Garden Visits

Clipping a hole in a hedge to frame a view is one of the easiest ways to add drama and interest to a garden. English writer Vita Sackville West had a gift for creating these artistic, focused views in her famous Sissinghurst garden in Kent. She often placed a bench or statue in a key position where it would be...

Every year, Daniel Truong and Nina Nguyen come to my garden to clip hedges. They do a wonderful job, shearing, clipping, trimming and shaping cedar and boxwood hedges, leaving them with super-straight lines,  razor-sharp corners and wonderfully flat and even sides and tops. Daniel and Nina pick up every last shred of clippings, so there is never a mess at...

It is only a few weeks now until the start of our fabulous 15-day Ireland Grand Circle Tour which will start in Dublin on Oct. 1. (THIS TOUR IS NOW SOLD OUT)The tour will sweep around the picturesque south and beautiful west coast of the island, up to the north, with visits to Derry, Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway and...

There are many wonderful gardens in the world. Over the last 10 years, I have travelled to see some of the best in England, Italy, France, Wales, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, Scotland, Spain and other parts of Europe as well as in Japan, China, Brazil, South Africa and Morocco. Here's a look at 66 of my favourites, from the lovely...

Today, I am delighted to announced the official launch of my 15-day Ireland Grand Circle Tour.It will start in Dublin on Oct. 1 and circle around the picturesque south coast and along the sensational west coast and up to Northern Ireland, Derry, Belfast and out to the Giant’s Causeway before returning to Dublin. We will be staying in excellent hotels including a...

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...