Sorry but ants are not allowed to run willy-nilly in my garden
Killing creatures is not something I ever like to do. At heart, I like to think of myself as a man who wouldn't harm a fly.
I capture moths by hand or by using...
France-England Tour 2019 has fabulous, unique itinerary
Let me tell you about the exciting 17 day France-England tour May 9 - 25, 2019 that I am launching today. (As of July 3, this tour is sold out, but we still have...
FRANCE-ENGLAND TOUR 2019: DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY:
May 9 Day 1 – Our first stop of this tour, Paris, the city of love, light and also beautiful gardens. We will meet our French tour manager at the airport...
World Cup soccer and gardening. It’s a great combination
My time these days is divided between two activities - watching World Cup soccer and doing garden projects. It's a pleasant mix.
In the garden, I decided to try growing Thunbergia alata, the Black-eyed Susan...
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,...
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...
Great to be back in the garden but so much work to do
You play, you pay, says my neighbour.
What she is referring to is the fact that while I was away in Europe for a month (playing), my garden was suffering and languishing from neglect....
There’s a seaside town called Sopot, noted for fresh air and fun
Let me tell you about Sopot. You may not have heard of it. I didn't know about it before now. Most of my friends have never heard of it either.
I wouldn’t have known about...
Walking to the Summer Garden where they drank vodka on the Fontanka
Chizhik-Pyzhik, where've you been?
I’ve been drinking vodka on the Fontanka
- Russian folk song
When you go on a canal cruise in St. Petersburg, they usually take you down the Fontanka River alongside the Summer Garden.
And...
Sorry St.Petersburg, I was wrong, you have lots of cafes, wine bars
Oh dear, I must apologize. How wrong was I to say I couldn’t find any outdoor cafes and wine bars in St. Petersburg. I was just not looking closely enough. Mea culpa. Mi dispiace....
Life lessons and art treats in Russia’s classy St. Petersburg
We came to St. Petersburg for a few days rest and relaxation after the bustle of the Italy Islands and Lakes Tour, which we think was a big success.
Everyone one told me that I...
Into Naples for pizza and to see more great gardens
We left Cagliari in Sardinia shortly after lunch to catch our flight to Napoli.
The flight was on time and went smoothly and we ended up arriving 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
From the air, I...
Cagliari is Sardinia’s lively capital and a foretaste of Naples
We left Olbia reluctantly because we had such a nice time there.
We were even able to see a local folk parade through the town when all the local groups parade in their unique traditional...
Discovering the rugged, raw beauty of Sardinia
The Sardinia Project was news to me.
I never knew that Sardinia was once a mosquito-infested land where malaria killed hundreds of people every year.
When we arrived in Olbia, the city on the northeast...
Back to Milan as we make our way to Sardinia
My first time in Milan was 2004. I remember going into the cathedral and not being able to see a thing; it was so dark and gloomy. The facade, of course, was as glorious...
Rediscovering love for Isola Bella and Isola Madre and more
Twenty years ago, I picked up a book by Penelope Hobhouse and read about a fantastic garden called Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore.
I remember looking at the beautiful pictures of this garden, and saying...
Brissago’s peaceful island garden is a gem on Lake Maggoire
We bid farewell to Lake Como and headed back over the top of Lake Lugano and down to Lake Maggiore and to the little town of Brissago, Switzerland to visit the beautiful garden on...
Wonderful day spent exploring gardens on Lake Como
Lake Como, north of Milan, Italy, is shaped like an upsidedown Y with the town of Como at the bottom of the first leg and Bellagio at the junction between legs.
We loved Bellagio and...
Falling in love with Como’s beautiful villages, Menaggio and Bellagio
There have been thunderstorms pretty much every day since we arrived in Italy.
The sky suddenly turns dark in late afternoon or early evening. There is a great crash of thunder followed by a downpour....
