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(NAPSI)-Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote that the “Earth laughs in
flowers,” and if that’s true, Ohio is certainly one of the world’s
more joyful places. Each region of the state hosts a diverse collection of
natural preserves, botanical gardens, estates, garden cemeteries and more.
Natural Areas and Preserves
Natural areas and preserves provide visitors the opportunity to experience
Ohio’s
plentiful mature forests, lush wildflowers, wildlife and rare plants all in
their natural habitats. Lawrence Woods State Nature Preserve in Northwest Ohio is one such wooded oasis. Visitors can
enjoy a boardwalk to spot wildflowers or explore more than 1,300 acres of
centuries-old oak trees.
In the same region of Ohio,
Oak Openings Preserve Metropark hosts prickly pear
cactus blooming on dry, hot sand dunes just yards from orchids growing in
low, wet swales. Nearby Kitty Todd State Nature Preserve is home to more than
100 rare plants.
Tucked along the coast of Lake Erie is the Lakeside Daisy State Nature
Preserve on Marblehead
Peninsula. This former
limestone quarry is home to the only natural population of Lakeside Daisies
in the United States
and one of only three locations worldwide. The Lakeside Daisy is the rarest
of more than 200 endangered plant species in Ohio.
Arboretums
If majestic tree and woody plant collections are more your style, Ohio has plenty of
arboretums offering shady spots for relaxation or audio walking tours. The Stranahan Arboretum on the University
of Toledo’s campus grows 1,500
specimens of trees from as far away as China,
Japan and Norway.
Holden Arboretum in Kirtland is one of America’s largest
arboretums at 3,400 acres and is also known for its rhododendrons.
Estate and Cemetery
Gardens
Ohio’s
estate and garden cemeteries represent some of the most exquisite, historic
and artist-worthy settings in the state. For instance, the gardens at Adena Mansion in Chillicothe
were created with seeds from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate in the early 1800s.
Jefferson gave the seeds to Thomas Worthington, one of Ohio’s first senators. The view from
Adena is said to have been the inspiration for Ohio’s state
seal.
Spring Grove
Cemetery and Arboretum in Cincinnati is among the
top garden cemeteries in the country, offering 400 acres of artfully
developed landscape dotted with 12 ponds. It was established in 1845 to honor
40 Civil War Union generals.
Gardens and Conservatories
Ohio’s
city gardens and conservatories bring colorful plants from every corner of
the Earth to the core of the state’s cities, providing spaces to learn
about distant habitats and to escape from life’s hectic pace.
The Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus
takes visitors on a journey through the Himalayan
Mountains, the rainforest, the
desert and the Pacific
Islands. Franklin Park
is known for its annual Blooms & Butterflies exhibition, which transforms
the Pacific Island Water
Garden into an
enchanting haven for butterflies. Downtown Columbus is also home to the world’s
only existing topiary interpretation of a painting. The Topiary
Garden depicts Georges
Seurat’s famous “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” His
re-creation consists of 54 topiary people as tall as 12 feet.
The Cleveland
Botanical Garden in University Circle
provides 10 acres of award-winning gardens set in the heart of the
city’s arts and cultural area. The Garden features the Armstrong Glass
House, where visitors can walk into two of the world’s most endangered
environments--Madagascar’s
Spiny Desert and the Costa Rican Cloud
Forest.
Annual Garden Events
No matter what time of year you visit Ohio, there’s something colorful and
alive waiting to greet visitors. In addition to Ohio’s permanent sites and
attractions, the following annual events attract visitors from around the
world:
WinterBlooms Orchid Show & Sale
(Mid-January-February), Holden Arboretum, Kirtland
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Zoo Blooms (Held annually each
spring)
Cincinnati Flower Show (April), Coney
Island, Cincinnati
Cleveland Botanical
Garden Flower Show (Biannual, Late May), Cleveland
Columbus Rose Festival (June), Park of Roses, Columbus
Tipp City Mum Festival (Held annually in September), Downtown Tipp
City
Free visitor information is available to travelers interested in planning
a garden getaway to Ohio.
For more information about Ohio
in Bloom, visit www.DiscoverOhio.com.
Visitors enjoy a guided tour through the gardens at Adena Mansion
in Chillicothe, Ohio.
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