Gardens

The Cameron Highlands Flora Park (lot 191, 39010 Brinchang, Cameron Highlands) in Pahang state, peninsular Malaysia, opened in November 2021. Within the park, greenhouses, winding trails and picturesque picnic spots offer views of thousands of flowering plants. The park is open daily, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Entry costs MYR50 (near $12).

In Almere, Netherlands, the Floriade garden expo, held once every 10 years, is scheduled for April 14-Oct. 9, 2022. It will feature flowers and plant-growing innovations from more than 40 countries, and visitors will be able to sample and buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

Almere is a planned city that was built on land reclaimed from the IJsselmeer starting in the 1970s. The Floriade will be held in the new Floriade Park. A day pass will cost €29 (near $33) adult. A Floriade Pass, granting unlimited visits during the expo, will cost €79. Visit floriade.com.

Meandering along gentle pathways past and through a blanket of greenery highlighted by explosions of color, my wife, Fyllis, and I could have been in Japan, but we weren’t. 

A highlight of our visit to Portland, Oregon, in August 2019 was a stop at the Portland Japanese Garden (611 SW Kingston Ave.; 503/223-1321, japanesegarden.org)*, which provided fond memories of our sojourn to the Land of the Rising Sun two years earlier.

12 days, 11 nights. Departures April 16, 23 & 30, 2022. Group limit, 24. Highlights: In the Netherlands, canal cruise in Amsterdam, Keukenhof gardens in Lisse, Floriade Expo 2022 in Almere, cheese tasting in Gouda, Kinderdijk windmills/in Belgium, free days in Bruges, Brussels/in France, Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral, tasting at a maison du champagne in Épernay, Montmartre and 2nd arrondissement in Paris.

The Royal Horticultural Society (www.rhs.org.uk) will open their newest public garden, Garden Bridgewater, on May 18, 2021, on the grounds of Worsley New Hall in Salford, outside of Manchester, England. The 154-acre grounds contain seven distinct gardens plus a fruit orchard and a lake.

Garden-entry fees had not been posted at press time, but entry is free for RHS members. At press time, all 2021 tours had been reserved.

10-day, 9-night “moderate”-level tour in Victoria, southern AUSTRALIA, March 14-23, 2021. Highlights: Transfer from Melbourne to Lorne, on Great Ocean Road/Apollo Bay museum/Great Otway National Park/gardens in Dunkeld, Glenthompson/19th-century French Gothic-style mansion, gardens near Wickliffe/in Ascot, Lambley Gardens & Nursery/on Lake Wendouree, 99-acre Ballarat Botanical Gardens. AUD6,450 (near $4,635) ppdo. Single supp., AUD1,300 ($934).