive shaped hedges, including two signature topiary birds. The gardens are divided into a series of outdoor ‘rooms’ that each offer a different variety of plants and flowers. The gardens’ website offers multiple virtual, 360-degree tours of the gardens and the indoor plant house.

Take the tour here.

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