When travelling, how important are the plants and natural areas you hope to see in planning your trip?
I have made trips with natural areas or gardens as the primary destination, but many of my trips are related to my partners work so cities become the primary destination. We both enjoy nature, so excursions to wild parks and botanical gardens are always among the highlights of our trips. I believe my two all time favourite vacations were a pilgrimage to see the worlds tallest tree and a tour of Yellowstone National Park. (As I think about it though, the Saguaro National Park was very impressive.)
Natural areas provide insights into cultivation. Rhododendrons are ususally not thought of as rock garden plants, but the attached image of Rhododendron albiflorum, taken July 22, 2004 on the west side of Snowcap Lake, Garibaldi Provincial Park, BC. clearly shows this plant to be growing in a scree.
