Seoul Iris Garden (Seoul Botanical Garden) is a park that lies between Mt. Dobongsan and Mt. Suraksan in northeastern Seoul that features an iris garden. The park and botanical garden first opened on June 7, 2009.
Seoul Iris Garden measures in at 52,417 square meters (564,212 square feet). The area features twelve unique theme zones including an Iris Garden, Medicinal Plant Garden, Wetland Park, forest lounge, and an observatory.
The Iris Garden land is 15,000 square meters (161,459 square feet). It features over 300,000 individual iris plants of 130 different species.
An iris is a flowering plant which is named after a rainbow. The name refers to the wide variety of shapes and brilliant colors of the flower. There are believed to be about 300 species of irises. Iris species, each with their own unique colors and shape, include yellow, setosa, pallasii, and domestica.
If you want to catch the iris bloom, the best time to visit is in May and June. The beautiful colors and shapes of all the irises are a wonderful sight well into summer.
Visitors to the Medicinal Plant Garden will find over 130,000 medicinal plants and herbs of 70 different species. This garden has one of the largest collections of medical herbs in the country. If you would like to purchase some of the plants and herbs you see in the garden, head on over to the Gyeongdong Oriental Medicine Market (Yangnyoungsi Market).
The Wetland Park features over 70,000 wetland and aquatic plants. There is also Cheoni Observatory where visitors can learn about these diverse, unique, and interesting plants. It is also here where you can take in the beautiful surrounding scenery including Mt. Dobongsan and Mt. Suraksan.
Lastly, there is a forest lounge and rest area where educational programs about the ecology of the garden occur and where visitors can rest.
