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VOLUME 34. NUMBER 1 JANUARY /F EBRUARY 2O07

The Gardens of Kunming
In an exclusiye report
from
China Dan Cooper offers a gltmpse
of the botanical wonders
ost people visit Kunming to see the
fabulous natural landscape of the Stone
Forest and for a taste of the cultural life of
the city's 28 ethnic groups, with their colourful
costumes, folk dances and cuisine. But Kunming also
boasts two gardens worth visiting, th Kunming
Botanical Garden and the World Horti-Expo Garden.
More than B0 per cent of Yunnan province is
mountainous, and the change in elevation is
dramatic, from 6,714 to 76 metres (about249 to
22,027 feet) above sea level. This wide range
means the province offers great diversity in plant
life, from alpine to tropical and everything in
between, including lotus, bananas, fern palms,
larch, tea shrubs and blue poppies. Kunming is a
showcase for many of these
Plants.
I(nown as the City of Eternal Spring because of
its moderate year-round climate, Kunming boasts
an average temperature of 13"C (55'F), and it
receives no frost. At 2,000 metres (6,562 feet)
above sea level the city's climate is ideal for
growing a wide range of
Plants.
KUNMING BOTANICAL GARDEN
Located 1 1 kilometres (nine miles) north of
downtowfl, the Kunming Botanical Garden,
which is linked to the Chinese Academy of
of Yunnan's capital citY.
Sciences, was created in 1938. Its 44 hectares
(just over 100 acres) are home to 4,000 taxa, 13
speciali zed gardens and a modern exhibition
centre with lovely photos whose accompanying
text is, unfortunately, only in Chinese although
the botanical names are provided. Yunnan
province is noted for eight native flowering plants:
Rhododendron, Camellia, Magnolia, Primula,
Litlum (eight species, ffid the fwo-metre tall
Cardlocrlmum giganticum, a related genus that's
paft of the Liltaceae family), Gentiana (6 species),
Meconopsis (6 species) and a host of orchids.
Most of these plants can be seen on the grounds of
the botanical garden, and they appear in a
comprehensive book published by the garden,
which is available in both English and Chinese.
When our group visited in early October, the
lotus flowers were
just finishing and the leaves
on the larch were starting to turn yellow in
sharp contrast to the pink begonias that were
growing in the rich red loam of the garden beds.
The entrance pathway is lined with ginkgo trees
and leads to a laneway called Sweetgum Avenue
which opens onto the medicinal plant gardens,
which we thoroughly enioyed visiting.
Spring is the best time to visit the gardens,
although different species of rhododendrons and
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Azalea and banana plants
growing in Kunming Botanical
Garden among the karst rock
typical of the area.
12 Trellis O JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2007
azaleas are in bloom in all four seasons. December
to
January
is best for magnolias,
January to February
for camellias, April to May for lilies. A brief
introductory pamphlet with a map of the
gardens is available for 1 yuan (about 1 5 cents).
WORLD HORTI.EXPO GARDEN
Located northeast of the downtown area, the World
Horti-Expo Garden, which opened in lggg,looks a
little tired. If you plan to visit, don't be put off
by the kitschy Disneyland-like entrance and
the huge China Hall filled with tacky shops.
Walk through these and head straight for the
Domestic Chinese Gardens. You'll be rewarded
with a display of well-designed gardens repre-
sentative of every region of China. Each garden
has plants native to its area and is comple-
mented by local architectural
and geographical features,
from pagodas to towering
"mountains". It's like a huge
outdoor Canada Blooms but
with plants that bloom in
their proper season instead
of being forced for an early
display. Another section of
the garden showcases less
interesting, smaller interna-
tional gardens. The garden
representing Canada features
Japanese maples but little else that would be
found in a typical Canadian garden. Admission
to the World Horti-Expo Garden is 100 yuan
(about
$ 1 5).
Plan on spending at least half a day at each of
these gardens. It's a great way to recover from
the crowds of tourists at the Stone Forest.
Kunming's popularity with backpackers makes it
a relatively easy city to reach, with international
flights from Bangkok and Singapore and
domestic flights from several cities in China.O
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Dan Cooper is a Master Gardenery
freeknce
wrtter
and photographen Dan and hts wife are touring
Chtna vtsittng botanical gardens. He is also
Wtng
to arrange a seed exchange between these
gardens and the TBG.
13 Trellis O JANUARy /FEBRUARy zooT
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growitall@bellnet.ca