The Seoul Botanic Garden: a Winter Retreat
Well, we’re about halfway through February which means winter is coming to a close and spring is on the way. Yet, besides the slightly warmer temperatures, it’s hard to notice any real seasonal change; everyone is still wearing their winter padding and flecks of snow occasionally still fall on cloudy days. I find activity planning during this time of year in Korea difficult as the things I want to do often involve being outside. Not only is my thin-skinned Arizonian self unable to handle Korea’s cold weather, but the outdoor scenery is rather meek with the trees and foliage being as bare and bone-dry as ever. Don’t get me wrong, I do think winter scenery can be quite beautiful, but given the choice between seeing dead plants while freezing and seeing blooming flowers while not freezing… I’d go with the latter.
This leads me to last week, when my friend and I were looking for something to do together in Seoul. We had talked about going to a garden, but after considering the weather and how nothing would be alive, we decided to look elsewhere. That’s what led me to discover the Seoul Botanic Park.
The Seoul Botanic Park, located in Magok, Gangseo-gu, is a recent development in the metropolitan area, having officially opened in May 2019 as part of the city’s effort to reintroduce environmentalism back into Seoul. According to the park’s website, the mission of the Seoul Botanic Garden is to “conserve and breed endangered plants as to promote ecological balance and create a natural refuge amongst the urban landscape of Seoul.” The facility’s scale is impressively huge, comprising of outdoor gardens, parks, a lake, and an indoor botanical greenhouse. In all, it sounded like the perfect compromise between the harsh realities of winter weather and our desire to see some gardens. So, without hesitation, my friend and I boarded the subway and were on our way.
The Greenhouse is located at the center of the park in a giant white and glass dome and contains plant species from 12 different tropical and Mediterranean cities including Jakarta, So Paulo, Barcelona, Perth, and Istanbul. We purchased our tickets and entered the Greenhouse from the ground floor. From there, we were free to roam through the various areas designated for each city’s environment. There were signs throughout giving brief details about the different plants. Audio guides were also available for purchased before entry.
Along with the colorful and abundant foliage, there are various small rock structures, waterfalls, and streams. The sound of birds, monkeys, and other wild animals could be heard playing overhead which contributed to the illusion of being in a wild environment.
It was incredibly humid inside the building. I occasionally felt droplets of condensate water falling from overhead and I even had to take both my winter jackets off!
After making our way through the ground floor, my friend and I headed up to the Skydeck, an overhead walkway that looked down on the gardens below.
After exiting the Greenhouse, we wandered around to see what else the facility had to offer. There was a small art display that was free to access, a plant-themed café, a small reading area that had a bunch of kids’ books, a few restaurants, a dining hall, a convenience store, and a gift shop.
We then headed to the roof, which had a great view of the top of the greenhouse and distant city buildings.
After exploring the inside, we wandered around the outdoor parks for a bit. Even though the plants weren’t blossoming and vibrant like the plants inside the Greenhouse, the tan tallgrasses and icy blue lake provided a distinct aesthetic fitting for the winter season. It was quite tranquil. The Open Forest, Lake Garden and Wetland are all free to enter while the Themed Gardens require showing your ticket (the same one used to enter the Greenhouse).
The Themed Gardens had a few small structures, such as a hanok (traditional Korean building) and some small bunny statues. A number of people were walking their dogs around the lake which was really cute!
In all, the Seoul Botanic Park was the perfect activity to do during these last few weeks of winter. Seeing all the diverse species inside the Greenhouse was extremely fascinating and it was the perfect way to escape the cold for a few hours. While most of our time was spent inside the Greenhouse, I could see myself visiting again in the Spring or Summer to see the outdoor gardens again. The park was rather busy when we went, especially with couples and families with young kids. So, if you’re looking for something to do as a group or with your family, I would highly recommend this place. The Park also provides classes on garden culture for people of all levels/ages, so if you’re interested in that then check out their website!
As a last little anecdote, I’d like to mention on this: Last semester I took a Japanese history class in which we talked a lot about Japanese poetry. During one lesson, we discussed what my professor termed as “the aesthetics of incompleteness,” which is the concept found in many Japanese poems about there being more beauty in what’s not there than what is. For example, while the cherry blossom trees are beautiful when in bloom from March to April, it’s more beautiful to see the trees when they aren’t in bloom and to envision them being there with your own imagination. I couldn’t help but think about this concept while walking around the outdoor gardens in the winter. In some ways I can see how this sentiment is true and I think there is something to be said about enjoying nature even when it’s not at its visual “peak.” Of course, I myself am not free from the convention of wanting to see the cherry blossoms only in bloom and the gardens only when growing and vibrant (reference: this entire blog post). Still, it’s food for thought…
To get to the Seoul Botanic Garden: Take the subway to Magongnaru station line 9 (마곡나루역) and exit out of Exit 2. From there, it’s a less than 10-minute walk to the Greenhouse.
Address: 로 161, Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Seoul
로 161, 마곡동 강서구 서울특별시
Website: https://botanicpark.seoul.go.kr/eng/main.do
Hours of Operation
Open Forest, Lake Zone, Wetland: Open year round
Botanic Garden and Theme Gardens:
March – October: Daily 09:30 - 18:00 (Last entry at 17:00) *Closed Mondays*
November – February: Daily 09:30 - 17:00 (Last entry at 16:00) *Closed Mondays*
*Check their website for hours on Holidays! *
Price
Open Forest, Lake Garden, Wetland: Free
Greenhouse and Theme Gardens: Paid fee
Adults (19 - 65): KRW 5,000
Youth/Students (under 19): KRW 3,000
Children (under 13): KRW 2,000
Group (more than 30 people): 30% discount
Free/discounted tickets for those under age 6 and over age 65, those with disabilities, students without chaperones