Birmingham Botanical Gardens (22/04/10 )
I discovered these gems of Botanical Gardens two years ago after attending a fair at the Birmingham NEC and was I in for a pleasant surprize 
They are of course much smaller in scale and variety than places such as Kew Gardens, though 15 acres in size, but they are definitely well worth a visit especially at Springtime.
They are located in Edgbaston, a few miles away from Birmingham in a very leafy residential area.
They were created by leading Gardener J. C. Loudon and opened to the public in 1832.
At the time of my visit, the Botanical Gardens were holding a very interesting exhibition on the life and work of Charles Darwin.
Here are a few pictures of my visit to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens in bloom, to say the least 
The Pleasure Gardens viewed from the Loudon Terrace
The Loudon Terrace viewed from the Pleasure Gardens
The Victorian Flight Houses in bloom !
Inside the Victorian Flight House
The Shrubbery in full bloom by the Japanese Garden's Pond !
A beautiful Peacock which just happened to be passing by...
Fountain by the Pleasure Gardens
A Glorious "Piece of Sky" 
A Cascading Pink Camelia
The Victorian Flight Houses in bloom !
Inside the
Inside the Victorian Flight Houses
Indoor Fountain in the Tropical Glass House
Karim