Ultimate Guide to Peradeniya Botanical Gardens

Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens is the largest garden in Sri Lanka with 4,000 different species of plants spread in spacious 147 acres. It considers as the most elegantly landscaped garden in Asia. Located about 6 km from Kandy at Peradeniya town, it considers as one of the must-visit destinations and top things to see in Kandy city.

The garden margined by the curved Mahaweli River from 3 sides and Colombo – Kandy main road by the other side. The stars of the garden are more than 10,000 individual trees, while some of them are hundreds of years old. As well, the garden is highly famous for its beautiful Orchid and Rose collections.

History of the Garden

The history of Peradeniya garden dates back to the fourteenth century, the reign of King Wikramabahu III.  The king built a royal residence in this location in 1371. The park created during the eighteenth century by King Kirthi Sri Rajasingha to serve as a pleasure garden for the Kandyan nobility. In 1821, it transformed into a botanical garden by the British. Since 1912, the garden managed by the Division of National Botanical Gardens of the Department of Agriculture.

Nomenclature of Plants

All the plants and trees in the garden have labels in scientific names and English names to identify easily. In addition to that, the name boards come in 4 different colors. Green color for native or indigenous trees, black color for exotic, introduced trees. The red color indicates endemic plants in Sri Lanka. Remember that yellow color signifies the poisonous plants with toxic substances in their latex or sap and don’t touch any parts of these plants.

After all, the tour of the botanical garden is educative and fascinating for all family members.  It needs plenty of time to stroll through the vast area of the garden. It is better to spend an entire day leisurely visiting majestic sky-high trees, perfectly manicured landscapes, and beautiful blooms in the botanical garden.  If you think it’s difficult to walk such a long distance, you can hire the electric buggy to explore it conveniently for a 2000 LKR (7 seats).

Map of the Garden

Legends

1. Main entrance 2. Double coconut avenue 3. Pinetum 4. Ebony collection 5. Palm collection 6. Cycad collection 7. Student garden 8. Bamboo collection 9. Medicinal garden 10. Giant bamboo 11. Rock border 12. Gardener’s monument 13. Giant java fig tree 14. Cook’s pine avenue 15. National herbarium 16. Ficus collection 17. Suspension bridge 18. Royal palm avenue 19. Memorial trees 20. Fernery 21. Japanese garden 22. Flower garden 23. Palmyra palm avenue 25. Plant sales center 26. Department office 27. Cactus house 28. Plant house 29. Orchid house 30. Spice garden

Here we are going to explain the main attractions that you shouldn’t miss during your visit to the garden.

Double Coconut Avenue (No 2)

The Double Coconut Palm (Laodicea maldivica) or Coco de mer produces the largest seed known in the plant kingdom. It is an endangered and protected plant, originated in Seychelles. Double coconut seeds are the heaviest seed in the world, weighing up to 20 kg. It takes 5-8 years to mature the seed, while it takes 2 more years to germinate.

The Double coconut is one of the most remarkable and rare palm species you’ll find in Peradeniya botanical gardens. It locates about 100 meters from the main gate. Don’t forget to see the wonderful and rare sight of double coconuts during your visit to the garden.

Ebony Collection (No 4)

Valuable ebony trees (Diospyros sp.) planted in Ebony Collection. Ebony trees are highly-priced due to dense black colored timber. It use as ornamental wood for making wood carvings.  Ebony plants are rare to find in the natural environment and they are protected species in Sri Lanka.

Cycad Collection (No 6)

Cycad collection is an amazing gathering of cycad plants in Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens. Cycads resemble a palm tree or tree fern, but its leaves are very hard, like plastic.

They are descendants from the age of dinosaurs and existing on the planet for about 200 million years. These tropical trees grow extremely slowly. They grow about one meter per century, but their age can reach more than 2000 years.

The world’s most slowly growing cycad also present in this wonderful cycad collection.

Bamboo Collection (No 8)

A large collection of Bamboo trees planted along the Mahaweli riverbank of the garden, including Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Burmese.  The collection includes green bamboo, yellow bamboo, prickly bamboo, and dwarf Chinese bamboo.

Don’t miss the sight of the largest bamboo species in the world, known as giant bamboo. It bought from Burma and it can grow up to 40 m in height. It’s a wonderful plant with their new shoots are growing about 30 cm per day.

Medicinal Garden (No 9)

The medicinal garden contains scientifically important plants for students and different kinds of lawn grasses. This herb garden contains numerous rare and indigenous plants that have medicinal values. It is quite useful for Sri Lankan traditional medicine students.

Lake

There’s a lake with marsh plants inside the garden. This is a small man-made lake in the form of the map of the island of Sri Lanka. There is a collection of a different variety of marsh plants in the lake. It is home to many water plants like the giant water lily and papyrus reeds. In the center of the pond, there is a tiny island with a lonely growing tree.

Giant Java Fig Tree (No 13)

The great lawn is a flat area with nicely tripped grass. The highlight of the great lawn is the century-old giant Java fig tree (Ficus benjamina). It stands at the centre of the great lawn, looking like a giant umbrella from the distance. This giant tree has widely spread branches and a large canopy.

Certainly, it is one of the oldest trees in the garden, which introduced to Sri Lanka in 1861. Many visitors spend much of their time at the great lawn shaded by the giant canopy of this tree. It is an ideal spot for a picnic or to have lunch, while taking a break from the journey.

Cook’s Pine Avenue (No 14)

The Cook’s Pine (Araucaria cookie) avenue is a line of pine trees bordering the great lawn from the riverside. These pine trees bought from New Caledonia and named after Captain Cook; the discoverer of the land. The distinct feature of Cook’s pine avenue is all the pine trees lean to the south.

When you are entering the avenue, it gives a feeling of unreality of space like we are standing on an inclined plane. Due to their mysterious leaning behavior, it calls “drunken Christmas trees”. Don’t forget to enjoy this miraculous sight of leaning Cook’s pines during your journey to the botanical gardens.

One research group has studied this strange leaning behavior of Cook’s pines and find out that they always lean towards the equator. Their leaning pattern identified as hemisphere dependent, but the reason for this behavior is still not clear. Furthermore, it needs some other studies to reveal the scientific truth behind leaning Cook’s pines. If you are interested in Botanical science, this is one of the best research topics to investigate further on.

Ficus Collection (No 16)

The Ficus collection is one of the most amazing sceneries in the garden. The lush green Ficus trees are reaching amazing heights, with a sky-high canopy. The roots of these enormous trees have outgrown the space. Some of these gigantic Ficus trees have intertwined roots and branches.

Some of the branches of these massive trees have dwindled into the earth many years before and then became strong pillars of support. Stop for a while at Ficus collection to admire the glory and wonderful sceneries that you might have never seen before.

Suspension Bridge (No 17)

The picturesque suspension bridge is the north access of the garden across the Mahaweli River that connects it to the Gannoruwa road. The bridge was built in 1905 and it is around 100 years old. Now, this bridge isn’t used as an entranceway and you can enter it only from the inside of the garden. Remember that this bridge can accommodate only a maximum of six persons at a time. You should try out this wonderful experience of walking on this moving bridge.

Royal Palm Avenue (No 18)

The number of palm species found in the Peradeniya botanical garden exceeds 200, including 3 spectacular avenues of Royal Palm, Palmyra Palm, and Cabbage Palm avenues. Among them, the royal palm avenue is the most prominent feature of Peradeniya royal botanical gardens. Royal Palms (Roystonea regia) are very elegant and tall, the leaves are located high up and have the shape of a crown, and hence it calls as royal palms.

The homeland of Royal Palms is Panama and Cuba. The first plantings on the alley were undertaken back in 1855. Since the lifetime of Royal Palms is around 80 years, the trees were transplanted three times.

Most importantly, this majestic royal palm avenue considers one of the epic photogenic spots in the country. Don’t forget to capture the best Insta-worthy shot at royal palm avenue, with the background of lush green, perfectly lined royal palm trees.

Palmyra Palm Avenue (No 23)

Palmyra palm (Borassus flabellifer) avenue is one of the three elegant palm avenues within the premises. The alley of Palmyra is a magnificent and photogenic palm avenue. Palmyra palms grow up to 25 m and it is a common plant in the arid regions and northern Sri Lanka. Certainly, this avenue is perfectly landscaped and lined with tall palm trees for a long-distance making of photogenic scenery.

Cabbage Palm Avenue (No 24)

The palms in the Cabbage palm avenue (Roystonia oleracea) are over 20m in height and lined up just perfectly. The birthplace of Cabbage palm trees is the tropical part of the American continent. The palm tree is so named because its central part is similar to the unfolded leaves of cabbage. The Cabbage palm avenue is quite decorative and enhances the aesthetic value of the garden.

Memorial Trees (No 19)

The memorial collection is an important place that one shouldn’t miss in the garden. There are over a hundred trees planted by eminent personalities from all over the world, who had visited the garden. The history of memorial tree collection goes back to 1875, with the planting of Bo-tree (Ficus religiosa) by King Edward on his visit to Sri Lanka.

Some of the distinguished personalities include popular Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin. He had planted a flowering yellow Ashoka tree (Saraca thaipingensis) at the Peradeniya garden in 1961, in the same year he had been to the moon. There is a miraculous story behind this tree. It says that the growth of this plant was mysteriously stopped, after his death in 1968. Although 50 years old, it is visible the plant is relatively smaller than its other counterparts. It is still flowering today, after many years.

Another important tree in the memorial tree collection is the cannonball (Couroupita guianensis) or Sal tree, which was planted by King George V and Queen Mary in 1901. You’ll find this plant has grown into a huge tree, with lots of fruits and beautiful blooming.

Flower Garden (No 22)

Above all, the flower garden is a major attraction in the Peradeniya gardens. Flower beds are laden with blooms of vibrant hues. It attracts many visitors for its splendid beauty. Not only these beds are laid with blooms but also margined by colorful Coleus varieties from bright red, green, and yellow. It makes marvelous scenery with an exquisite landscape of colorful ribbons bordering the paths on either side.

Certainly, the beautiful Rose collection is one of the most favorite spots in the garden. Different varieties of colorful Roses are planted in this collection. Voluminous bunches of Roses add an ultimate beauty to the whole garden. The sweet scent and beauty of lovely Roses will easily steal your heart with their exquisite colors and fragrance. Be sure to take your camera ready with you, as there will be endless opportunities to capture the snaps of eye-catching beautiful flowers.

Orchid House (No 29)

Moreover, the Orchid House is a highly attractive destination within the botanical gardens. The tour to the garden won’t be completed without visiting this orchid house. It showcases a fine collection of orchid species and some of them are very rare species. Above all, it is one of the important places in the garden which maintain with special care as the pride of Sri Lankans.  

There are about 300 species of orchids and their hybrids. For example, you can see Vandas, Oncidiums, Cattleya, Dendrobiums, and many more. It is a spectacle of color, where each species make visitors fascinated by their lovely nature.

Above all, you’ll find the largest Orchid in the world called Tiger Orchids, (Grammatophyllum speciosum) in this Orchid collection. It is the most attractive species in the Orchid house.  If you are lucky, you might be able to see this spectacular Tiger Orchid blooms in Peradeniya Orchid House.

Spice Garden (No 30)

Sri Lankan spices have created fame for the island of Ceylon, since ancient times. Spice garden is a collection of spicy plants including cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, and many other various spices. If you are interested in Sri Lankan spices, don’t forget to visit this collection.

Other Important Trees

As well, there are several other important and rare plants you shouldn’t miss in the garden. One such species is Lignum vitae, (Guaiacum officinale) the heaviest and densest tree in the world. This wood isn’t floating like other wood and easily sinks in the water due to its high density.

Certainly, another interesting tree is Napoleon’s Crown, Napoleona imperialis. It has magnificent flowers in its trunk, as well as in branches. The shape of the flower is similar to Napoleon’s crown, hence it got that name. The seeds of this plant are toxic and need to refrain from touching them.

Protect the Lovely Garden

If you’re a nature lover, taking a stroll through this garden will be a truly memorable experience. You can see lots of indigenous flora and fauna during your visit. You’ll be amazed to see huge bats hanging from the branches of trees the gardens. The sight of jumping Toque macaques in the treetops will fascinate you. As well as, don’t get surprised by so many young couples inside the garden, since this is a famous place among Kandyan love birds.

Be ready to walk around leisurely and spend more than 4 hours looking around, while admiring the beautiful sceneries. If you get hungry, there is a cafe inside the garden to serve you sandwiches. Most importantly, polythene bags are not allowed to carry into the garden, to reduce environmental pollution. Therefore, if you are taking snacks from home, remember to bring them in paper bags.

In addition, the best time to visit the Peradeniya garden is the first half of the year from December to April, where there is the least number of rainy days. As well as, this period is the blooming season of most of the flower varieties.

To sum up, the Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya is a wonderful place where you can admire the beauty of nature combined with the wonderful landscaping skills of horticulturists. This post has pointed out the most important things to see in Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens. Visit this lovely park and enjoy the magnificent views of Sri Lanka.!

Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay, Pixels, travellers.lk and yamu.lk. All copyrights are reserved by the original authors.