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: Art
Low Rider Roses
Imagine my delight when I walked into the Peterson Automotive Museum in downtown LA and discovered 100 roses painted on the Gypsy Rose, the iconic 1964 Chevy Impala customized Low Rider.
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,
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.
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.
Rainy Day at London’s Chelsea Flower Show
The English seem to be absolutely mad about gardening (which is a good thing). And after visiting The Chelsea Flower Show, I understand why. It is the world’s most famous flower exhibition, and the excitement extends far beyond Great Britain. I’ve always wanted to attend, so we flew in from Arizona. Others are equally enthusiastic, as we shared a coffee with an Australian national living in Poland who had flown in to attend Chelsea.
A Great Place for a Party
Gardening, by its very nature, is about putting down roots. So when we moved into our home in 1977, we had bare ground outside and white walls inside. We immediately set about putting down roots in our garden and community. This year, we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and our 46th year in our garden with an open garden day.
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.
Fyvie Castle, a garden of color
Not every castle has a garden, but many gardens have a castle.
Luck was with me as we arrived in Scotland to explore gardens. Late August gardens provide the fireworks of Dahlias, colorful puffs of hydrangeas, and the first shades of fall colors in this climate, and I was eager to see it all. We had three weeks to explore, and by the time we turned in our rental car, Rich had driven 852 miles, and we had visited 32 gardens, the big and the small.