Each year, the Royal Greenhouses, Koninklijk Parklaan 16, Laeken, Belgium, are open to the public just for a fortnight.

This year’s dates are April 19, 2019, through May 10, 2019 (it’s expected the azaleas will be in full bloom during that time frame).

Built in 1873 by the architect Alphonse Balat at the request of Leopold II, this is a “town of glass” which took more than 20 years to grow in the area around the Royal Castle of Laeken: rotundas, cupolas and galleries house magnificent collections of exotic plants, trees and flowers, some of which were brought back from the Congo (yes: we’re talking about that king).

(Photo courtesy of Visit Flanders)