Alice's Garden Travel Buzz » Garden Travel Buzz Links

Great Dixter: Springtime Scents, Soul-stirring Beauty

Alice Joyce — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:04:52 +0000

The famed ‘Sunk Garden‘

at Great Dixter

Click here to read a Reprise of my Springtime visit to this iconic English Garden…

Memorable Gardens, Fountains, Brilliant Blooms

Alice Joyce — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 18:12:35 +0000

Memories gathered from our travels continue to give pleasure long after we’ve returned home.

Hadrian's Villa Photo © Alice Joyce

In looking back on my sojourns, I enjoy dwelling upon landscapes that captured my imagination, settings that remain in my mind’s-eye as vivid impressions, continuing to enrich my days.

As 2011 draws to a close, I’m looking back on historical sights, and also iconic contemporary settings that I highly recommend when planning travel. Are you going to visit Italy? Hadrian’s Villa…

Bomarzo: Neptune Photo © Alice Joyce

and the Sacred Wood of Bomarzo offer unforgettable experiences where you might imagine dwelling for a time in another era. Read more about Italian Gardens on Amazon…

Keller Fountain Photo © Copyright Alice Joyce

Portland is one of the most vibrant, inviting cities in the U.S., and the Ira Keller Fountain should not be missed. The iconic contemporary design of the park’s landscape and fountain is included in the book,

10011001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die.

Dombeya cayeuxii Photo © Alice Joyce

The Adamson House in Malibu, California offers immersion in an important period of Americana: The Historic Malibu Potteries. And it’s here, if you time your visit accordingly, that you’ll see the magnificent blooms of Dombeya cayeuxii!

A hidden gem to seek out when your travels take you to London: The Kensington Roof Gardens will surprise and delight!

Read more by clicking on the garden links to features on Alice’s Garden Travel Buzz,

& stay tuned for more buzzzz… and Happy Holidays!

Garden Design: Chelsea Flower Show Redux

Alice Joyce — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 22:24:12 +0000

British Heart Foundation Garden Detail / Photo © Alice Joyce

So much to see and photograph this past Spring at RHS Chelsea. Inevitably, more than a few gardens and horticultural high points slipped through the Chelsea Show features published here on AGTB. Thus, one final post to help sum up my tour of the world’s top flower .. show circa 2011.

: Homebase Cornish Memories Pavilion Photo © Alice Joyce

Thomas Hoblyn’s design of the Cornish Memories garden for Homebase; awarded a Silver Gilt Medal. Hoblyn called up images of his childhood in Cornwall – of rock pools and coastal flora that inspired a garden highlighted by lush plantings and the sinuous movement of water.

: Cornish Memories Garden Photo © Alice Joyce

Of the plantings, a Cornus boasted blooms composed of soft-lemon-hued bracts.

: Cornish Memories Garden Pavilion Photo © Alice Joyce

Below: Trailfinders Australian Garden designed by Ian Barker and presented by Fleming’s Nurseries. The inspiration for the Silver-Gilt Award design called upon the voyage of The Endeavor, and renowned plant explorer Sir Joseph Banks. The richly planted landscape reflects flora Banks would have collected while traveling from England through the Southern Hemisphere; the pavilion design representing the ship’s sails.

: Photo © Alice Joyce

Kinetic Sculpture amid melding of Gunnera, peonies, heuchera, iris and astilbe Photos © Alice Joyce

: British Heart Foundation Photo © Alice Joyce

Circular red stepping stones of translucent resin, steel arches, and a buoyant seating area are enhanced by plantings that include edibles in the Mending Broken Hearts Appeal Garden created by Ann-Marie Powell; sponsored by Brewin Dolphin.

Photo © Alice Joyce

Wood Yew Waste: Presented by the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies – NW Area. Below: Best Urban Garden Award to Winds of Change designed by Jamie Dunstan / Stockton Drilling Ltd.

Winds of Change Photo © Alice Joyce

Wind turbines, repurposed scrap materials, and a green roof came together in an outstanding garden with an edge to the design.

garden designContemporary Garden Design .. Amazon.com

Going Elemental: David Harber’s living wall employs undulating narrow sheets of steel surrounded by the bright blooms of Bacopa. Rushing water plays over the reflective steel in a sculptural composition by Harber, working with VertiGarden.

Surviving – Cancer Research UK Garden – Robert Myers, Designer / Photos © Alice Joyce

Yet another romantically picturesque show garden design from Laurent-Perrier for Chelsea 2011: The Gold Medal Award presented to the Champagne winery for a garden designed by Luciano Giubbilei, with an architectural pavilion designed by Kengo Kuma and sculptor Peter Randall-Page. The theme – handcrafting from nature – resulted in a serene yet mesmerizing environment where plantings were ebullient, yet with a delicate presence.

Andy Cao: Red Lantern at Cornerstone Sonoma

Alice Joyce — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:36:40 +0000

Having reinvented his design of the Lullaby Garden, which is now

an ethereal environment - Bai Yun : White Cloud…

Andy Cao of Cao Perrot Studio adds a new installation, soon to be unveiled at Cornerstone Sonoma:

Click here info on the Nov. 20 reception from 2 – 5pm and no-host dinner.

Red Lantern Crystals © Alice Joyce

In the installation, Red Lantern - the lantern element features a crackle glaze with an eggshell-lacquer finish. A gravel surround outlines a pond where a reflection of the lantern’s form is captured along with the sparkle of red crystals and floral filigree of wirework. As in all of Cao’s site-specific works, personal reminiscences meld with the cultural to evoke multi-layered references and sensory responses.

The theme of the work pays homage to Chinese migrant workers who toiled while building the Central Pacific Railroad in the 1800s, with linear forms jutting out of the pond to evoke images of chopsticks. The wire patterning brings to mind clouds, while the ruby colored glass aligns with the traditional Chinese wedding headdress.

avant gardenersAvant Gardeners on Amazon…

Red Lantern in Progress

Planks set into the pond call up the rhythm of railroad ties as you traverse the water to enter the lantern. The installation was in progress when I visited Cornerstone to photograph, as work continues on placing the crystals and patterning of the wire.

If you’re in the area, note the date – November 20th at 2p.m., when there’ll be a reception with Andy to celebrate the new installations, followed by a no-host dinner.

The event is co-sponsored by The Garden Conservancy.

Gravetye Manor: A Resurgence in Sussex

Alice Joyce — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 23:19:44 +0000

Once home to the doyen of 19th century English gardening, William Robinson’s historic Gravetye Manor is enjoying new life as a luxe country hotel and celebrated restaurant, just as the acclaimed gardens are regaining their rightful role.

Gravetye Manor - Flower Border Photo © Alice Joyce

Having left his post at Great Dixter, Gravetye’s head gardener Tom Coward is managing the restoration of the property’s established gardenscape, while promising to add contemporary panache to planting beds, borders, and bucolic landscape.

: Eremurus Photo © Alice Joyce

Stone Bench Photo © Alice Joyce

During my late-spring visit, the gardens looked fetching. Following along pathways of York stone with its aged patina, I meandered through the formal flower garden where the soft colors of foxtail lily played off bright lupins, and vividly marked foxglove blooms towered over masses of geraniums, columbines and brilliant red poppies.

A well-known element in William Robinson’s design of Gravetye, the garden’s long pergola has been reborn; befitting a lush Wisteria display.

To tour the gardens, you’ll need to make a reservation to have a meal in the intimate, oak-panelled Gravetye Manor Restaurant presided over by Chef Rupert Gleadow, or book a stay at the hotel.

A glimpse of the elegant lunch entrées:

T’s selection: Assiette of seasonal & garden vegetables, truffle cream & baby rocket.

My choice: Fillet of Southcoast Grey Mullet, Fricassee of asparagus and morels, fondant potatoes and Madeira jus.

Gravetye would surely be a wonderful place to stop for

…. Afternoon Tea.

Experiencing the gardens’ distinctive spaces, I moved from the sublime symmetry of the Flower Garden to stroll amid the Azalea Bank on the way to The Long Lawn. Going forward to the renowned Wild Garden Robinson created a century ago, I came upon a landscape that to this day remains a lyrical vision of winding paths through wildflower meadow to pond, as the eyes coming to rest on a perimeter of trees.

William Robinson - a Vintage Photograph

Robinson continued to live at Gravetye into his nineties. Even after he began using a wheelchair, Robinson could look out from the shelter of his garden room, surrounded by beauty.

Decorative wrought ironwork door opening onto the Gravetye garden.

Summer in Sonoma .. St. Francis Winery

Alice Joyce — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 19:14:49 +0000

Summer … Northern California Wine Country

It’s not always an easy task when selecting a winery for touring and tasting. As many of the excellent wines you’ll taste at St. Francis Winery & Vineyards are only available on-site, it’s a particularly enjoyable aspect to sample rigorously crafted wines such as those with the ‘Wild Oak‘ label: I tasted Syrah & Zinfandel, and was enamored by the Cabernet Sauvignon, its notes of chestnut, licorice, and dry tobacco adding to the wine’s classic blend of concentrated aromatic fruit.

T. tasted the ‘Artisan Series’ (winery only), and so I had a chance to sip and savor a delectable 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Lagomarsino, Russian River Valley; an outstanding vintage of great finesse.

I’m planning to return for an in-depth visit to take in the Wine & Food Tasting, which we couldn’t fit into our schedule on the day we visited. Executive Chef, David Bush prepares three selections that win accolades from connoisseurs I’ve spoken to, folks who long ago discovered the lure of St. Francis Winery. Whether you’re visiting Northern California or living locally, you’ll want to plan ahead by phoning 888.675.WINE.

Check the web site for special events.

You’ll enjoy strolling the gardens.

And you may wish to combine tasting with a Charcuterie on the Patio – a stunning view of the Mayacamas, Sonoma Valley is delightful year-round.