Tag: Art

Spring Fever in My Garden

There is so much happening in the world today.  I’m having a hard time focusing on writing about the beautiful Italian Gardens I visited this past Fall.  The flashes of Italian splendor shown during the winter Olympics so near Lake Como would make this a perfect time to share some of the great beauty to be found there in a different season. But it just isn’t happening in my storytelling brain right now.  

Here’s a peek at what I promise will come.

 

In truth, I have been spending every free moment in my own garden.  February is Spring in my AZ garden.  Its also my birthday month, Valentine’s Day, and a month filled with family memories....   Continue Reading

One step at a time into the new year

Stairs are intentionally designed to connect one level to another, yet they hold a kind of magic. Depending on where you are, you might be ascending toward an extraordinary view or...   Continue Reading

In Latvian, Laipni lugti “You are Welcome”

If you are wondering where I wandered off to, I’ve been busy noticing all the non-garden things happening in the world.  I began to doubt the need for garden stories.  Then I had lunch with dear friends in our garden, and they urged me to rethink that idea.  Now, maybe more than ever, we all need to be reminded of the beautiful green magic moments in the world. In 2025, I had innumerable such moments.  Traveling by air, coach, river boat, ocean ship, ferry, bus, rental car, tram and foot we visited gardens in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Estonia, Serbia, Croatia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, and England.  Oh, and I visited gardens in southern Indiana while on a speaking tour.  This travel kept us packing and unpacking for four months, and when we arrived home, we were a bit dazed....   Continue Reading

An Artist’s Legacy Creates Art in A Garden

The most beautiful garden space I experienced during my recent travels was in West Dean Gardens, on the Isle of Wight. (just off the coast of southern England) It was such a stunning combination of flowers, vines, and fruits everywhere I walked. I spun around in circles trying to take it all in....   Continue Reading

The Place, The House & The Gardener

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....   Continue Reading

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,...   Continue Reading

Kenji’s Garden, Kyoto

My Traveling Gardener journey began because I loved seeing beautiful flowers. Then, traveling to Kyoto, Japan, I am now in love with rocks! Standing rocks, flat rocks, rocks striated in colors, textured and engraved rocks. By chance, our guide suggested we would enjoy a private garden created by his friend’s father, Kenji Nakahara. So we drove down a small street and stopped at a gate just a few feet from the edge of the street. Stone foo dogs guard the entrance on each side....   Continue Reading

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 )....   Continue Reading

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....   Continue Reading