MISSISSAUGA, ON — In partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), Collette Vacations is releasing its 2014-2015 RHS Garden Holidays brochure.

The brochure features 10 tours that combine a selection of the world’s finest gardens and horticultural sights with memorable travel experiences.

All tours have a strong horticultural slant. This may mean they offer private entry and specialist-led tours of public gardens, visits to private gardens or the chance to see plants in their natural habitat.

These tours are carefully balanced with horticultural content and more general cultural and gastronomic highlights.

All tours are led by expert Collette tour managers. Certain departure dates will also have a specialist RHS tour leader for added horticultural depth.

• Gardens and Villas of the Italian Lakes – 10 days/from $3,349: Discover the Cicogna Mozzoni gardens during a tour led by a member of the Cicogna Mozzoni family. Visit Varese, the garden city of Italy.
• Eternal Gardens of Rome – 7 days/from $1,999: Explore the Vatican Gardens with a specialized Vatican expert. Become immersed in the beauty of Giardino e Rovine di Ninfa when the gardens are open exclusively for RHS.
• The Gardens of London featuring the RHS Chelsea Flower Show – 8 days/from $2,849: Attend the members-only opening day of the 101st RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Explore Hampton Court Palace with its gardens and famous maze.
• The Beauty of Britain – 9 days/from $2,349: Experience a private tour and coffee at famous Castle Howard – before it opens to the public. Take part in an exclusive garden design workshop during a visit to RHS Garden Harlow Carr.
• Gardens of the Loire – 8 days/from $2,599: Visit famed Giverny, the tranquil gardens that inspired Monet to create his greatest works. Discover Louis XIV’s magnificent gardens at Versailles and admire the ‘Grandes Eaux’ musical fountain show.
• Portugal’s Gardens featuring the Azores and Lisbon – 10 days/from $2,199: Enjoy Antonio Borges Botanical Gardens, the largest and most lush municipal garden on the island of St Michael, on a private tour. Wander through the botanical garden of Terra Nostra Park, home to the world’s largest collection of camellias.
• Floral Wonders of South Africa – 15 days/from $3,549: See firsthand the natural vegetation known as the ‘Rocky Highveld Grassland,’ a beautiful area supporting over 600 naturally occurring plant species. Explore Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, home to over 5,000 species of plants native to South Africa with a naturalist guide.
• The Beauty of Japan – 13 days/$5,549: Visit Happoen Garden and participate in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony hosted by a tea master. Visit two of Japan’s Three Great Gardens, Garden at Mt. Fuji Kenroku-en and Koraku-en Gardens.
• New Zealand’s Garden Route – 21 days/from $5,699: Tour three stunning private gardens in Queenstown and learn the secrets behind their design and planting on an exclusive, expert-led garden experience. Discover the house and meticulous gardens of Kate Sheppard, the celebrated leader of the women’s suffrage movement in New Zealand.
• Gardens of American History – 10 days/$2,899: Visit the New York Botanical Garden’s Nolen Greenhouses – not open to the public. Tour the Ondine Garden and other outdoor spaces not available to the public at Dumbarton Oaks.

For all bookings, a one-year gift membership to the Royal Horticultural Society is included in the cost of each vacation. Once the trip concludes, travellers will receive a Royal Horticultural Society gift pack by mail.

A feature on why to choose a guided tour with RHS Garden Holidays informs agents on such distinct services like roundtrip home to airport sedan service with all air-inclusive tours. This personalized service is included when travellers reside within a 100 km radius from most major Canadian gateways. The sedan service is not valid on group travel.

To learn more, visit www.collettevacations.ca. Click issuu.com/collette_vacations/docs/rhs_cad_1415 to see the e-version of the brochure.