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[Botany Garden in Korea] Daegu Arboretum

Daegu, South Korea
대구수목원 Daegu Arboretum
Blog by Jenikah Joy

A preview of the arboretum awaits at the exit of the Bus Terminal at Dong Daegu Station

Winter blues got you down?

One of the most surprising things I’ve learned about Korea is the vast amount of color that seems to appear all throughout the cold winter seasons. As a California girl, I’m used to only seeing beautiful flowers blooming in the springtime, but here in Korea you can see them any time of the year. It was this alluring concept that brought me down to Daegu this weekend to experience it in person at the infamous Daegu Arboretum. Nature travel has always been one of Korea’s most well known activities, but this is the first year I was able to check it out for myself.

I was introduced to a whole new world of color.

Daegu Arboretum

This arboretum is the perfect place to visit if you want to do a little hiking, or sight-seeing, while enjoying rare botany and exotic plants. The park has a variety of sites and green houses that hold special collections of plants from all over the world.

Located near Daegok Station, the arboretum is just two bus stops away on local yellow bus #5. Get off at the Central Government Office and you can walk right in.


 When you first arrive, there is a large parking lot for families and visitors who are able to drive in. The walk in is lovely in and of itself as the streets are lined with tall trees that are turning beautiful shades of yellow and red in the late fall season. You can either walk on a dirt path or a paved path on the other side which is convenient for people with strollers, kids with scooters, or the elderly. Now this time of year there is a very impressive flower festival going on as well, although it only runs for a short time in November I was fortunate enough to enjoy it.



The Chrysanthemum Festival

After walking up the hill there’s a big display of interesting floral figurines in all shapes and sizes. The overwhelming amount of colors and flowers is really something to behold. However, this event was extremely popular among natives and tourists alike, so getting photos was something of a challenge!





Exotic Flower Greenhouse
Since the festival is only there for a short amount of time, we decided to check out the greenhouses that are there year round. The first one we stopped into was the exotic flower house which was gorgeous! The vibrant colors and abundant pedals made every flower unique and special in its own way. I have never seen so many varieties of the same types of flowers all in one place together.



Desert Greenhouse

Now this was one of my favorite places in the entire arboretum. Perhaps because it reminded me of my hometown in California. I have always been a huge fan of succulents, and was impressed by the collection of plants inside the greenhouse. While walking through I could tell many of these plants were foreign to other visitors who had not seen these in person before.





A Beautiful Day for a Walk

Outside of the greenhouses on this side of the arboretum, is a path that winds around the outside and is perfect for a leisurely stroll or power walking. Although there is a full hike routed here, it was closed when we were visiting, so many people opted to walk the back paths instead. The trails are lined with beautiful trees that are changing colors and the ground is covered with leaves. 



Plants and More Plants!

If you explore farther in, there are more and more greenhouses which house other plant varieties.


That’s Not All

Although we did not make it to every single greenhouse, there was also a traditional Korean garden, a tropical fruit tree greenhouse, a bamboo forest, fountains, a play area, open grassy areas, a museum, and street performers. Many people were having picnics in the shade, or playing in the fallen leaves. You could easily spend an entire day at the arboretum and I know they host many school trips and tourists groups. I can only imagine how often this place changes with each season. I would love to go back and walk more of the trails in the snow or come back in spring when even more flowers are blooming.









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