See the wonders of India on this exciting 14-day tour
July 9, 2017
Today, I am happy to announce the launch of my next garden tour - an exclusive 14-day trip to India in February with the option of a six-day add-on to explore the spectacular Kochi backwaters.
This is the most exotic, colourful and spicy destination we have ever visited.
In the past, we have taken tours to China, Japan, South...
Hedges damaged by heavy snows get the chop
We knew this would be the outcome. The heavy snow of winter crushed many plants, especially hedges throughout Metro Vancouver. We could see the damage right away. The snow came so fast overnight and was so wet and heavy by morning that there was little gardeners could do to save their treasured plants.
Now, in spring, we see the results....
Falling in love with my electric blue rhodo all over again
There are hundreds of varieties of rhododendron. But I always fall in love every spring with the one in my front garden, Rhododendron augustinii.It is a mesmerizing, electric blue and looks amazing set against the yellowing leaves of the Acer pseudoplatanus 'Brilliantissimum' planted right behind it.The two blend together against the blue sky to make a perfect combination.
R. augustinii...
Our next adventure: a thrilling, quirky trip from the north to the south
Today, I am delighted to announce the official launch of my next tour, the quirkiest, most eclectic adventure of them all, a 15-day exclusive Top to Bottom Tour, from Sept. 22 to Oct. 6, from Edinburgh, Scotland, to London, England.
Lake District to Stratford, Liverpool to Oxford and more: Tour will be a party from start to finish
On the way,...
New garden tours coming up and in the works for 2019
What new and upcoming garden tours do I have planned for the remainder of 2018 and into 2019?
In May, I will return to Italy for the ninth time to lead a very special Islands and Lakes Garden Tour, starting in Lugano and moving quickly to the Milanese lakes. You can see details here.
From there, we will head to Sardinia...
How my granddaughters did a pretty spring container
Emma and Julie start work on their container project
What to do with my granddaughters, Julie, 3, and Emma, 2, on a snowy day when it is really a little too slippery and messy to play outside: how about a fun gardening project.
We decided to make a...
Why my garden deserves a much better gardener
You might think I am making excuses, but I'm pretty sure all the problems I have with my garden today can be traced back to the fact that I wasn’t here to do work when it needed to be done in spring.
I was away in the UK all of May and the first part of June and when I...
We have the joy of spring . . . then comes summer.
If things were normal and we were not in the middle of this awful pandemic, I would be getting ready right now to go to Europe for a divine river cruise on the Danube, starting in Prague and ending up in Vienna. Sadly, that is not happening. I have cancelled. And 56 people, who were coming with me on...
Now’s the perfect time to plant new bulbs for spring
What bulbs should you plant for a beautiful display next spring?
You'll find hundreds of varieties on offer at your local garden centre, but I found all the ones I need - all the ones I find perform best - are available, for much less, in nice packages at Costco.
I popped into my local store this week and picked...
Japanese courtyard a lovely addition to Agnes Mendoza’s East Vancouver garden
I remember the first time I met Agnes Mendoza. It was back in 2004. I was driving west along McGill in East Vancouver when I spotted this garden at the corner of Slocan. I had noticed it once before but this time it had grown considerably.
I stopped and went and knocked on the door of the house and Agnes...
Look what can happen when you go to Point Roberts to see beautiful gardens
Over the years I’ve had a lot of fun going to visit private gardens on special tours organized by Point Roberts Garden Club.
One of the most memorable was in 2014 when I ended up meeting Dave and Jenny Stumpo for the first time.
They have a beautiful garden overlooking the ocean. At that time, their garden was full of ornamental...
Six garden wonders that continue to inspire and delight
The six wonderful garden projects featured here have inspired and delighted us for years. They are still among the most creative, original, artistic works of landscaping the world has seen.
I don't think it's going too far to call them six of the top garden wonders of the world. Let me know if you know other projects worthy of...
How to make a grand entrance because first impressions matter
What kind of first impression does your garden make?
The entrance is an important first feature. Being the first thing visitors see, it sets the tone for what is to come.
Like all first impressions, an entrance can say a lot about who you are. In a glance, it give ups clues to the kind of style and detail likely...
In his 80s, Umberto’s still one of Canada’s great greenthumbs
It’s always a pleasure to visit my pal Umberto Garbuio at his home in Burnaby Heights and to see how his beautiful garden is doing.
The white wrought-iron entrance gate beyond the row of clerodendron trees still has its quaint, swivel wooden sign saying “Hi”on one side and “Bye” on the other...
Italy Islands and Lakes Tour 2018 – NOW SOLD OUT
October 6, 2017Today, I am delighted to announce the launch of our 15-day Italy Islands and Lakes Tour for May 6 to 20, 2018. THIS TOUR IS NOW SOLD OUT.There is no other tour like this being offered anywhere. It is one of a kind - unique in design, pacing and content.The tour will start in Lugano, Switzerland, where...
Into gardens of New Delhi and on to Chandigarh
We came to India for many reasons. Most of us wanted to get a more intimate, personal, first-hand experience of the country rather than relying on what we had read or been told by others.
However, many of us came with some negative expectations. We had accepted that we were likely to find streets crowded, after all we were well...
2020 European river cruise: CANCELLED DUE TO C19
THIS TOUR HAS BEEN CANCELLED AS OF APRIL 10 DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Today I'm excited to launch our first European River Cruise Tour, which will be 10 days with an optional three days extension, starting in Prague on May 15 and ending in Vienna on May 25, with...
I’ve always had a soft spot for well-clipped boxwood
I've always been partial to clipped boxwood. I'm English, but that is not the reason. You will find beautiful trimmed boxwood in many Dutch, French and Belgian gardens as well as Japanese and Italians garden. They all make bold use of boxwood and use it to great effect in their exquisite gardens.
Still love my beautiful Chinese tree after all these years
Lovely flowers of my Manglietia insignis here in full bloom.
They don’t open all at once, but sporadically, evenly decorating the tree with thick green buds with a slight burgundy tinge as well as fully-opened, exotic, waxy, pink and white, succulent-like flowers.
Native to western China, the Himalayas and Burma, the tree, sometimes called the Red Lotus, is evergreen here in...
Why my life in the garden is still an endless joy
Am I still having fun in the garden? Yes, gardening is still a wonderful pastime. And, hard to believe, I am still getting excited about new plant acquisitions and new planting ideas.
This week, for instance, I saw for the first time a Tasmanian blueberry vine (Billardiera longiflora) in the garden of a friend on Salt Spring Island.
This vine,...
