Lavinia Woolf
Aitken Spence Hotels, among the best hotels in Sri Lanka, offers holiday destinations that enable vacationers to experience many unique aspects of the country's natural beauty and heritage. These hotels Sri Lanka are also known for their award winning designs, exceptional services and facilities.
While botanic gardens were started in Slave Island Colombo and close to the southern city of Kalutara in the early 19th century, it was found that the warm and wet climate was not suited to a variety of plants. Hence soon after the British advent into the Kandyan Kingdom the groundwork for the Peradeniya Botanic Garden, the largest in the country at 147 acres was laid in 1821 and the garden itself was formally established in 1843 with plants brought in from Kew Gardens in England and from botanic gardens in Slave Island and Kalutara. The Peradeniya Botanical gardens is famous for its collection of orchids, 4000 species of plants from all over the world, its avenue of palms, collection of water plants and the giant Javan fig tree on the great lawn. Its riverside location and beautiful vistas add to its attractions. The National Herbarium of Sri Lanka is also part of it.
Hakgala Botanic Gardens, the second largest in the country was established in 1884 by the Nuwara Eliya – Badulla road. Located at 5,400 ft above sea level it has a cool temperate climate and is next to the Hakgala Strict Nature Reserve. 10,000 species of sub tropical and temperate plants from around the world can be seen here. More than 500,000 visitors come here to see its rose garden in bloom during the warm month of April.
Henarathgoda Botanic Garden in Gampaha spread out over 43 acres started off as the country's first rubber plantation. Among the tropical flora here are the gnarled roots of the first rubber tree grown in the country and African and Malayan poison arrow trees.
Mirijjawila Botanic Gardens the newest, is being established in the dry zone in southern Sri Lanka. Rare species of flora endemic to the dry zone is to be displayed here. The aim of setting up this botanic garden is to conserve and propagate dry and arid zone flora of Sri Lanka with a view to improving the dry zone landscape. Aitken Spence hotels featuring some of the best hotels in Sri Lanka can be chosen if one needs accommodation during the exploration of these wonderful gardens.
Although 62 acres have been allocated to the Seethawaka Wet Zone Botanic Garden to conserve threatened and vulnerable wet lowland flora it is yet to see any significant development.
