Flowers in the Tetons, Wyoming

The majestic mountains are so big, the sky so wide and the view in every direction is spectacular.  Exploring the Grand Tetons is an experience of grand proportions.  It is easy to miss the wildflowers  surviving in this dry climate under a bright summer sun. Yet the flowers are there, in yellow, purple, red and white....   Continue Reading

Surprise! Splash! Spray! Water Jokes For All!

Hellbrunn Palace is a Renaissance villa in Salzburg, Austria’s outskirts. It was built between 1612 and 1615 by Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. Today the palace grounds cover approximately 148 acres (60 hectares) with alles of trees, beds of roses, swirling baroque-style flower beds, and small lakes....   Continue Reading

An Island of Flowers

In Bavaria, a land of fairytale castles, there’s a fantasy island of flowers. Mainau Island of Flowers is located on Lake Konstanz, a body of water spanning the borders of southern Germany and Switzerland. This temperate climate provides ideal growing conditions for this garden of floral beauty, fanciful creations, and unique features....   Continue Reading

Garden of Hearts

The Van Buuren Museum and Gardens in Brussels, Belgium was once the private home of David & Alice Van Buuren, two creative spirits sharing a life of art, music, culture, and gardens. They married in 1922; he of Dutch Jewish heritage, and she a native Belgian. Together they built their Dutch-style brick home just as the Art Deco influence blossomed....   Continue Reading

“A not good enough garden” Linderhof Palace

Linderhof Palace is nestled in the Bavarian Alps in southern Germany. King Ludwig II’s love of Versailles inspired the formal Baroque-style gardens surrounding the small palace. Versailles exerted enormous influence over European garden design, and Ludwig was determined to create his own majestic garden.  ...   Continue Reading

Floriade 2022–Hope for the Planet

Returning to Floriade this year was the culmination of a ten-year goal.  The last one was so exciting, so beautiful, and inspiring I was determined to return. ...   Continue Reading

Floriade 2022, Horticulture Celebration,The Netherlands

Once a decade, the Netherlands Horticulture Council organizes an exposition celebrating and highlighting horticulture’s contribution to life. The event is a World’s Fair of horticultural products, innovations in food production, and the beauty of plants in all forms. Participants from around the world showcase their garden style and their premium exports from their part of the planet....   Continue Reading

Tulip Fever, Can you pick just one?

am recovering from a fever. Tulip Fever. Seduced by their charms and captivated by their colors, petals, fringes, and the brief burst of beauty heralding the arrival of spring, I despair from the longing to possess these flowers in my garden. ...   Continue Reading

Let’s Celebrate! Fredrick Olmstead made everything better

Let’s Celebrate!

Here’s something worth celebrating, and it’s not National Walk to Work Day (April 1) or Lima Bean Respect Day (April 20). Instead, it’s a yearlong celebration of the first American Landscape Architect, Frederick Law Olmstead....   Continue Reading