My family and I just spent this last weekend at the Royal Botanical Gardens. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining, a few cumulus clouds here and there and a slight breeze that cut down on the heat of the day. The flowers just added to the enjoyment and with the long pathways, wide open spaces and hidden forest gardens, my boys were able to enjoy it as well.

This isn’t to say that they were thrilled when I suggested the trip. “Ewww, flowers. That’s for girls,” they groaned and I saw two chins jutting out in defiance when I said, “Tough, we’re going to do something that I want to do for a change.”

When they got there, both were amazed. First, they were able to see a little informative clip on a tree that was found that can be traced back to the age of the dinosaurs. This tree is only found in one remote area in Australia, which is such a closely guarded secret that everyone who goes to the valley is blindfolded to protect it. Second, there was so much to see, so many places to run, and the rock garden provide so many paths to scramble up that it quickly became a favorite garden.

I was able to enjoy a more feminine outing, trust me, those are few and far between, while we hiked, yep couldn’t avoid that, and I gathered ideas for my own garden.

We packed a picnic lunch and ate it in a garden terrace filled with tons of greenery. That is one thing that I always stress for keeping costs down, don’t buy your food at the tourist spot. Pack a lunch or pick up a meal when you leave. The price of food can often drive up the cost of any trip when you buy it at the location.

At one point, my three year old shouted, “Look mamma, (my children call me mamma, despite the fact that I never use the word) this garden has a hibiscus.” To my surprise, he was right and we laughed at how well he could point out many of the plants around us.

When it comes to the overall expense of a trip, gardens rarely cost the exorbitant fees that other tourist attractions charge. For a day trip, with access to 4 gardens and a free shuttle between each one, we spent a total of 25 dollars for 4 people. So if you are looking for a nice way to spend a family outing, I would strongly suggest visiting a garden center.

You might be surprised at how many memories you can gain from the trip and as my husband, who used to make a yearly trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens as a kid, said, “This brings back some great memories.”

Sirena Van Schaik

• Plant Safety With the warm days finally upon us, many gardeners are getting out into their gardens and parents with children are no exception. If your kids are anything like mine, they are already getting ready for the run to the local greenhouse to pick up some annuals and more perennials than I had......
• Cheat Sheets: Toads Well, it's time for another cheat sheet for parents to add to their little resource library of things their children are going to encounter. I felt that toads are a great example because most children experience a frog or a toad and sometimes it is hard to tell the difference......
• The Last Days of Summer Today it was official, we took down the pool so it has to be the last day of summer. Okay, maybe the last day of summer is officially on September 21st and the last day of summer vacation isn't until Monday but you can definitely feel the days winding......
• Cheap Summer Activities: Going to the Beach This is probably an easy summer activity to figure out and I probably don't need to go too much into it but I will anyway. I guess the main point before I launch into this cheap summer activity is that you need to have a beach near you to......
• Failed Experiment: The Praying Mantis Well, it has finally been decided that my experiment with the Praying Mantis egg sac has failed. We didn't get any Praying Mantids running around and I think the kids were a little disappointed. I mean, this has been an ongoing project for over 6 months. Still, even with......

• Starting a Vegetable Garden Growing up, I hated working in our garden. Every so often my dad would make me weed, or water the flower beds, or help him pick tomatoes. I hated being hot, dirty, sweaty, tired, and I especially didn't like it because I hated eating vegetables. Why would I kill the......
• English Style Country Garden Landscape Design pt 1 There are a number of important elements that come into play when it comes to creating a romantic and comfortable English style country garden landscape design including the appropriate plant life, materials and accessories. These things are all important when it comes to adding both elegance and beauty to the......
• Hanging out in Atlanta the past week My apologies for the lack of posts this past week. I spent 5 days in Atlanta, GA for work. Needless to say, it was a busy work week and I didn't have enough time to write up any posts or work out. I still plan on reviewing some gear that......
• Working Barberry Into Your Landscaping To Protect Your Garden Against Deer Homeowners take a lot of pride in their beautiful landscaping and lush gardens. The addition of a nice garden increases the value of any home and provides a peaceful retreat after a busy day. However, having all of the lovely vegetables and flowering plants eaten by a deer can be......
• Garden Journal 7/28/09:Growing and Loving Surprise Lilies (aka Naked Ladies, Magic Lilies, Spider Lilies, and at Least Nine Other Names) This Old Time Favorite Requires Virtually No Care (more photos here)Realization of the Day:It's hard to imagine a more beautiful flower that is so easy to grow.That is actually what the informative site Floridata says about surprise lilies, which pretty much sums them up for me. But if you'd like......

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.