A Culinary Banquet.. Rooftop Garden, Vancouver's Fairmont Waterfront Hotel

Fairmont Waterfront Hotel – Vancouver, British Columbia

Fairmont Waterfront, Vancouver - In the Garden Facing Hotel

On a long-awaited visit to Vancouver, British Columbia, I reveled in a blissful stay at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel. The room’s comfortable, contemporary decor and great views were a welcome prequel to my tour of the Fairmont’s rooftop culinary garden. Installed around 1991, the hotel’s rooftop array had been on my radar for some time. At 2,100 square feet,  the 3rd floor green oasis holds a place as one of the first living roofs in a city that now boasts the largest green roof in Canada, the nearby 6-acre Vancouver Convention Centre.

Executive Chef Patrick Dore at the Herb Garden Gates Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, Vancouver, B.C.

The plantings were refreshed in 2006, and fifteen cubic yards of compost later, the garden layout boasts box hedging that effectively defines the planting beds. Espaliered apples and bay trees add beauty and structure to the design. Not surprisingly, organic gardening practices are employed in these productive gardens, where the Fairmont chefs harvest such delicacies as alpine strawberries, rose blossoms, lovage and calendulas, for the tasty fare at Herons Restaurant. May through September you can tour the garden, or book to see Bee Hive demonstrations: the honeybees are the latest addition to the gardens. Phone or check the web site for tour times. Tours of the Herb Garden can also be arranged along with a lunch reservation in Herons.

Garden Plan - Fairmont Waterfront Hotel Roof Garden Vancouver, B.C.

As you might imagine, these organic gardens are a haven for many species of birds. Here’s a gardening tip revealed on my tour of the garden: Orange pekoe tea with a little bit of soap added is used at times for aphid control.

A Birds Eye View .. Fairmont Waterfront Hotel Roof Garden Plan: The hotel offers guest rooms with views of the garden’s herbs and flowers; also Terrace Rooms featuring private patios that lead to the garden.

June 17th, 2010 | Tags: , , | Category: Culinary Gardens, Foodie Havens, Green Roofs/Vertical Gardens, Hotels & Inns | One comment - (Comments are closed)

London's Kensington Roof Gardens and Babylon

Kensington Roof Gardens – Wisteria Bloom in Spring (Alice Joyce photo)
In the very heart of London, the 1.5-acre Kensington Roof Gardens opens to the public when a private event is not taking place. Gardens are located on the 7th floor, 99 Kensington High Street at Derry Street. Note: Do check the web site, and be sure to phone before planning a visit.
What an enticement! To savor lunch, dinner or cocktails at Babylon Restaurant, while taking advantage of the opportunity to stroll through the 1.5 acre landscape of the Roof Gardens.

Kensington Roof Gardens Woodland (Alice Joyce photo)

Metal sculpture with rusted patina and anthropomorphic branching quality

While dodging raindrops, I serendipitously encountered head gardener, David Lewis, meeting with the project’s current landscape architect, Thea Thompson, and arboricultural consultant, Amelia Williams. They kindly answered questions and provided insight into the gardens. I was amazed to learn of the gardens’ 70-year history, originally designed by Ralph Hancock, creator of New York’s Rockefeller Center roof gardens – circa 1940.

Kensington Roof Gardens Woodland Bridge (Alice Joyce photo)

Over the past 2 years, an ongoing process of restoration has brought new life to the gardens, rejuvenating the plantings and hardscape of three distinctive areas:

A Tudor Garden boasts a predominately black and white scheme: dark tulips and white peonies; new cultivars with dramatic foliage like Sambucus ‘Black Lace’, Cotinus varieties, and Anthriscus ‘Ravenswing. My timing couldn’t have been more perfect, as I luxuriated in the spring display of a Wisteria draped archway, pictured above.

In the English Woodland Garden, brilliant fresh foliage and flowers enlivened the setting; home to wildlife  that includes ducks, and flamingos. Not sure if the pictured guy is Bill, Ben, Splosh or Pecks!  A colored glass and steel abstract form adorns the shady woodland, along with the stark yet sparkling metal tree with its rusted patina.

Flamingo - Kensington Roof Gardens (Alice Joyce photo)

Kensington Roof Gardens Meandering Stream (Alice Joyce photo)

Kensington Roof Gardens in Spring (Alice Joyce photo)

Spanish Garden Water Feature (Alice Joyce photo)

Kensington Roof Gardens – Trompe L’eoil  (Alice Joyce photo)


The Spanish Garden showcases the Moorish elements of the Alhambra. During my visit, the fine light played off the colorful Spanish-influenced landscape; Trompe  l’eoil murals, decorative ironwork, and patterned tiles setting off the design.


Kensington Roof Gardens Spanish Section (Alice Joyce photo)


May 25th, 2010 | Tags: , , | Category: Green Roofs/Vertical Gardens, London | 2 comments - (Comments are closed)

Patrick Blanc - Vertical Gardens

Patrick Blanc – A Vertical Garden for San Francisco’s Drew School

These photos were taken at a reception last year to celebrate Drew School’s New Roots Project.Construction is underway on the building in San Francisco, which will comprise the high school’s new assembly wing, performing arts space, and classrooms. Renowned creator of vertical gardens – an artist and scientist – Blanc presented a fascinating talk about where he finds inspiration, and how he creates indoor and outdoor living walls, showing completed projects world-wide from Quai Branly in Paris to the Siam Paragon shopping center in Bangkok.

Patrick Blanc   (Alice Joyce photo)

Patrick Blanc (Alice Joyce photo)

I’m looking forward to documenting the installation this summer, when Blanc will be creating a 1,700 square foot vertical garden as part of the new Drew School building’s 30% living surface area:                   To include a green roof created by Rana Creek – known for the popular roof atop the California Academy of Sciences roof. The Drew addition aims for LEED-Gold certification when completed.

Check back for updates….

Pictured below: A mur vegetal Blanc created in Madrid at the Caixa Forum Museum.

Living Wall - Caixa Forum Museum - Photo courtesy Patrick Blanc

Patrick Blanc

May 5th, 2010 | Tags: , , | Category: Green Roofs/Vertical Gardens | 3 comments - (Comments are closed)
 
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