Families go to the zoo to see the animals, but they are a great place to see landscaping ideas too.
I often suggest to people that they walk around the neighborhood to see what grows well in their garden. Today I am going to suggest another place to visit – the local Zoo! Most major cities have a zoo of some sort, and almost all of them landscape the grounds to be attractive to the visitors. Some zoos, such as the Indianapolis Zoo, even have the status of Botanical Garden too. The zoo in Indianapolis sends grounds personnel to various regions of the earth to investigate the local habitat for their animals and reconstructs that in the zoological garden. All this botanical knowledge is on display when you visit the animals. If you are really lucky you will also be able to see tags that identify the plants and trees too. This is invaluable to those who move around the country or are landscaping a new piece of property – you can see how big some things get! Early in the year you will see trees and shrubs, and by summer there will be a bounty of annuals to look at. If there is one that you want information on, most zoos will have a grounds person around to ask. Many zoos also rely on volunteers to work in the gardens and they can also be a valuable source of information. So visit your local zoo occasionally and enjoy the grounds as well as the animals.
