Creativity is driven by various motivations. Joy can inspire one path, while disappointment can push in a different direction. For instance, Cardinal Ippolito, son of Lucrezia Borgia 1, was deeply disappointed when he was overlooked for the papacy in 1550, with Julius III being chosen instead. While pleasantries were shown in public, behind the scenes Julius banished Ippolito from Rome forever, but awarded him the governorship of Tivoli. Ippolito could never return to Rome and the Vatican.
Tag: Art
Shores of Lake Maggiore, View From Villa Aminta
I have a fantasy, and you won’t be surprised that it involves gardens. My fantasy is to return each September to the shores of Lake Maggiore.
I will sit on the terrace of Villa Aminta, and enjoy my breakfast while I look out over the Borromeo islands of Isola Bella and Isola Madre.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.