{"product_id":"south-africa-gauteng-johannesburg-botanical-gardens","title":"Johannesburg Botanical Gardens","description":"\u003cp\u003eYou walk through the Johannesburg Botanical Gardens on 81 hectares of lawns and paths beside Emmarentia Dam, close enough to hear the water from the Rose Garden. The gardens opened in 1969 on land that was once a sports field and golf driving range. Now it holds over fifty-six thousand trees, with paths winding through the Rose Garden, Herb Garden, Shakespeare Garden and arboretum. The Rose Garden has ten thousand roses in seven terraces; the Herb Garden holds culinary, cosmetic and medicinal herbs; the Shakespeare Garden grows plants mentioned in his plays, each labelled with a quote. The arboretum mixes South African and exotic trees — California redwoods, English oaks, silver birches — grouped by family.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEmmarentia Dam was built in 1902 from stone blocks quarried nearby. It covers seven and a half hectares and is fed by the Westdene Spruit. Dogs walkers and joggers use the lawns; canoeists and boaters use the dam. The gardens are fenced, with gates staffed by security guards. Three parking areas serve the site, one concealed behind a berm so that it does not interrupt the view.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe paths are paved and loop so that you can walk the full garden without retracing your steps. Maps at the office show the routes and gardens. Labels mark the plants in the Rose Garden, Herb Garden and Hedge Demonstration Garden — though, like all botanical gardens, some are vandalised. The gardens exchange three thousand packets of seeds annually with other institutions, preserving rare and endangered species far from their native habitats.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe dam draws the walkers and cools the air, and it is the reason the gardens are here at all.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"South Africa","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51932161212636,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"ZAR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0829\/8256\/8156\/files\/johannesburg-botanical-gardens-botanical-garden-emmarentia-randburg-south-africa-01.webp?v=1783186071","url":"https:\/\/murmurgo.com\/products\/south-africa-gauteng-johannesburg-botanical-gardens","provider":"Murmurgo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}