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 ).
Tag: Nature
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.
Portmore Gardens, A Scottish Delight
Time is our checkerboard of dark and bright with peace and turmoil, grieving and delight. And in the end, there is no more time to tell to make amendments; so love and use time well. E. Cartwright Hignett
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.
Resolute, gardening in the new year
Returning home at 2:30 am from a two-week travel trip, I first went into the garden to see what I could see. I always miss my garden, and though I have it arranged to stay in good care when I travel, I am always eager to see what may have changed.
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.
Holiday Lights Magical Brookgreen Gardens
Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet (near Myrtle Beach), South Carolina, celebrates the holidays with Nights of a Thousand Candles. I was there this December, and I will say I have never seen anything like it in all my holiday garden experiences. There is so much I could say about this incredible garden, but I’m going to let the photos attempt to share the magic.
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.
Drama of Drummond Castle Gardens
Scotland was once a country of 3000 castles; today, 1100 remain. North and a “wee bit” west of Edinburgh is Drummond Castle. John Stewart, the first Lord Drummond, built a fortified tower, the castle’s beginnings, in the late 15th century. There has been gardening at Drummond since 1508 when homegrown cherries were sent to King James IV. Can you imagine your family making an over 500-year commitment to a garden? Yet that is the story of Drummond Castle Gardens, interrupted by political and religious wars, it remains a family estate.
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.