Great Gardens I've visited

Great Gardens I've Visited

I LOVE visiting gardens when I travel. When planning a trip, I search the internet for nearby gardens or inquire when I arrive. Here is a brief tour of some of the amazing gardens I've visited over the years.

China

While touring China, we visited the Classical Gardens of Suzhou which date back to the 6th century BCE. They are on the UNESCO World Heritage list and are considered prime examples of Chinese mountain and water gardens.

	Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China	Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China	Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China	Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China	Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China	Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China	Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China	Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China	Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China

University of Minnesota Arboretum

While visiting family in Minneapolis, I discovered the nearby beautiful and educational landscape arboretum of the their state university

Boise, Idaho & Spokane, WA

While traveling to the Pacific Northwest to visit friends, we were amazed at the rugged geography of the area. We discovered that some areas are part of a large grassland ecosytem; although now mostly are agriculture. The temperatures are moderated by the Pacific Ocean, and precipitation is fairly low, particularly in the summer.

Northern Italy

We traveled to northern Italy, and found the gorgeous island garden of Isola Bella of Lake Maggiore. This rocky island was transformed into a spectacular garden for the Borromeo family over the span of 400 years, and was completed in the mid-20th century.

Azores

The Azores are a Portuguese island chain 800 miles off the mainland in the Atlantic ocean. The archipelago has a subtropical maritime climate. Many plants thrive in this mild climate, including hydrangeas which were introduced to the islands over a hundred years ago, and abound everywhere.

Litchfield County, CT

In a garden tour in Litchfield County, CT, we saw the most spectacular private gardens. Beautiful, but definitely not low maintenance.

Aberdeenshire, Scotland

My younger sister and I spent a week visiting public and private gardens around Aberdeenshire, where she lives. Gardens in the UK thrive in the generally cool year-round weather - even No. American natives which abound in many gardens.

Berkshires, Massachuetts

We spent a summer weekend in the Berkshires visiting The Mount, Naumkeag, and the Berkshire Botanical Garden - all spectacular gardens with a sense of wonder and history.

Southeast England

I had the good fortune of attending a week-long garden symposium at Great Dixter in Northiam, England. While there, we also visited Sissinghurst, Wisley and a private topiary garden. The climate here is conducive to growing many plants from all over the world - moderate temperatures year-round.