The living roof of California Academy of Sciences looks like the home of the Teletubbies. This beautiful living roof garden is designed by famous architect named Renzo Piano. LEED Platinum certification has been given to the building in 2008. The roof covers 2.5 acres land and includes 1.7 million native plants (perennials and wildflowers). It planted with total 9 native California species that don’t need artificial irrigation. The roof keeps the interior of the building about 10o degrees cooler compared to normal roof. 3.5 million gallons of rainwater is absorbed by the roof annually, so the stormwater runoff reduced by 93%. The Living Roof prevents the release of 405,000 pounds of greenhouse gases yearly, decreases energy requirements for heating and cooling, transforms carbon dioxide into oxygen as well as generates around 213,000 kilowatt-hours of energy every year. The temperature inside the building can be controlled by opening or closing the skylights on the domes. Museum visitors can view the roof.

2. Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Kirstenbosch botanical garden is the world’s first botanic gardens established to protect the South Africa's unique flora. It was established in 1913 and covers 528 hectares land in which only 36 hectares is cultivated garden and the remaining is natural forest. This garden cultivates only indigenous plants and includes the world's biggest concentration of these plants species (about 1,300 species/10,000 sq km). There is indoor greenhouse exhibiting plants such as fynbos, savanna, karoo, etc. from various regions of southern Africa. There is also a Liesbeek River and two streams that provide water to around 6,000 species of native fynbos plants. Kirstenbosch includes a tea-room, self-service area, gift shops, restaurant and a nursery. During the summer (December to March), evening musical concerts take place in this garden. Kirstenbosch is open for visitors 365 days a year.

3. Musée de Quai Branly's Vertical Gardens

Location: Paris, France

Gardens are not always horizontal. Patrick Blanc has designed a vertical garden. Vertical garden is called Le Mur Végétal in French. This vertical garden covers the facade of a four storey tall building. The walls of the building have 15,000 plants including grasses, heuchera, liverwort, ivy, sedges, bergenia, ferns and mosses of 170 species. Musée de Quai Branly's Vertical Gardens is comprised of three-parts: a PVC layer, felt, and metal frame. A drip irrigator system is also included on the top of the wall. The Vertical Garden can be used both, outdoor and indoor (with artificial lighting). Vertical Garden provides benefits such as lower energy consumption, better air quality and extra protection from weather and inhabitants.

4. The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Location: Mevagissey, Cornwall, UK

The Lost Gardens of Heligan was built in 18th century by members of the Cornish Tremayne family. It covers 1000 acres land and includes different moods, focuses and styles. BBC Gardeners’ World viewers voted this garden as “The Nation’s Favourite Garden”. The garden is well-known for two figures: the Mud Maid (woman figure) and the Giant's Head that are created from rocks and plants. It is the only garden in the Europe that has a productive pineapple pit. The garden has over 70 veteran camellias and 350 ancient rhododendrons. The garden also has The Jungle full of sub-tropical tree ferns and The Lost Valley. The garden is now open for visitors.

5. Paleis Het Loo gardens

Location: The Netherlands

Het Loo Palace’s garden is made in the Dutch Baroque style by André Le Nôtre. This garden follows an axial layout, the perfect symmetry formula as well as parterres. The parterres include basins, statues and fountains. The garden has wonderfully manicured flower beds as well as miles of symmetrical hedges (with or without flowers). There are different gardens in Paleis Het Loo such as the King's Garden, the Upper Garden, the Lower Garden and the Queen's or Princesses Garden. In this garden, you will also find numerous rare species of plants and the best citrus trees collection of the world. The fountains in the garden are also very amazing.

6. Huntington Library Botanical Gardens

Location: California, US

Generally, people visit The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens for seeing the library or art collection but gardeners go to the institute to view the amazing botanical gardens. The Huntington Botanical Gardens features the biggest and oldest cacti collections in the world. It also has the biggest collection of cycads. The botanical gardens include the Zen Garden, a Japanese garden, Desert Garden, Chinese Garden, the Chinese Scholar’s Garden, the Australian Garden, etc. It covers 120 acres land and has over 14,000 different species of plants. There are 150 varieties of eucalyptus, 1,200 types of camellia and the stinkiest plant of the world such as amorphophallus titanium, the odorous and corpse flower.

7. Garden of Cosmic Speculation

Location: Dumfries, UK

Garden of Cosmic Speculation is established in 1989. It is designed by Charles Jencks and covers 30 acres of land. This private garden is less about nature and more about mathematics and science with dizzy looking sculptures and unique landscaping. The garden not includes lots of plants but it has a great combination of artificial symmetry & curves (mathematical formulae and the shapes of science) and nature. The garden is opened for general public once a year on Scotland's Gardens Scheme to raise money for Maggie's Centres, the cancer care charity.

8. Namba Park

Location: Osaka, Japan

An office and shopping complex, Namba Park includes Parks Tower and a 120-tenant shopping mall along with Rooftop Park. Its rooftop garden makes it stand out. The garden ascends 8 different levels so the visitors feel that they are standing high on a mountain while they are in the center of the city. The rooftop garden has landscaping with canyons and cliffs, groves of trees, streams, waterfalls, manicured lawns and ponds. It helps to decrease the carbon emissions and the carbon consumption of the building.

9. The Gardens of Versailles

Location: Paris, France

Louis XIV appointed world's best architects, painters, and landscape-designers to create the Gardens of Versailles. Andre Le Nôtre designed garden between 1661 and 1700. It covers 250 acres of land and watered with hydraulic system up till now. It is an excellent example of the French Baroque style. The garden has got the UNESCO World Heritage status. The garden includes flawless parterres, a huge collection of outdoor sculpture, great basins, an orangery and admiring fountains. 50,000 flowers are planted yearly in this garden.

10. The Overhanging Gardens of Marqueyssac

Location: Vézac, France

The breathtaking gardens of Marqueyssac were built in the 17th century chateau that sits hanging above the picturesque Dordogne valley. The gardens are created from clipped box. There are globule-like bushes and 150,000 rounded boxwood trees which are artfully arranged to make winding pathways and labyrinths for visitors. The gardens include an area with swing, a picnic area, and an area for rock climbing. During summers, every Thursday, the gardens are lit by candlelight and different musicians play music in the gardens.

Image source: travel.uk.msn.com