Every garden has a story: where the garden is located, what the architecture of the dwelling reveals about the times and place, and who the gardener was. Visiting the Jim Thompson Garden in Bangkok, Thailand, illustrates this thoroughly.
Tag: architecture
Singapore’s Gardens By the Bay
Gardens By the Bay in Singapore opened in 2012, and over 50 million visitors have explored the gardens since then. This year, I was one of them! For years I have seen pictures of the forest of Super trees and fantasized about walking into that space. Doing it was a dream come true, and I allowed enough time (8 am to 8 pm) to see all five key attractions – Cloud Forest Dome, Flower Dome, Floral Fantasy, OCBC Skyway, and Supertree Observatory,
Walk with me in Vancouver, BC, Canada
The last week of July, it was 116 degrees (47 Celcius) in my Arizona garden. Luckily, I escaped to Vancouver, Canada, for a few days to enjoy pleasant summer days and temperatures in the low 80s (26 ).
Emerald Green Ireland
Ireland is an Emerald Isle. I have proof! It is Powerscourt Garden, identified by National Geographic as number three of the Top 10 gardens in the world. Located less than an hour from Dublin, Powerscourt Garden should be on your travel list.
Dunbar’s Close, Edinburgh, Scotland
If you find yourself in Edinburgh, Scotland, you will be inclined to walk the Royal Mile from Holyrood House to Edinburgh Castle.
It is the iconic corridor. Travel guides highlight it. People flock to it; movies immortalize it. Along the way, there is history, shops, then more history, and more shops.
Broadwoodside, a new garden in an old place
In a land of historic castle gardens, the contemporary Broadwoodside garden offers color, whimsy, and a story all its own.
Robert Dalrymple is a distinguished graphic designer known for his production of fine art books and catalogs. (British Art Museum, Victoria & Albert) His private home garden 25 miles outside Edinburgh is the result of transforming an old farm stead into an exceptional garden that rivals those centuries older.
Garden Travels, the best view of our world
I’ve just returned from a three-week trip exploring Scottish Gardens. My husband and I rented a car at the Aberdeen Airport and set off for our adventure. Rich did all the 852 miles of driving with a right-hand drive and a left-hand 6-speed shifter. Our GPS guide was the calm and reassuring voice of the actress Emma Thompson, and we loved her. But it takes both of us to stay focused on driving down shady tiny “B” roads with one-lane bridges, watching out for horseback riders, cyclists, and huge farm equipment along the way.
“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.
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.
Women in the Garden
March is unpredictable. One day it’s windy, the next day calm. Sprouts of green spring up from mud and buds begin to swell on bare branches of trees. Around the middle of the month, people cheer about their ancestry, start dancing a jig and profess a belief in leprechauns and fairies. Then when an entire hour suddenly disappears, everyone gets very emotional about it. We celebrate Women’s History during all of these disruptions, and it seems a perfect time as women often navigate these tempestuous events behind the scenes.