Postcard: Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

To be honest, one of the primary reasons I wanted to go back to London was to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.  In my last visit to England, we saw a documentary on the BBC about how Kew Gardens were instrumental in creating the British Empire.  That cemented my desire to see the place for myself.


 I'm sure it's even more amazing in the warmer months, but there was more than enough to occupy us for 5 hours as it was!  And we didn't even get to see everything.  My husband said: "It's so easy to find things here.  And the walks are really pleasant."  I'm guessing that those 2 things were not, in fact, accidents and are indeed just good design.  Kew is certainly worth a trip, in our opinion!


The greenhouses are really beautiful buildings.  Overall, the plants inside didn't personally knock my socks off, but then again I'm living in the 21st century where air travel makes it easy for me to visit exotic locales and I grew up in a tropical climate.  I can imagine, though, how amazed Victorians would be at their contents.  All the exotic palms from all over the empire!  Chocolate trees!  Coffee trees!


 
In addition, the Order Beds (at least the ones with stuff above ground) were fascinating.  Each bed contains plants from the same family & then those beds are grouped by order.  The similarities and differences between plant "cousins" was really interesting.  I hope to go back to explore this a bit more at some point.

My favorite bit might have been the Davies Alpine House and the rock garden near it.  Perhaps because they both contained so many unusual flowering plants (who isn't a sucker for flowers?).  I love how they were all grouped too!

This is definitely a place we'll go back and visit in the future.  We didn't see everything and we'd like to come back in a different season to see how the gardens change.  Next time I'll remember my sketch book and we'll take their little trolley to save a bit of walking.

Postcard: St. James's Park

As alluded to in my previous post, I'm recently back from a London "mini-break."  While someday I'd love to visit England during the summer, late March isn't a terrible time to go.  Sure the deciduous trees are still mostly bare (although a few--like magnolias--are blooming) and most perennials are still asleep, the daffodils where in full splendor as were other bulbs.

On last visit, we strolled around Regent's Park quite a bit.  On this visit, we found ourselves particularly exhausted after a long walk from our hotel near the Marble Arch Tube Station to the area near Buckingham Palace.  We followed a random road which lead us to St. James's Park.

Obviously popular with locals, the park was quite the haven and a perfect place to spend a half an hour resting our feet.

There are, I'm sure, many extraordinary things about St. James's Park.  It's bordered by 3 palaces, after all!  However, what I found most extraordinary was the daffodil plantings.  They were, of course, in drifts as is the usual practice.  What was striking was that little pockets and harbors were created that could fit 1, 2 or 3 people...no more.  Nothing is quite as lovely as being surrounded by cheery daffodils on an overcast day!  In the photo, you can see 2 heads just above the sea of yellow enjoying it.

The brilliance is in the scale. Pockets too small for one person to lay down would look ridiculous in such an expansive drift as would really large gaps.  But a little harbor where 3 friends can be almost surrounded by sunshine and share a picnic or a little pocket where one person can read a book?  Cozy.

"Gardens are a Sign of Commitment to a Place"

My favorite part of Hidcote Manor Garden from our trip to England a few years ago was this amazing beech "forest". A charming iron gate leads you to perfect rows of beech trees. It was just magical. I remember thinking that many of the grand gardens and grand houses we were seeing had plants that would take a more than lifetime to form a 15 foot tall hedge or a mature mock-forest. I also remember thinking that fast growing trees and shrubs (along with eye-catching annuals) was what I could mostly find in my neighborhood.

Today I attended a lecture by the author of Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn, Fritz Haeg. He was describing his project on turning lawn-filled front yards into productive and beautiful landscapes and how that affected the garden owners and their relationship with the people around them.

He also described his excitement, and trepidation, with doing the project for a more transient apartment complex.

One of the audience members asked if he had ever considered more mobile gardens for these apartment residents to take with them when they move. Mr. Haeg responded that whatever garden that works on this street may not work on one street over. "Gardens," he said, "are a sign of commitment to a place. You're not going to tear up your front yard if you're planning to sell your house in a year."

Is the American dream of moving your way up the real estate ladder the reason why we don't see more daring front yards such as what Mr. Haeg has created? Or why we see vast stretches of lawn from coast-to-coast that historically said/says "I'm so rich, I don't need my land to be productive"? Is it why we see the likes of Bradford Pears and other fast growing, almost disposable trees? After all, why spend time & money on a plant you, your children or your grandchildren won't see to maturity?

Whatever the answer to those questions are, I do believe that he's got a point: Gardens ARE a sign of a commitment to a place. They require care and maintenance and work. You don't do that if you aren't emotionally involved with that place.

Needless to say, I'm not more excited than ever to turn half of my front yard into an herb garden this fall.

Postcard: Longwood Gardens (and Terrain at Styer's)

This past weekend, my husband planned a lovely garden-filled Sunday for me. We drove over to Pennsylvania to visit Longwood Gardens and the infamous nursery from the makers of Anthropologie, Terrain at Styer's.

First, Longwood Gardens. This former home of Pierre du Pont (yes, that DuPont) has just magnificent grounds. As in, it is completely worth the 2.5 hour drive from DC and $16pp admission. This place is *huge*; be sure to wear comfortable shoes! It has both inside and outside gardens making it even worth a visit if the weather outside is a bit frightful. I was tired (and the gardens were closing) before we could see it all (after 2 hours of wandering). Here is some of what you can expect to see:

Topiary garden

Main room of conservatory. Completely stunning. Although, those astilibes must have been forced; they aren't due to bloom until fall!

The start of a vegetable garden. I hope to come back in a month to see it planted!

Have you ever seen a DOUBLE snap dragon? Now you have!

Some things to note about Longwood, though. There are picnic areas outside of the gardens & no outside food allowed inside. Inside the gardens there are 2 restaurants that have Disney prices (as in, $2.75 for a bottle of water). Thus, I would recommend bringing your own refillable bottle (water fountains are scattered around) and either eating a hearty lunch or brunch via picnic or other restaurant before entering.

Also? There were a gazillion kids there and they seemed to be having a fabulous time. Besides large lawn areas where kids can work off some pent-up energy from the long drive, there were several exhibits (children's garden with water feature, maze to understand the role of bees, "Scent Seekers" as part of the fragrance exhibit, etc.) to encourage kids to learn and enjoy the plants. So, if you have little kids, I would recommend bringing them along. Non-plant loving teens might be bored out of their minds, though.

We also stopped by Terrain at Styer's. I have an unfailing love of Anthropologie, despite their clothes looking absolutely ridiculous on me. So, when I found out there was an Anthropologie-esque nursery, I knew I wanted to go. But at 2.5 hours away, it was a bit of a hard sell. However, coupling in nearby Longwood made a visit make sense.

Overall, I loved the containers, garden furniture and terrarium equipment they had there. The selection of cloches (not the super heavy, antique ones but still nice & hard to find 'round these parts). Unfortunately, everything was crazy expensive. As in, large fiberglass pots were $250. Granted, they were the most attractive, modern fiberglass pots I've ever seen. Their plant selection was sufficient and good quality, but I think local nurseries here have more variety for lower prices (except for a purple-flowering Pieris japonica...that was unusual).

I definitely see myself going back to Longwood and, since Terrain is on the way, I'll probably go back there too. There were also lots of antique shops that look interesting...maybe another road trip in June?!?

Postcard from US National Cathedral

I hadn't been to the National Cathedral. Until now, that is! It seems like a very, very old building, but it's not. The stained glass I found quite unusual as some of it is almost Picasso-esque One window in particular was out of place looking...it was of planets and stars!

While the cathedral itself is lovely and has great views of the city, I was far more enchanted by the gardens. I was unaware that there were any gardens there, but they are very nice. The sort of place you'd like to bring a little snack and a good book and spend a few hours of a nice afternoon. They are a traditionally monastery style.

Here are some more photos (click to make bigger):

Here's my favorite part, though. Something that I might add to my garden: A collection of thymes! Look how lovely the textures and color mix. Love it!

Postcard from US Botanic Garden

The DC area is blessed with green space & gardens, especially for a big urban area. There is the Meadowlark Botanic Gardens, Brookside Gardens, National Arboretum, Rock Creek Park, Mt. Vernon, Great Falls, Hillwood Gardens, Washington National Cathedral Gardens, and River Farms. There are probably others that I'm forgetting.

And, of course, there is the US Botanic Gardens. It's my favorite place on the National Mall, especially in winter when it is warm and tropical inside. But in spring and summer, the gardens are fabulous full of bulbs and colorful annual & perennial flowers. Each visit to the USBG you see tons of "tourists" (either actual tourists or locals enjoying the tourist attractions in the area) with their cameras out, intently photographing flowers and leaves and landscapes. For good reason, too: Not only are the flowers themselves very nice but in the conservatory there is excellent lighting. It's sunny but with shadows that hit the flowers in very, well, illuminating ways. You can really paint with light in there!

Here are some macro photos from my recent trip with, when possible, names listed:

Phragmipedium Grande (in color and black & white)

Another type of orchid

An unnamed lily

Another unnamed flower

Same as flower above, but not yet unfurled

Seedpod

Orchid

Note: Above photos are copyrighted material and should not be used without permission.

Postcard from England: Hidcote Gardens

Last week the husband & I vacationed in the stunningly beautiful Cotswold District of England. Let me tell you, when the English say "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty," they ain't messing around. Seriously. This was the most naturally beautiful place I've ever been (The Alhambra is the most beautiful man-made place I've ever been).

I admit it, I got a little teary-eyed when we were driving away. If only I could find a job there....

*sigh*

Most of the houses in the Cotswolds seem to have the most charming gardens. Their yards, which aren't MUCH bigger than my 1/10 acre lot often include a small green house. Meaning, the English are serious about gardening, which I kinda knew, but then watched Bridget Jones' Diary & thought maybe that was a thing of the past.

One of my favorite places we visted was Hidcote Gardens, a National Trust Site. It was the home of Lawrence Johnston, a famous horticulturist. Hidcote is often described as one of England's great "Arts and Crafts" gardens. The garden itself is divided into "rooms" with each room having it's own theme (there's the Red Border, White, Upper Stream, etc.). I think we spent an hour and a half there and honestly, I could just pull up a tent & set up camp & live there forever. And, it should be noted, I don't really like camping. It's THAT beautiful.

Here are some photos that in no way accurately depict the loveliness that is Hidcote Manor Gardens (click on the photo to see it larger):