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Chaumont's International Garden Festival 2014 - When fairy-tale chateau meets with feisty garden design

June 22, 2014, 4:16 am
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Chateau de Chaumont, the fairy-tale castle at the heart of the Loire Valley in France
What better setting for a garden festival than a fairy-tale castle in the Loire Valley, between the popular towns of Blois and Tours, that was once home to Queen Catherine de Medici? Chateau de Chaumont, perched in an enviable position overlooking the River Loire below, is one of the most picturesque chateaux in the region, attracting some 400,000 visitors a year and is also home to the increasingly popular annual International Gardens Festival, now in its 23rd year. It is located at the heart of the Val de Loire, which has been recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site since 2000.
Ma Cassette designed by three lady architects is based on Moliere's play, 'The Miser' and avarice
Chaumont is to France what RHS Chelsea is to the British garden lover and is fast growing in stature and reputation. But what makes this garden show unique is that each year has a theme – with 2014 being the year for  ‘Gardens of the Deadly Sins’. Add to this the fact that Chaumont is no pop-up show, where the exhibits are only in the public eye for less than a week and you have a considerable challenge for those taking part, because the 26 show gardens here are on display from the beginning of May to the end of October.
La Domaine de Narcisse features a huge mirror hidden in a shrubbery representing pride
The International Garden Festival at Chaumont is all about conceptual gardens and this year’s theme gives exhibitors the opportunity to exercise the possibilities raised by the seven sins of avarice, lust, gluttony, envy, pride, lust, sloth and wrath, using plants and hard landscaping to make their point. As with any garden show there are gardens that work better than others, but the emphasis here is on the unusual, rather than on plant combinations. But this does make for a striking lack of colour in the gardens, as the photographs here show.
La Jardin Dechene, a collaboration between an engineering student and anthropologist, explores pride
Expect to find quirky objects alongside more traditional planting here and you will find yourself on a voyage of discovery, drawn into each and every garden. This show is not just about garden and landscape designers, but also has exhibits by architects, artists and writers. Part of the attraction of the Chaumont Garden Festival is that it is filled with new concepts and ideas every year. It was here in the early 1990s that botanist Patrick Blanc first launched his vertical planted walls.
Although the majority of show gardens are French, there are also exhibits from England, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia and the USA. Bloom (far left) is designed to test the senses and underlines the sins of gluttony and greed by using a predominantly red theme, while Purgatorium (left), designed by two landscapers and an artist from the USA, is based on the garden of Thomas of Aquinas, who first conceived the idea of the deadly sins in the 13th century, and features a large confessional at its centre, constructed of black wooden posts, reflected in a mirror.
Golden apple amid tire treads at Paradis Inverse

Part of the charm of the Chaumont Garden Festival is being able to wander through the gardens at leisure. You're not restrained by ropes or chains here and can actually engage with the exhibits. And whilst this obviously presents some major challenges for the exhibitors given the length of time the gardens are on show, all those I saw this week (two months into the festival), were looking well preserved and perky, despite soaring summer temperatures and increasing numbers of visitors as more tourists flock to the Loire Valley in high season. The chateau is a major tourist attraction and the knock-on effect for the Festival shouldn't be under-estimated.
'Green without Greed', designed by a student and professor at Kansas University, USA
The International Garden Festival is just part of what's on show at Chaumont - visitors can also tour the castle and gardens, which include an impressive potager and extensive parkland overlooking the Loire, together with a new area of parkland, which features several major art installations, including Fujiko Nakaya's mist sculpture (below). Entrance to all parts of Chaumont - the castle, grounds and Festival is 16 Euros for adults, 11 Euros for 12-18 year olds and 5.50 Euros for children aged 6-11. This is one of the best-value castles in the Loire region as you will see from the reviews that follow in the next few weeks. Definitely one for the "Wish List" and worth making a detour for.
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The Laskett - like it or not, it's definitely one to visit now Sir Roy Strong has opened his doors to the public

June 30, 2014, 2:27 am
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The Laskett was created by Sir Roy Strong and his wife, Julia Trevelyan Oman
Garden visiting is a growing trend the world over and here in England we have more than our fair share of gardens to visit. But there are some properties that should go on every person’s “Wish List” and for me The Laskett in Herefordshire is one of these. It is not only the largest private formal garden to be created in England since the end of the World War II – no mean feat when you consider that this four-acre plot was nothing more than a windswept field in 1973, but it is also the remarkable story of a long and enduring marriage between two of the most colourful figures on the UK arts scene during the latter half of the 20th century.
Sir Roy Strong has completely recreated the garden at The Laskett
Sir Roy Strong, eminent historian and former director of both the National Portrait Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum and his late wife, Julia Trevelyan Oman, the celebrated theatre-set designer, created The Laskett. But it is so much more than a garden; it is also a portrait of their marriage and celebrates many of the landmarks of their distinguished and varied careers within the Arts. The couple moved here from London and created this garden together. And since Julia died in 2003, Sir Roy has had the courage to open the garden to the public on a regular basis and make some radical changes. 
The Silver Jubilee Garden, with triumphal arch at the far end
The Laskett has been both praised and criticised and was, for a time, at the heart of an offensive by another local garden writer and maker, Anne Wareham, who opens her own Veddw to the public. But it would be a sad world if people did not say what they think. Garden visiting is entirely subjective and what pleases one eye is unlikely to appeal to another. There are many similarities between The Laskett and Veddw - both were created from nothing, on small budgets; both rely heavily on hedging to give them structure; both are unique and highly theatrical; and the cast of characters involved in each one are both strong and interesting.
A statue of Britannia adds a focal point to one of the many vistas at The Laskett
I like both gardens and have no hesitation in recommending The Laskett to those who are interested in unusual gardens. For me, it is reminiscent of two other truly remarkable gardens – Little Sparta in Scotland and Plas Brondanw in Wales – both in terms of its originality and allegorical importance. This garden is a portrait of the 32-year partnership between Sir Roy and his wife Julia and celebrates many of the landmarks of their distinguished careers in the Arts. It is both eccentric and interesting and you will find something different at every corner you turn. 
This is not a garden for the feint-hearted. It is largely green, very theatrical and to truly comprehend you need to plug into the exciting new audio system that’s been installed here. Then the story behind it will unfold and you will see The Laskett with new eyes. Sir Roy Strong has had the courage to open his eyes afresh and in the last five years, has embarked on an ambitious renovation and revival of the garden that has involved a lot of chopping back, digging out and starting again in areas that had become dark and difficult to manage. 
He is the first to admit there is still a long way to go, but he is also honest about his limitations and says he has never been a plantsman - it was Julia who knew what to plant and how to go about it. The changes began in 2005, when Sir Roy realised he needed to move on and adapt to his new life alone. He gives a candid account of this in his new book, which is lavishly illustrated with Clive Boursnell’s images of both the garden as work progressed and the cast of characters involved.
Today, he works closely with his two gardeners, and has written a remarkable account of recreating The Laskett in his new book: "Remaking a Garden: The Laskett Transformed". As part of his determination to recreate both himself and his garden, Sir Roy has taken the brave step of opening his garden to the public on a regular basis. Groups of 20 or more are now welcome to visit during the week. To arrange this, go to The Laskett website and fill in the details.
I savoured my recent visit and was delighted to have the chance to meet with a smiling Sir Roy, who has recreated his own life as well as his garden. He is enjoying sharing The Laskett with visitors and says: “I can truthfully write that even if the garden were razed to the ground tomorrow, nothing can detract from the happiness it has given me and those who work with me. It is an added delight that we have been able to provide pleasure to so many”.

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Tacit Tuesday - Visit to the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island

July 8, 2014, 7:02 am
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View of Mount Rainier from the Bainbridge Island ferry
The house at the heart of the Bloedel Reserve, Bainbridge Island, WA

Views across the Puget Sound from the Bloedel Reserve

Japanese guest house at the Bloedel Reserve, WA

Nature can live without man, but man cannot live without nature.
Prentice Bloedel
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Wordless Wednesday - Sleepless in Seattle

July 9, 2014, 5:52 am
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Sleepless in Seattle because there are just too many wonderful gardens to see here ... Heronswood, the Elisabeth Miller Botanical Garden and Windcliff, the magical private garden created by Dan Hinkley. All to be reviewed later.
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Heronswood - one of America's top woodland gardens - sailing back into the limelight with Dan Hinkley at the helm

July 26, 2014, 11:33 am
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Heronswood Nursery, founded in 1987 by Dan Hinkley and Robert Jones
Gardeners and plant lovers the world over will have heard of both Dan Hinkley and Heronswood Garden. Hinkley enjoys rock-star status in the gardening world and is recognised as one of the greatest American plantsmen and explorers, whilst his former nursery, Heronswood, located on the Kitsap Peninsula in the Pacific Northwest, once drew gardeners from all over the world in search of rare and unusual plants. But since the turn of the century it has been at the heart of a drama that would make good prime-time soap viewing. 
The potager at Heronswood with its instantly recognisable sculpted hornbeam arches
Hinkley founded Heronswood in 1987 with partner, Robert Jones and it was their boundless enthusiasm and his determination to travel the world in search of rare and interesting plants that soon made the nursery a veritable horticultural mecca for plant enthusiasts. He travelled frequently to India, China, Nepal, Japan and Vietnam in search of plants that would grow in the United States. And, once home, he applied his considerable skills to propagating and promoting unusual plants for connoisseurs. His plant lists are still spoken about in revered tones - no pictures, no English names and definitely not for the feint-hearted - part of the charm of these catalogues was Dan's ability to describe the circumstances in which plants had been found.

Dan Hinkley
Heronswood is a woodland garden, located in paradise, so it came as something of a surprise to American horticultural circles that Pennsylvania-based seed giant W. Atlee Burpee came stalking and then acquired the property in 2000, having sweet-talked Hinkley and Jones to stay on to manage their baby. I have read many of the newspaper cuttings relating to this period and it is not a pretty story - it seems that Burpee was no stranger to acquisitions that looked like promising cash cows - but this one was different. This garden was a labour of love, created by a man with a mission, where plants were nurtured, catalogued and treated with respect. Plants flourished under Dan's care, but spread sheet supremos had little understanding of what this garden was about and in 2006, to the horror of horticulturalists all over the world, Heronswood closed its doors to the outside world. 

In the wilderness years Heronswood declined and although the demise of this great garden provided good copy for newspaper editors, the reality was that it became overgrown and under-loved until it was finally sold at auction to local Native Americans - The Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe - in the summer of 2012. The Tribe is firmly committed to restoring the garden and work is already well underway, with a team of volunteers working under the stewardship of Dan Hinkley, who sits on the steering committee comprised of tribal leaders, plant experts and committed garden supporters.
Two years later, Heronswood is beginning to appear back on the map and has opened its doors to groups of visitors throughout the season and for its famous plant sales. Hearts had fluttered anxiously during the years the garden was closed as loyal supporters feared that this prime tract of land would be sold off as a golf course, or as a prime plot for more condos. But the Port Gamble S'Klallam tribe that purchased this 15-acre site some 25 miles northwest of Seattle is firmly committed to restoring Heronswood. 
I was lucky enough to visit Heronswood during a recent visit to the Pacific Northwest and was also introduced to Dan Hinkley. He is a charming man, who cannot resist stopping to weed along the way and he's happy to tell you that even though the garden is still a long way from where it was when it was first sold, real progress is being made in its restoration and revival. Much of it is woodland, but visitors will gasp when they realise how many rare and unusual plants there are, hiding in the undergrowth.
Water feature at Heronswood by Lewis and Little
You need to keep your eyes open to make sure that you don't miss anything here. There are plants at every level and many underfoot, so you must watch where you walk. Mingled in with the tantalising array of plants are several water features created by local artists David Lewis and George Little (above and left) and when you emerge from the dense woodland, you find yourself in what appears to be a private garden, surrounding a house. It is here you'll find the much-photographed potager, with its sculpted hornbeam arches (above) and mixed borders. Visitors will be well aware that this is a work in progress again even though the garden was once considered to be one of the greatest in America. 
If you are lucky enough to live in the area and want to visit Heronswood, checkthe website to see when open days and plant sales are. In my next post, I will take readers on a tour of Dan Hinkley and Robert Jones' own garden, Windcliff.
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Windcliff - Dan Hinkley's wondrous waterview garden in Washington

August 4, 2014, 4:17 am
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View of Mount Rainier and Seattle skyline from Windcliff
With a view like this, who could consider living anywhere else? This is what you see when you visit Dan Hinkley's magical garden overlooking Mount Rainier in Washington. On a clear day, the volcano appears to be suspended in the sky and when you first see it, you wonder whether it's an optical illusion. Combine this with the astounding blue sea of the Puget Sound on a summer's day and you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd gone to heaven.
The house at Windcliff, designed by Hinkley's architect partner, Robert Jones
Hinkley is well known in horticultural circles as an intrepid plant hunter, public speaker, author and creator of one of America's greatest woodland gardens just a few miles away in Washington state - Heronswood - which I was also lucky enough to visit on my recent trip to the US. But Windcliff could not possibly be more different. This is a personal odyssey for Dan and his architect partner and they have spent the last seven years creating a house that fits unobtrusively into the surrounding landscape and a garden that takes full advantage of its unique setting.
Windcliff sits on an exposed hilltop overlooking the Puget Sound
It would be hard to imagine a landscape so different to Heronswood, where shade-loving plants thrive under a forest canopy. Windcliff sits on a hilltop and is exposed to the elements and Hinkley has spent time considering what plants will compliment both climate and location. The result is a magical combination of trees, shrubs and grasses interspersed with drifts of perennials that flower throughout the summer months. The evergreen element here is vital to the winter landscape, when the sun can remain behind clouds for months on end.  
Eastern prayer flags add to the intensely sensory experience at Windcliff,  providing colour and sound
As you enter the five-acre garden, you will be struck by the huge number of unusual shrubs, but it is the area overlooking the sea and Mount Rainier beyond that unfolds in front of the house that will imprint itself in your memory. It unfolds like an Impressionist painting,with bold brush strokes of colour, drawing you into its midst and on to the seascape beyond. In high summer, there are great swathes of agapanthus and gladioli, adding bright colour to the grassy palette.
A strategically-placed firepit at Windcliff, designed by mosaic artist Jeff Bale
The house, designed by Dan Hinkley's long-standing partner - architect, Robert Jones - blends into this landscape perfectly and is designed to give the best views of the garden and ocean beyond. There are terraces facing Mount Rainier and I can't think of anywhere better to enjoy the view in the company of this fascinating couple, who have spent the last eight years creating Windcliff as a private sanctuary. 
Hinkley still spends time at Heronswood, in his capacity as director and advisor to the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe who acquired the property in 2012, but Windcliff is so different that it's hard to believe both gardens were created by the same man. This is a garden for sun-loving plants, whereas Heronswood is famous for its shady palette. But if you're lucky enough to see both properties, you'll realise that Dan is a talented plantsman, who not only travels the world in search of plants but who also knows what to plant and where.
Windcliff is occasionally open to the public, as is Heronswood and details can be found on Dan Hinkley's website. For me, this visit was the zenith of a wonderful trip to the Pacific Northwest earlier this summer and this garden, in particular, will always stick in my memory as one of my favourites. It is a combination of skilful planting and incredible views that I shall never forget.
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Wordless Wednesday - On the road again ... finally!

September 16, 2014, 10:45 pm
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In the jungle, but where??? More soon.
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La Bambouseraie - an extraordinary plant collection that's survived the test of time

September 17, 2014, 6:05 pm
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The story of La Bambouseraie  - the oldest cultivated bamboo garden in Europe – located in southern France is fascinating. This plant haven houses in excess of 200 bamboo species, plus some 800 plants and trees, including champion specimens – quercus and magnolia and an astounding collection of oak trees - hidden in a valley near Anduze in the southern region. For plant and garden lovers, this is comparable to a day out at a major theme park for a child!
This extraordinary garden was created by Eugene Mazel over a 40-year period in the 19th century. He was born locally in 1828, but was orphaned as a young child and entrusted into his uncle’s care. As a teenager, he became fascinated by plants and, when he later inherited his uncle’s huge fortune, added to by his own earnings as a successful spice merchant, he created La Bambouseraie at Prafrance, where work began in 1855. As his collection of bamboo and other rare species grew, he became one of the most respected botanists in Southern France.
Sadly his life was to end in tragedy and in 1890 he became bankrupt and was forced to leave his lifetime’s work behind. He later died in Marseilles in abject poverty. But in 1902, another passionate plant lover purchased the estate – Gaston Negre– who, with the help of one of Mazel’s former gardeners, started restoring the recently-neglected property at Prafrance. In 1953 Negre opened the estate to the public for the first time and by 1958 visitor numbers had exceeded 20,000 annually. 
But tragedy was to strike again when the local river – the Gardon – flooded and caused considerable damage to the estate and the plants growing there. Two years later, Maurice Negre who had taken over the running of La Bambouseraie from his father, was killed in a car crash.Yet the family endured all these disasters and today the garden is run by Muriel Negre, daughter of Maurice. It is a major tourist attraction and people visit from all over the world. Diversity is certainly the key to its success because it offers a very different experience to the classical chateau gardens so often associated with France.
At the heart of the garden there's a Laotian village (above), constructed by a committed staff member who worked on the estate, which faithfully replicates the layout of a Laos village, complete with endemic planting. In South-East Asia, bamboo is a major feature of both the economy and the construction of local homes, and any visitor to La Bambouseraie could be forgiven for thinking they were far from home when walking through this bamboo village.
One of the more surprising features of this garden is the Dragon Valley (above), created for the new Millennium – a charming landscape at the heart of La Bambouseraie which comes into its own in autumn when the acers change colour.  Conceived to mark the year of the dragon in Chinese cosmogony, this garden is filled with Japanese maples, a pavilion, and the red entrance archways associated with gardens in the Far East. 
Most visitors will agree that the majesty of this garden is easy to see. It has a remarkable collection of plants; offers extraordinary visual appeal; and affords some amazing photographic opportunities. Remember to look up when you are here because the intermittent light shining through the dense bamboo forest plays wonderful tricks.This is a veritable plant theme park that has survived several tragedies and today carries the coveted French “Jardins Remarquables” label.
La Bambouseraie is open from 1 March to 15 November. Check the website here for details and prices. Certainly one for the wishlist!
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Wordless Wednesday - Autumn colours at Parham House, Sussex

September 23, 2014, 11:36 pm
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The walled gardens at Parham House (just a short drive from London, between Storrington and Pulborough on the A272) are filled with autumn colour right now - and there's a special "Autumn Foraging" event this Sunday, 28th September. Open 10.30 - 17.00 Entrance to house and gardens is £10 for adults and £5 for children (under fives free).
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Wordless Wednesday - Autumn colours at RHS Wisley

October 22, 2014, 2:04 am
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We've been blessed with so many sunny days recently in between the rainstorms and Britain's gardens are overflowing with autumn colours. Family illness has severely curtailed my galloping this year, but RHS Wisley is looking magnificent at the moment and has the added benefit of being extremely wheelchair friendly. I went with a dear friend earlier this week and we had a delightful day there, made entirely possible by borrowing a wheelchair at the entrance gate.
And to see glorious autumn colours at Westonbirt, pop over to Veg Plotting and feast your eyes on Michelle's pictures.
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National Trust snubs Sir Roy Strong and turns down his garden. Will The Laskett be lost to the nation forever?

October 24, 2014, 2:33 pm
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The Laskett is the largest formal garden to be created in England since the end of World War II
The gardening world is so often considered to be gentle and unassuming. We all watch wonderfully crafted television programmes where presenters walk us through other people’s horticultural havens; we listen to Gardeners’ Question Time on the radio and we gloat over gardening magazines that highlight the best possible views of horticultural heavens encapsulated in colourful photographs.

Sir Roy Strong at home at The Laskett in 2014
So when Sir Roy Strong announced that he intended to “destroy” his garden – The Laskett – created during a rewarding and enduring 30-year marriage to his late wife, Julia Trevelyan Oman, both press and public reacted with a sense of shock. The news broke in early October with several national newspapers telling readers that the National Trust had turned down Sir Roy’s invitation to leave his garden to them for the nation to enjoy, because it failed to meet "strict acquisition criteria". 

The gardens at The Laskett in Herefordshire are the largest private formal gardens to be created in England since the end of World War II. Sir Roy had planned to leave the property to the National Trust with a substantial endowment (and to avoid confusion for my overseas readers, it needs to be explained that most properties acquired by this well-known British institution are left on this basis, so that it is not just the property that passes to the nation under their stewardship, but also sufficient funds to make sure that it is self-supporting until the entrance fees make it a viable business proposition).
The Laskett is a series of garden rooms with strong emphasis on topiary
But the National Trust turned his offer down. And, Sir Roy, who is no stranger to the public eye, having been the youngest ever director of the National Portrait Gallery at 32 and who then moved on to redefine the Victoria and Albert Museum as an must-see London venue, rather than a red-brick building housing an extensive collection of artifacts, responded by announcing that his four-acre garden would be “destroyed” one year after his death.  
The Laskett is a series of vistas that draw you in
With just one year to go before he becomes an octogenarian, Sir Roy is well able to make his own decisions and on hearing that his garden had failed to reach the required standards of “historic and national importance” required by the National Trust, he responded by saying he would extinguish many of the notable garden features that he and his wife had created during their marriage at their Herefordshire home.
The garden created by Roy and his wife Julia was once a four-acre field
Just before the Sunday Times broke the story, Sir Roy was interviewed on the popular radio programme Desert Island Disks, where host Kirsty Young was able to pick up on some of the feistier aspects of a remarkable man and self-confessed monarchist who has variously “stormed the establishment” and spent the whole of his life “fleeing his family” and humble origins. His determination to succeed guided him into the spotlight throughout his career, and in 1983 he was knighted. Today he is a household name and respected historian, as well as a committed gardener.
Sir Roy's home at the heart of The Laskett in Herefordshire. It is not open to the public.
The Laskett is a garden that rarely opened to the public until Sir Roy felt strong enough to face the world alone as a widower. There are many poignant memories of Julia in the sylvan landscape, including an urn that houses her ashes. But it has rarely been accessible to the general public and when Julia died in 2003, the garden was only on show to the privileged few lucky enough to join private tours.  Then Strong decided to live up to his surname and re-invented both himself and his garden, opening his doors couple of years back to groups of visitors.
Sir Roy has threatened to "destroy" The Laskett, which he created with his late wife Julia over 30 years
I have visited The Laskett several times and have always enjoyed my forays into the garden. It’s a wonderful eclectic mix of garden rooms interwoven with statuary and artifacts acquired by Roy and Julia during their three decades of marriage. It certainly has its critics, but also its fans including Prince Charles who asked him to become involved with the topiary at Highgrove, where he not only helped to design and style the hedges, but also spent several years cutting and shaping them.
Strong is no stranger to topiary - he helped Prince Charles with the hedging at Highgrove
Stephen Lacey describes The Laskett as “one of the most important and interesting gardens of the 20th century”. Most garden enthusiasts have heard of the garden and many would welcome the chance to see it, so it is a great disappointment that the nation will not now have the opportunity to enjoy a slice of history created by a venerable historian who is also a household name in Britain.
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Great British landscapes - Stourhead in Wiltshire

November 2, 2014, 5:04 am
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The Palladian bridge at Stourhead, with the Pantheon in the background
On arrival at Stourhead, you would be forgiven for thinking that this magnificent landscape garden was created by one of the two men who changed the face of landscape design in Britain in the 18thcentury – William Kent or ‘Capability’ Brown – but it was actually created by a man who belonged to a banking empire, Henry Hoare, with the help of his architect, Henry Flitcroft. And whilst the latter Henry was a colleague of William Kent, he was by no means an established landscape garden designer when work began on the gardens here.
The lake at Stourhead, created by Henry Hoare and Henry Flitcroft in the mid-18th century
The 18th century saw sweeping changes in garden design when William Kent introduced the new concept of landscapes into the imposing English country house vernacular. And although he was more an architect than a gardener, word soon spread about his grand designs at Stowe, Chiswick House and Rousham. Prior to this parterres, hedging and flowers had been fashionable and no English designer had thought to complement the landscape with classical buildings and statuary.
The Temple of Apollo sits high above the lake at Stourhead and offers spectacular views over the water
Architectural detail on the Temple of Apollo

Henry Hoare (who is often referred to a Henry 'the magnificent') had travelled extensively in Europe before settling at the Palladian house, designed by Colen Campbell and built for his father in about 1720. He was well acquainted with both foreign architecture and many of the great European landscape painters. On his return to England, his intention was to create a formidable panorama in the grounds of the country house he had inherited and when work began in the mid 18th century he set about creating the huge lake that forms the centrepiece of the grounds at Stourhead today.
    The lake was created by damming the River Stour and whilst work continued on the buildings in the garden, which include the pillared Temple of Flora (1744), the Temple of Apollo and The Pantheon, Henry was also busy planting the trees that make this landscape so spectacular and creating the pathways that wind through both the wooded areas and alongside the water.
     It was his grandson, Richard Colt Hoare, who introduced many new plant species to the estate in the first half of the 19th century. His legacy includes tulip trees, Indian bean trees and swamp cypresses, as well as copper beaches and many of the rhododendrons that provide spectacular spring colour in the garden. Subsequent generations of the Hoare family added to the planting during their time at the property and when Sir Henry Hoare eventually gave the estate to the National Trust in 1946, the garden, which was already recognised as one of the finest landscapes in Britain, was well established and renowned for its specimen trees.
The Pantheon seen from the woods below the main house
Stourhead is not a garden to gallop around. It's a landscape to be savoured and is particularly lovely in the autumn, when the leaves are turning and also in wintertime when you can really see the structure of the landscape through the bare trees. It attracts tens of thousands of visitors annually and, to enjoy the garden at its best, you are well advised to visit as early in the day as possible to avoid the crowds, particularly when the leaves are changing colour. 
Part of Stourhead's charm is the magnificent views across the man-made lake
One of the best routes around the garden is from the top path by the main house, which allows you to catch memorable glimpses of the Temple of Apollo and The Pantheon and panoramic views of the lake below as you walk down through the trees. Do make the effort to climb up to the Temple of Apollo, for more magical glances of this Arcadian landscape created by the two Henry's - owner and architect - nearly 300 years ago. Allow at least half a day to see everything, to savour the buildings and to enjoy the statues and finer architectural details. 
The Palladian Bridge glimpsed from the grotto
The gardens at Stourhead are open daily throughout the year (except Christmas Day) 9.00-17.00. Entrance is free to National Trust members. Check website for house opening times and prices. Another memorable garden nearby is Chiffchaffs - a cottage garden on a very different scale and only open during the summer months.
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Almost silent Saturday - on the road in astounding Assam, India

November 29, 2014, 5:14 am
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Visitors have the opportunity to take elephant rides in Kaziranga National Park
Close up of an Indian one-horned rhinoceros in Kaziranga National Park, Assam
An elephant ride gives the perfect opportunity to photograph the rhinoceros, whilst staying safe
Mother and baby elephant in Kaziranga National Park, Assam
Early morning fishing in Kaziranga National Park, Assam
Sunset at Kaziranga - a bird watcher's paradise
This week, I've been lucky enough to be travelling in northeastern India, in Assam - home to the magnificent Kaziranga National Park, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and home to the Indian one-horned rhinoceros (pictured above). This magnificent park is located on the banks of the Brahmaputra river and covers 166 square miles and the one-horned rhinoceros is flourishing here, along with elephants, tigers, wild buffalo and hundreds of bird species. Assam is also famous for its tea plantations, which I'll write about soon.

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Thoughtful Thursday - Tea plantations in Assam

December 2, 2014, 6:00 pm
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Almost Wordless Wednesday - on top of the world in beautiful Bhutan

December 9, 2014, 10:31 am
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Posts recently have been brief and consisted of pictures because I've been travelling in India and Bhutan for the last few weeks. First to Assam in the northeastern corner of India and then from east to west across Bhutan, where you get regular views of the mighty Himalayan mountain range as you negotiate steep, unpaved mountain passes. Sadly, there are few gardens to visit in England at this time of year, but if you want to see what's on offer for 2015, head to the side bar at the right and click on Garden Visits - UK & Europe. 
Assam, in India, is astounding and so is Bhutan. The people are gentle and smiling; the landscapes magnificent; there is also abundant wildlife - tigers, mighty rhinos and elephants in Assam - whilst rare birds abound in both. But travel is tough and the terrain of Bhutan means that a short distance as the crow flies can take many hours by road as you hug the mountain side to traverse from one range to another on single-track roads that feature terrifying drops to the valley below.
Most major centres have a zhong - a municipal building that houses both government offices and a monastery. The architecture is amazing and one of the finest examples is to be found at Punnakha (above). en route to the capital city of Thimphu, in the west of Bhutan. This one perches on the edge of a fast-flowing river, with views to the mountains beyond.
Festivals are a major entertainment feature in Bhutan, with magnificent costumes, masks, dancing and music (above); the national sport is archery; and this is the one country in the world that boasts a National Happiness Index. The people are charming, gentle and kind - always ready to help - and extremely welcoming to foreigners. 
I will be reviewing more gardens visited this year in January and February 2015, to give readers a taste of what's on offer for next year.
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Christmas wishes to all my readers ... and see you again in 2015

December 24, 2014, 3:26 pm
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The end of another year .... here's to welcoming in 2015 - and many more gardens to come!

December 30, 2014, 11:49 am
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Wollerton Old Hall, brainchild of Lesley and John Jenkins, and created over the last 30 years
2014 is nearly over and it’s been an interesting year, even though I’ve failed to keep abreast of many of the wonderful gardens I’ve visited. But my new year’s resolution is to start writing in earnest again and catch up on the huge number of astounding gardens around the world that I’ve been lucky enough to gallop through in the last 12 months – on the West Coast of the US, in France and especially here in the UK.
Jardin Plume in Normandy, France - brainchild of Patrick and Sylvie Quibel
As always, the year has gone too fast – a common complaint from those, like me, who are hurtling towards 60. Somehow the days disintegrate into weeks and before I know it, another month has gone by. Combine that with the fact I have an adored husband with Huntington’s Disease and a mother in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and the days go even faster. This was also the year that the terrible storms of last winter forced me out of my house and into rented accommodation because the damage was so severe. 
Yews Farm in Somerset, created by Louise Dowding which opens for the NGS
But my love of gardens remains integral to my life and as in previous years, I have discovered new horticultural haunts, met fascinating people and continued to travel, notably to the gardens of the Pacific Northwest, and to some of the finest gardens throughout France.  In Britain too, I have visited new gardens – both public and private - but I haven't managed to write as many up as I'd have liked to. That is all to change in 2015 and all the gardens pictured here will be written up in the first few months of next year.
Bryan's Ground created by David Wheeler and Simon Dorrell opens regularly during the summer 
Time constraints at home and the demands of family life have meant that I invariably left on trips ill-equipped and unprepared, with the wrong clothes, camera lenses or travel documents and then hit the ground running.  But even as I struggled to find suitable shoes to walk in, lurched into a chemist to replace my forgotten sun cream, or wrestled with tenuous internet connections to do my homework before visiting a new garden, the rewards were always there when I arrived. And, as in the past, an hour in a beautiful garden made up for all the sadness of losing my husband to his illness, or the frustrations of working alongside my remarkable mother, whose memory makes it necessary to repeat oneself more than usual.
Biddulph Grange in the Midlands is regarded as one of Britain's "great" gardens
When I look at other gardening blogs and websites and see how faithfully their authors engage with their readers on a regular basis, I feel quite ashamed of my recent performance. Claus Dalby, the remarkable Danish creator of mit Haveliv posts every day without fail; Garden Drum, created by the indefatigable Catherine Stewart in Australia never ceases to amaze me with its prolific and fascinating content; Woolly Green continually whets the appetites of its readers; and my friend and colleague, Michelle at Veg Plotting manages to post on a variety of subjects wherever she is in the world.
Just one aspect of the unexpected and delightful garden at Rare Plants in Oregon, US
So I intend to take a leaf out of all their books and my New Year’s resolution is to re-engage in sharing some of the wonderful gardens worldwide with my followers again and giving a glimpse of what to expect if you too are in any of the locations that I have been fortunate enough to visit. And, as in the past, the pictures will tell most of the story, so readers know what to expect when you visit and what to look for at different times of year.
The Elisabeth Carey Miller Botanical Garden in Seattle, WA which welcomes just 500 visitors each year
My most recent trip was to Bhutan in the Himalayas, where I travelled for three weeks with Paul and Pauline McBride of Sussex Prairies– a life-changing experience, rattling along dirt roads, hugging the sides of mountains with sheer drops into valleys thousands of feet below and running into the occasional herd of yaks blocking the track! The countryside is beautiful, the people are charming and the glimpses of the mighty Himalayas are humbling. Combine that with our foray into Assam in north-eastern India and it made the trip of a lifetime – and one I will always remember.
The garden at the vineyard of Val Joanis, Provence - certainly worth a visit if you are in the area
And as for my travelling ... I'm already planning to cross the pond for the next Garden Blogger's Fling, to be held in Toronto, with my some of my British colleagues, including Mark and Gaz of Alternative Eden, Michelle of Veg Plotting (see above) and Victoria Summerley of Tales from Awkward Hill. I'm sure there will be more forays to France and I'm also hoping to get to Ireland to see some of the remarkable gardens there, so watch this space. Happy New Year to you all and see you again in 2015, as I reflect on more horticultural happiness and thank you for all your visits this year.
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"Wow" gardens of the world I - Lotusland near Santa Barbara, California

January 6, 2015, 9:48 am
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Densely planted cactus plants surround the Spanish-style house (designed by Reginald Johnson) at Lotusland
In the first in a series of gardens that have really impressed me during the years I've been writing this blog, Lotusland in California ranks as one of the most memorable. Visitor numbers to this extraordinary 37-acre estate in Montecito - an exclusive residential district near Santa Barbara and a couple of hours drive north from Los Angeles - are strictly limited and you need to book well ahead to gain access. I was lucky enough to visit last summer. Sadly, the day did not look promising, with a heavy mist rolling in from the Pacific and a distinct chill in the air, but never be deceived by this coastal area of California because within an hour of arriving, the sun had burned off the low-lying cloud and I was able to enjoy this extraordinary garden in bright sunshine.
The citrus arbor at Lotusland
If you visit Lotusland, you’ll realise this is no ordinary garden, and understand that its eccentric and determined owner had extraordinary vision when planning and planting her home plot. Created by a flamboyant Polish opera singer - Madame Ganna Walska - who went through husbands quicker than most of us can reasonably create a landscape, the legacy she left behind is one of the most extraordinary private gardens in America and also houses two of the greatest cycad and cactus collections anywhere in the world.
The cactus garden at Lotusland, donated by Merritt Sigsbee Dunlap in 1999
Gardens, like interiors, reflect the personality of their creators, so it will come as no surprise that Lotusland is both flamboyant and exotic, as was the woman who came in search of a new life in California and eventually settled here while Europe was at war, championed by her final husband. Walska was a legendary socialite, who married six times. She came to the United States via Paris from Russia, leaving a succession of husbands behind her and was in her 50s when she arrived here. But this was to be her last union because gardening became her new love.
Lotus in full bloom in the Water Garden, formerly the swimming pool, at Ganna Walska's estate
Lotusland had originally been the Cuesta Linda estate, and a fully-functioning nursery, operated by the pioneering nurseryman R. Kenton Stevens, who planted many of the well established palms, exotic trees and subtropical plants here. His son, Ralph Stevens, returned to work with Ganna Walska when she was developing the garden many years later. She bought the estate in 1941 on the advice of her sixth husband, Theos Bernard. They had ambitious plans to use the property as a retreat for Tibetan monks and renamed it Tibetland.
The water stairs at Lotusland have been completely restored in recent years
But neither monks nor monastic robes materialised and having dispatched Mr Bernard, Ganna Walska turned her artistic talent and considerable wealth towards creating the magnificent garden which survives today, with the help of well-known landscape architects and designers of the day. Lotusland became her spiritual retreat and although the garden rarely opened to the public during her lifetime, she left the means to maintain the estate and today it operates as the Ganna Walska Lotusland Foundation. 
The Aloe Garden at Lotusland contains hundreds of different species
Within the 37-acre estate, there are a series of garden rooms and some 3,000 plant species, including one of the most important cycad collections in the world. Cycads are one of the oldest plants on earth - a cross between a palm and a conifer, with magnificent, giant cones - and can be traced back to the age of the dinosaur. Most species are endangered and some are extinct in the wild. But Ganna Walska became passionate about them. 

Huge cycad cones at Lotusland
The cycad collection here is famous - not just because it houses 900 specimens and two thirds of all known existing species, but also because of the way Madame Walska acquired the means to make it possible. She sold her collection of jewels - for in excess of £1 million - to raise the funds to start her new garden. It was the last section of garden created by her and houses three Encephalartos woodii, which are no longer found in the wild. 
     The only other cycad of this type in the Americas is housed at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. In Europe, there are also surviving specimens at Hortus Botanicusin Amsterdam, Glasnevin in Scotland and Kew Gardens in London, where the plant produced a male cone for the first time in September 2004, more than a century after it had arrived there, much to the excitement of both staff and visitors to the Temperate House, where it lives.
     The cactus garden is also a collector's paradise. Donated to the Foundation in 1999 by Merritt Sigsbee Dunlap, a friend of Madame Walska. He had been acquiring specimens for 70 years and grew many of the plants seen here from seed. There are more than 300 different species of cacti in the garden, grouped by country of origin. Dunlap was a close friend of Madame Walska and although she did not live to see his wonderful gift, he celebrated his 97th birthday in the garden in 2003, before it opened to the public the following year. 
The horticultural clock (top) and topiary in the garden

Other gardens within the estate include a well-established five-acre Japanese garden, famous for its flowering cherry trees in springtime and maple colours in the autumn; a large collection of bromeliads; a theatre garden; the much-applauded Blue Garden (see below) and a topiary garden with 26 immaculately-clipped topiary animals surrounding a working horticultural clock (right). There is also an established orchard, a butterfly garden that is relatively newly planted and an aloe garden housing hundreds of different species. There are also hundreds of abalone shells to be ogled around the sculpted pool in this part of the garden.
     But what sets Lotusland aside from so many gardens, quite apart from its huge range of plants and trees, is the way in which it is so abundantly planted, be it aloes, cycads or bromeliads. Madame Walska never did things by half and when she finally chose a plant she liked, she set out to acquire hundreds for her collection. The overall effect within the garden is startling.
      The Blue Garden (below) is another is another well-loved part of Lotusland - created by Madame as long ago as 1948 with Ralph Stevens, the son of the original owner, working alongside her. It features Mexican blue palms (Brahea armata) and Blut Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'), plus Chilean wine palms (Jubaea chilensis), with many Australian conifers at the rear. The pathways, lined with blue-green glass, add to the shimmering blue effect.

You can only visit Lotusland on a docent-led guided tour and booking details are available on the website, but do book well ahead if your heart is set on seeing this garden. You certainly won't be disappointed! But you may well find that you are overwhelmed by the huge amount there is to see in the limited time available. The docents are incredibly knowledgeable and can answer all your questions about both the history of the property and the amazing range of plants you can expect to see there, but you will only get a couple of hours to see everything.
Shells are a major feature in the Aloe garden at Lotusland
The restricted opening hours and constraints on visitor numbers to this extraordinary garden are the legacy of a long-standing dispute with neighbours, since Montecito is a very exclusive residential area and the local community did not want visitors disturbing their peace. Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday only, from February to November, with two guided tours available at 10.30 and 13.30 - all tours are docent led and numbers are strictly limited to 10 visitors per session, to ensure that adjoining properties are not disturbed by tour buses, relentless traffic or parking problems en route to this wonderful garden. Cost is $45 per adult.
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Where plants of the world meet at England's heart - Biddulph Grange, Staffordshire

January 14, 2015, 5:34 am
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The Dahlia Walk at Biddulph Grange - planted with tulips in springtime
Biddulph Grange in the heart of England is a fine example of Victorian exoticism. The 26-acre site features 18 acres of formal gardens surrounding an Italianate mansion. James Bateman and his wife Maria, both passionate and knowledgeable about plants, moved here in 1840 and built the extravagant house in place of a former vicarage. Bateman and his close friend Edward Cooke then spent many years creating the garden on the edge of wild moorland. But although the garden was famous in its day, its later use as a hospital led this much-admired garden into decline and it was only when it passed to the National Trust in 1988, that restoration work began.
The Italianate mansion at Biddulph Grange, built in 1840,  is now divided into flats
James Bateman was a wealthy local industrialist who thought nothing of spending a huge amount on his new home. But he was also a botanist and avid plant collector, so many of the plants and trees at Biddulph Grange were acquired from plant hunting expeditions to the Himalayas, which he sponsored.  His garden grew as a result of his desire to showcase his ever-growing collection of plants from around the world, even though his personal passion was orchids. He was regarded as a leading orchidologist in his day, who produced the largest book ever written on them - a massive, 10-volume tome.
The Chinese bridge at Biddulph Grange in the heart of the garden
The Chinese Garden (above) at the heart of Biddulph Grange is so well hidden that it is easy to miss! You can approach it via the Himalayan Glen through a dark tunnel and grotto, or at the base of the Egyptian garden, which takes you through the stumpery. Whichever route you take, you suddenly emerge inside the 'Great Wall' conceived by Bateman and Cooke and find yourself in a brightly-coloured foreign landscape, featuring a bridge and a temple, as well as gilded sculpture in the form of a water buffalo head. The planting here is all from the far East and you can expect spectacular autumn displays when the maples change colour.
Biddulph Grange is spectacular in springtime with its tulip and rhododendron displays
Today Biddulph Grange is one of the most visited gardens in this part of England. Located in the heart of potteries country near Stoke-on-Trent, it is famous not just for its Chinese and Egyptian gardens, but also its international collection of plants. The result is a world garden, with an extraordinary landscape created by Bateman and Cooke featuring huge, imported rock formations, a series of tunnels, a Himalayan Glen and a stumpery. But this innovative approach to garden design, which includes 400 steps to link the different areas, also provides a sheltered climate for the plants growing there.
Much of the charm of this garden (apart from the extraordinary range of plants and trees on show) is the way that the various different areas are linked. The house is built on high ground and there is a steep gradient down to the gardens, so you suddenly find yourself at the mouth of a tunnel (above), or winding your way down irregular steps, uncertain where you are going, except for the areas adjacent to the house with the impressive parterre and Italianate gardens. And part of the element of surprise is emerging into a totally different landscape.
Biddulph Grange is open daily throughout the year (see NT website for times and prices) and is well worth visiting if you are in the area. Other notable gardens nearby include The Dorothy Clive Garden, (also spectacular in springtime, because of its rhododendron displays) and Wollerton Old Hall. At the time of writing, one of the nine apartments within the main house there is for sale, so if you fancy a garden of monumental proportions on your doorstep, this may well be the place for you!
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A winter walk with John Brookes at Denmans and his thoughts on garden design

January 18, 2015, 10:40 am
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John Brookes, with his camera in the garden at Denmans today
What better way to spend a Sunday that with my dear friend John Brookes in the garden he has created over the last 30 years - Denmans - looking at what's already in bloom? John is remarkable - at 81 he is still designing gardens, both here and overseas, and apart from his own plot, near Chichester in Sussex, is best known for the Chicago Botanical Garden and numerous private gardens around the world. While we walked around his four-acre garden, which is already beginning to bloom, John talked to me about his design philosophy. 
John identified this as camellia "Adolphe Audusson"

While chatting to John about his design work, he explained: "First of all, for smaller gardens, I work with the proportions of the house and evolve a module or a grid using those proportions. Then I determine the kind of pattern the garden needs, asking if it's symmetrical or asymmetric and then I start thinking about the work of the 20th century Modernist painters and reflect on their patterning techniques."     John has become world-renowned through his work and the 24 books he has written to date, translated into many different languages, and there can be few of us in the gardening world who don't have a copy of one of them on our shelves. I certainly had John Brookes' books long before I was lucky enough to meet him in a garden he designed in Sussex. Our close friendship came later and as many readers know, he has been integral to my work in India over the years, and often travelled there with me.

Signs of life for the magnificent magnolia at Denmans
John says:  "I have recently discovered the work of the Russian painter, Malovitch, but have always been inspired by the work of painters closer to home - notably Piet Mondrian and Ben Nicholson. And while not slavishly copying their work, it inspires me to look at patterns and patterning that would be suitable for use outside. I was also interested in the work of the Brazilian, Roberto Burlo Marx and the Mexican, Luis Barragan. Marx was renowned for his organic-shaped gardens and Luis for colouring his various buildings and making them almost sculptural." But as John said: "This has nothing to do with horticulture, but everything to do with the building, which the garden is to surround, the clients who live in it and their age, and of course, the location."

As we walked around his own garden this afternoon, enjoying the watery sunlight and shivering slightly in the almost sub-zero temperatures, we were flanked by his two pugs (right). In between looking at the early flowering plants and shrubs at Denmans he explained the way he sees his work:

"It's so obvious to me, all those wonderful patterns that can be translated into garden design."

And when he has digested all this and decided how a garden will be laid out, planning areas of grass or water, then comes the planting, where he starts with what he calls his "skeleton plants, which work ultimately with the scale of the structure and the scale of the surround of the site."

"It goes without saying that the suitability of soil and location is also a prime consideration and of course what the client likes and dislikes."

"So I build up my garden design in these stages", said John, as he photographs some of the shrubs that are beginning to show signs of colour so early in the season here in the UK.

"And only when I am happy with my concept do I talk with my client and present it to them. But it's got to be said that I only work with hand-drawn plans, not computer programmes, because for me they are much more personal for the client. Many of the initial drawings which are not actually plans are presented as overlays on a site image and this helps the client to envisage the full potential of their site, whilst understanding the various stages involved in taking the plan from drawing board to planted project.

"When it comes to bigger gardens, this basic theory is applied to whatever scale of site I am asked to work on and simply by doubling or trebling the basic module or grid, I can work from the smaller scale of the house, through to the larger scale of the site and even its landscape beyond."
In bloom at Denmans today, we saw many camellias, Daphne odora, bountiful hellebores and the joyous beginning of spring as bulbs are starting to erupt from the frozen ground after so many months of winter. The weather forecast is for a further spell of very cold weather in the next week, so watch this space as I endeavour to catch frosty plants with my lens in the next few days. 
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