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In the Middle Ages, only monasteries and castles could proudly display their beautifully laid out gardens.
In the 16th century, explorers brought back new plants from their travels in Europe. Botanical gardens were thus able to make their appearance with the construction of greenhouses made up of steel and glass structures to let the sun penetrate and pro- vide plants with the heat and light necessary for their existence.
During the reign of Leopold II, King of the Belgians, the Belgian architect Auguste Balat, mentor of Victor Horta, carried out the restoration of the Royal Domain of Laeken in 1860 with the creation of the Royal Greenhouses.
This magnificent place consists of greenhouses adapted to each plantation. Serre des Palmiers or des Azalées, Winter Garden and Grande Rotonde with its huge glass dome can be visited in the spring to admire the varieties of exotic plants.
In Flemish Brabant, a few kilometers from Brussels, the magnificent Floralia exhibi- tion at the Château de Grand Bigard offers the fabulous spectacle of its spaces with millions of bulbs planted by hand to give birth to 400 varieties of tulips of all colors and all shapes.
The Botanical Garden of Meise was born from the union by royal decree in 1879 of the lands of two castles. The Garden of Scents and Colors, the Pavilion of Bees and the Garden of Roses provide an enchanting setting for the Orangery, a glass green- house designed by Balat, a marvelous green breeding ground for the Institute which studies all these superb varieties.
This oasis of greenery so close to Brussels is a joy in the present and a divine nur- sery that preserves species for the future in a spectacle resplendent with freshness.
www.visitflanders.com
The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken- Bruxelles www.monarchie.be
Floralia Brussels - Château de Grand Bigard - Groot Bjigaarden
www.floralia-brussels.be
Meise Botanical Garden - Meise www.plantentuinmeise.be