Between Dobongsan and Suraksan mountains (northern Seoul), a special botanical garden has opened its doors to the public: Seoul Iris Garden (aka Seoul Botanical Garden). The garden (measuring 52,417㎡) boasts a wide array of irises, one of the world’s top flowers, and consists of 12 different themed zones including ‘Iris Garden,’ ‘Medicinal Plant Garden,’ and ‘Wetland Park.’At the Iris Garden, 130 species of irises (300,000 individual plants) are on display on a plot of land measuring 15,000㎡. Species include yellow iris, iris setosa, iris pallasii, and iris domestica, each boasting its own brilliant colors and delicate shape.The Medicinal Plant Garden is home to 70 different species (130,000 plants) of medicinal plants, allowing visitors to view the largest selection of medicinal herbs in the country.Wetland Park presents 70,000 wetland plants and houses an observatory deck from which visitors may view and learn about the diverse aquatic plants.Cheoni Observatory within the garden provides visitors with a place take in the beautiful scenery. The nearby forest lounge is a rest area for visitors as well as a center of operations for the park’s ecological education programs.Irises are in bloom from May to June of every year, but are even a sight to behold during the rest of the warmer months, given the delicate shape of their leaves.