Hello, I'm Carmen Roberts, travel presenter and journalist. I'll be taking you on a tour of some of the most beautiful gardens around the world in a new series, Travel Tales, Gardens of the World.

Join me as we travel around the globe and delve into the delights of spectacular and inspirational green spaces.

Let me set the scene for you.

You're cruising along the southern coast of South Korea on a ferry,

the sea breeze ruffling your hair,

and the sparkling blue waters stretching out before you.

The anticipation builds as you approach Oedo-B Botania, a botanical garden island.

It's like stepping into a different world.

Seriously, it's that beautiful.

Oedo Botania feels like it's been plucked straight out of a fairy tale, and the story behind it is just as enchanting.

In 1969, fisherman Li Chang-ho was caught in a typhoon

of southern Korea and was forced to land on a remote uninhabited island. Captivated by its beauty,

he decided to buy the island and create a stunning open-air garden of exotic flowers and trees

with his wife Choi Hosuk.

Over three decades, they transformed the island into a paradise with over 3,000 types of plants

carefully selected to ensure there would be blossoming flowers every single day of the year.

Oedo Island became a testament to their hard work and love, making it

the first privately owned island in South Korean history. Sadly, Chang Hoang

passed away in 2003, leaving Hōsuk devastated. She returned to the mainland and gifted

the island to the country. I spoke to Hosek in 2019, when she returned to the island

to speak with me as part of the BBC travel show programme. I was so touched by her story,

the emotions still raw all those years later. She shared how she would gladly relive the hard

...