Here’s an imaginative way to tour the gardens of the world. . .without a passport! We do it by touring the amazingly varied gardens of Ohio, a state rich in horticultural history and accomplishment. 

We’ll start in the north and make our first stop on this tour in Cleveland. The Cleveland Botanical Garden is poised to make a significant impact – regionally and globally – on issues of environmental stewardship and sustainable community development.

A visit here offers guests an opportunity to tour various regions of the world without leaving Ohio. The recently completed $37 million Glass House was the first building of its type to display plants and animals in their ecological context, showing their mutual dependence. 

The facility features flora and fauna from Madagascar’s deserts and Costa Rica’s rain forests, and eventually will have over 500 species of plants and 50 species of animals roaming free. (Watch out for the butterflies: They will land on you!) 

The outdoor section of the garden covers 10 acres, and features 10 gardens, including rose, Japanese and herb gardens. There are also six demonstration gardens, called living exhibits, which will change every other year. 

After leaving Costa Rica and Madagascar (in Ohio!), we head to the Cleveland Rain Forest, which offers guests the opportunity to view two indoor acres that are home to more than 600 animals representing 118 species (not including thousands of insects and other invertebrates). The rain forest also showcases 10,000 live flowers, trees and 360 varieties of shrub, all native to one of the three major tropical rain forests represented in the exhibit – Africa, Asia and South America. 

Heading south, we take in the beauty and incredible architecture of Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens in Akron. First, we take in the mansion, where a docent provides a guided tour. Built between 1912 and 1915 by F. A. Seiberling (co-founder of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company), this lavish home was created to meet the needs of his family’s active lifestyle, as well as its need to entertain business and cultural guests. 

You marvel at the attention to detail, with over 21,000 panes of glass, hand-carved panels of massive wood and 23 fireplaces throughout. Each room tells its own story of the Seiberling family,   from the billiard and music rooms to the guest rooms where such notables as President Howard Taft, the Von Trapp Family and comedian Will Rogers once stayed. 

The 70-acre gardens are a wonder of landscape and design. A walk through them takes you through a great meadow, a tranquil Japanese garden, a formal west terrace, a rose garden, a lagoon, and an ever popular alley of birch and London trees. 

From late September into mid-October our tour includes Lake Anna, located in Barberton. We view over 30 islands topped with flowers, topiaries and more in a gorgeous setting along the shoreline. In season, more than 1million blooming mums display a rainbow of breathtaking color. This is an easy walk with paved walkways. 

A haunting garden 

Searching for something a little different takes us into Mansfield to Kingwood Gardens, a 47-acre display garden and cultural center that is renowned for its formal gardens and floral displays. Available at an extra charge is a tour through Mr. King’s historic mansion, which is considered one of Ohio’s better haunted houses: Site workers have proclaimed that Mr. King still has a formidable presence at his former home and they have even seen ghostly figures in the gardens! 

Heading further south takes us into Columbus to the renowned Topiary Gardens. How do they make bushes look like people, animals, ships and more? George Seurat’s famous painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of Le Grande Jatte, is laid out in topiary form, using yew hedges. We learn how 50 figures of people and animals, the largest 12 feet high, were laid out and how they are maintained. 

Also in Columbus is the Franklin Park Conservatory which was home to Ameriflora in 1992. The conservatory nurtures both plants and people by promoting environmental appreciation and ecological awareness. Its unique botanical collections and gardens provide life-long learning opportunities in a friendly, accessible setting that preserves tradition and provides a refuge for the soul. 

Once inside you feel the necessity to get our your passport as you walk through the bonsai and Japanese gardens. Sunscreen will be your next needed supply when you hit the Pacific Islands and desert region gardens. Even railroad enthusiasts toot the horn for the conservatory as they enjoy the niche gardening display that utilizes a railroad motif. 

As we start winding down our "seeds to beauty tour," we take a trek on the once heavily traveled Historic National Road, where we can’t ignore stopping at our favorite garden, Herb n’ Ewe, a place that celebrates herbs. Herb N’ Ewe is a 12-acre herb farm with a retail gift shop, plant sales nursery, terraced display gardens, restaurant and a workshop. There is a herbal factory that produces garden markers, scented botanical candles, herbal soaps and sweet delectable herbal jellies. 

Our last stop is Rothschilds Berry Farm and Gardens. Here we can sit and enjoy lunch (including a raspberry sundae). Following lunch we enjoy a tour through the facility that produces all the gourmet jams, jellies, sauces, mustards, etc. that sell in gourmet shops and upscale groceries around the United States. The 35,000-sq.ft., award-winning manufacturing facility makes everything from basic fruit preserves to unique blends of berries and herbs. 

We take a walk through the acres of herbs, berries and perennial flowers, not missing the opportunity to taste test and enjoy the many recipes.