10 Best Flowering Shrubs for Your Yard

They're Worth the Trip Alone

When we're looking for garden inspiration, we turn to home and garden shows, Instagram, and our test garden pros along with our more seasoned neighbors. But lately, we've been gathering innovative ideas around edible gardening and flower gardening from unexpected hotels and resorts. The typical traveler often factors features such as a property's location, the number of beds in a room, and the on-site spa and restaurant to decide which place to book. However, you might want to start looking at the grounds, because hotels and resorts around the world have some seriously stunning gardens.

1. Adare Manor

County Limerick, Ireland

With this 19th-century castle, 104 elegant guest rooms, an excellent spa and a Michelin-starred restaurant are what first catches your eye—but the greenery helped give the property its name. The Irish translation of Adare is Áth Dara, meaning "fort of the oak tree". Blooming oak trees join reflecting ponds and sculpted shrubs in the 842-acre lush woodland garden. Accent more with roses, clematis, wildflowers and pops of color on a green ground.

2. Castle Hot Springs

Morristown, Arizona

Because it's located near the Sonoran Desert and the Bradshaw Mountains, you'd expect this 1,100-acre property to be dusty and brown. But when you complete the 50-mile drive from downtown Phoenix, you'll land on an intimate desert oasis teeming with life and color.

With 30 individual bungalows and cabins (which double as spacious guest rooms), you'll spy more than 500 varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers planted on the ground and in greenhouses. The flowers are beautiful, but the real star at Castle Hot Springs is the culinary garden program — the brainchild of lead agronomist Ian Begar. The farm and restaurant teams work in sync, with Berger listed next to the executive chef, pastry chef and sommelier on each menu. Each night, guests at Harvest Restaurant are treated to a new five-course menu that features the best produce from the day's garden beds.

3. Cliveden House

Berkshire, United Kingdom

Built in 1666, this historic hotel offers panoramic views of the River Thames in the distance. Look a little closer to the estate and you'll find 376 acres of formal gardens. You will feel like royalty as you walk amidst the perfectly manicured grounds, elaborate floral displays, fountains and sculptures. You literally walk in their footsteps: Cliveden House has often served as a center for entertaining royalty and prime ministers. Stroll through the woodlands and you'll see a majestic California sequoia tree, then for an active brain teaser, try to make your way through 500 meters of giant hedges.

4. Shangri-La Paris

Paris, France

Talk about a backdrop: This beautiful hotel garden overlooks the Eiffel Tower, the River Seine and the Champs-Élysées. Once the home of Prince Roland Bonaparte, the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris has a breathtaking garden section that feels lush and luxurious.

When the weather is nice, the secret garden serves as home to the al fresco area of ​​the indoor-outdoor La Bauhinia restaurant. Visit at tea time to sip and savor seasonal creations inspired by the pastry chef's childhood while surrounded by shrubs, flower container gardens and trees.

5. Sensei Lānaʻi, A Four Seasons Resort

Lanai City, Hawaii

Caring for their guests and the planet is top priority for this luxury resort. On the Hawaiian island of Lanai, the 24-acre grounds are densely planted with more than 450 different species of trees, shrubs, and flowers—many of them native to Hawaii. Not only are the organic botanical resort gardens certified as a wildlife habitat with the National Wildlife Federation, they also serve as a spiritual and educational center for visitors. Take part in a forest bathing session to recharge or enjoy a garden walk to learn more about how the 30 staff help exotic plants thrive.

6. Hidden Pond Luxury Resort

Kennebunkport, Maine

Set amidst 60 acres of birch forest, the spacious cottages and bungalows feel more like country homes than part of a bustling resort. Since opening in 2008, two onsite gardens have been active: the farm and the chef's garden.

At the farm, grab a pair of shears and a basket, then harvest anything you want to take back to your room (flowers, cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce - it's all yours). The culinary team taps the chef's garden to star up the dishes of the earth at Hidden Pond, the resort's farm-to-fork restaurant, with peppers, eggplant, peas, onions, squash, chives, rhubarb and fresh herbs.

7. Hotel Villa Cipressi, by R Collection Hotels

Lake Como, Italy

Directly overlooking stunning Lake Como, Hotel Villa Cipressi Bellagio offers sweeping views of the city. You'll have plenty to catch your eye outside your window, where you'll find terraces overflowing with flowering plants. In spring, camellias, wisteria, and azaleas shine, and in summer come the bulbs, hydrangeas, and roses in the garden beds. Even winter has a lot to offer, as calicanthus, mahonia and sarcophagus perfume the villa with fresh fragrance.