Road Trips Gardeners hate to be away from their own gardens during the peak growing season, but some sites are just too spectacular in the summer to miss. Here are ten of the best gardens to visit in June, July and August:

Missouri Botanical Garden (Missouri): Take the time to feed the ravenous koi in the 14-acre Japanese strolling garden.

Huntington Botanic Gardens (California): The lily ponds were the first to be developed among the 120 landscaped acres, but don’t miss the desert garden.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden (New York): Bonsai enthusiasts have had this urban icon on their itineraries for decades.

Chicago Botanic Garden (Illinois): Located not in Chicago, but in the furthest northern reaches of Cook County, this garden collects seeds and plants from around the world.

Lan Su Chinese Garden (Oregon): This unique garden celebrates the Sister City relationship between Portland and Suzhou, China.

Hillwood Estates Gardens (District of Columbia): Thirteen acres of formal gardens are the draw here, the former home of Marjorie Merriweather Post.

Longwood Gardens (Pennsylvania): There are six evenings of fireworks this summer at Longwood, including a Fourth of July spectacular.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Florida): Probably the smallest of the “ten best”, Sarasota’s Selby gardens include a greenhouse filled with orchids.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Texas): North America’s native plants and natural landscapes are the focal point of this garden at the University of Texas at Austin.