12 Gorgeous Gardens to Visit in Florida

5. Society of the Four Arts (Palm Beach)

The four arts of this Palm Beach society are music, art, drama and literature, but horticulture gets its due in the brilliant gardens covering the 10-acre campus.

Explore the Sculpture Garden and its 20 artworks before venturing into the nine intimate garden rooms. They were designed in 1938 to inspire gardeners, though anyone can appreciate the romance of wrought-iron gates, a fern-covered wishing well or purple queen's wreath drooping over a Spanish doorway. Bring your camera.

Cost: Free

Address/phone: 100 Four Arts Plaza; 561-655-7226

Hours: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily

6. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens (Delray Beach)

Less floral, more stone and water, the Morikami gardens are an unexpected find in Delray Beach. Designed for tranquility, they showcase the diversity of Japanese gardens across 10 centuries.

Begin at the Wisdom Ring, a giant stone lantern, and cross the bridges to the islands as you slowly loop your way around the lake. Your journey takes you past bonsai, bamboo, a pagoda, several Buddhist statues and a Zen garden, where raked gravel and rocks reveal delicate patterns.

Cost: $15 for adults 64 and under; $12 for adults 65 and up

Address/phone: 4000 Morikami Park Road; 561-495-0233

Hours: 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Tuesday–Sunday

Gulf Coast

7. Naples Botanical Garden (Naples)

Sprawling across 170 acres, the Naples Botanical Garden grows plants from around the world in creatively themed sections. It's hard to decide which is the prettiest.

The central lily-strewn Water Garden evokes a Monet painting. The Lea Asian Garden has temple ruins, groves of lychee and starfruit, and a Thai pavilion overlooking a lotus pond. In the Brazilian Garden, a multicolored mosaic crowns a waterfall framed by orange bromeliads. But the orchids, delicate and fragrant year-round, steal the show.

Cost: $20

Address/phone: 4820 Bayshore Drive; 239-643-7275

Hours: 9 a.m.–2 p.m. daily (June–September); 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily (October–May)

8. Edison and Ford Winter Estates (Fort Myers)

The grounds of the neighboring winter retreats of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford are steeped in history. Visitors can enjoy not only 19th-century buildings, like Edison's botanic laboratory, but also hundreds of flowers, shrubs and trees, many originally planted by the two inventors.

Highlights include the formal Moonlight Garden, a 1920s swimming pool fringed by banana plants, and a massive maze of a banyan tree at the entrance. During the holidays, go after sunset, to see the gardens sparkle with thousands of lights.

Cost: $25 for a self-guided adult tour ($20 for Holiday Nights self-guided tours)

Address/phone: 2350 McGregor Boulevard; 239-334-7419

Hours: 9 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily

9. Sunken Gardens (St. Petersburg)

Unlike the estates built by the rich and famous, Sunken Gardens was dreamed up in the early 1900s by a plumber with a green thumb. On the rich soil of a former lake, he added dense tropical plantings, several birds, a souvenir shop and more, eventually charging people for entrance.

The kitsch is mostly gone, but the magic of feeling like you've found a secret oasis remains. The collection, now owned by the city of St. Petersburg, has grown to more than 50,000 plants in a kaleidoscope of colors. Winding paths curve past coconut palms, bougainvillea, parrots and a pond with flamingos.

Cost: $12 for adults 61 and under; $10 for adults 62 and up

Address/phone: 1825 4th Street North; 727-551-3102

Hours: 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Saturday; 12–4:30 p.m. Sunday

Central Florida

10. Bok Tower Gardens (Lake Wales)

Built on one of the highest points in Florida, Bok Tower Gardens’ most famous feature is a 60-bell carillon with intricate carvings of herons, cranes, jellyfish and other Florida wildlife. The neo-Gothic tower reflects perfectly in the pool below — the classic photo — and overlooks gardens designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.

Spring is the gardens’ best season, beginning with camellias in January and culminating in late March and April with thousands of azaleas. Other must-sees include a whimsical children's garden and the Mediterranean-style Pinewood Estate, with its grotto, moon gate fountain and expansive views.

Cost: $15 for adults

Address/phone: 1151 Tower Boulevard; 863-676-1408

Hours: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. daily

11. Hollis Garden (Lakeland)

Just a few steps from downtown Lakeland, Hollis Garden looks more like the backyard of a European castle than a free city park. Neoclassical architecture pairs nicely with the flower beds and boxwoods. Urns, fountains and statuary add the right touch of stateliness. Baroque music plays in the background from hidden speakers.

The garden makes the most of its 1.2 acres, descending in terraces toward Lake Mirror so that nearly every vantage point comes with sweeping vistas. Some 20,000 flowers are changed out seasonally, meaning you're guaranteed a color show whenever you go.

Cost: Free

Address/phone: 614 East Orange Street; 863-834-2280

Hours: 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Tuesday–Sunday (April–August), 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sunday–Thursday, and 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Friday–Saturday (September–March)

North Florida

12. Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens (Jacksonville)

Facing the St. Johns River, the Cummer Museum opens onto graceful formal gardens. To the south is the English Garden, where wisteria drapes a curving pergola and parallel brick walkways border annual flower beds. To the north, the Olmsted Garden features a rubble wall and staircase facing broad, floral lawns. The Italian Garden, meanwhile, celebrates water — in its triple-tiered fountain, reflecting pools and even the arched gloriette, creating green windows to the river.

The best time to visit is early March, when the azaleas, camellias, delphinium, wisteria and foxglove bloom in concert.

Cost: $10 for adults

Address/phone: 829 Riverside Avenue; 904-356-6857

Hours: 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Tuesday and Friday; 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday