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,...
All for the love of a beautiful, clipped hedge
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...
66 OF THE WORLD’S BEST GARDENS
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...
Putting the garden to bed for winter and I need help
Oh my, time once again to put the garden to bed for winter.
Kew has mighty forklifts to place heavy citrus box planters into storage. But I have my own heavy-lifting apparatus - my son,...
How beautiful to sight those beams of morning play
Don’t you just love seeing heavenly beams of sunlight.
I started taking photos of them when I was in South Africa recently and have not stopped snapping shots whenever I see them.
The beams always...
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...
Why you should come on my Italy Islands & Lakes Tour
Why you should come with me to Italy in 2018 to visit islands and lakes and see world-class gardens . . . as well as everything that is wonderful about Italy.
Tour price: $6,979 per person...
Can you repeat that – it looks so good, just keep doing it
Visual repetition always catches my eye. I love it when it is done well. In the garden, it is a very clever way to create rhythm and add impact.
On Beatty Street in Vancouver...
Selection of video and photo highlights from South Africa tour
I took dozens of photos and several videos during my recent South Africa Garden Tour. Here's a selection of the best photos and most engaging videos I took.
Golden seal on waterfront in Cape Town.
Courtyard...
Into Kruger to see elephants, giraffes and other great wild life
We ended our South African adventure with a visit to Kruger National Park for a two day game drive.
The first day, we saw a total of 29 creatures - exotic birds such as blue-purple...
Stellenbosch to Knysna with stops to see gardens, caves and ostriches
Stellenbosch is a lovely town with a first class university - one of the top four in South Africa.
I got to wander into the campus and talk to students - one studying law,...
Falling in love with quiver trees from Springbok to Clanwilliam
From Springbok, we made our way south to Clanwilliam, stopping on the way to see a magnificent display of quiver trees and other native African plants at the Kokerboom Nursery.
The nursery, now into its...
Oh no, Namaqualand has no flowers! This is a big disappointment
Namaqualand, one of the world’s top landscape wonders for majestic spring flower displays, is in the grip of the worst drought in 100 years.
As a result, there are few, if any flowers. It is...
From Kirstenbosch to Namaqualand for more spectacular sights
My first visit to Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in Cape Town was five years ago. It was a fabulous visit and I got to see some spectacular plant specimens - protea, leucospermum, cycads and all...
Up Table Mountain for a sensational, panoramic, top of the world view
Our decision to go up Table Mountain has been in the balance for a few days because of fluctuating weather conditions.
The sky needs to be totally blue without a cloud in it for a...
Down the Cape Peninsula to spectacular Cape of Good Hope
For our second day in South Africa, we first headed downtown to visit the Company Gardens in the heart of the city.
This was a lovely way to start the day. I told everyone that...
South Africa garden tour begins in Cape Town
Sept 8 - Today, I am in South Africa to lead an exciting 14 day garden tour out of Cape Town with visits to Namaqualand, the Western Cape and Stellenbosch wine areas along the...
Garden Tour Reunion Party was a blast with lots of fun memories
The Garden Tours Reunion Party on Sept 2 - a celebration of the 22 garden tours I have led over the past nine years - was a big success.
Eight-two people attended the event at...
Protected: How’s retirement? It’s about time and making the most of it
It’s been a few months since I stopped working at the Vancouver Sun after 38 years - although it was closer to 50 years in journalism as I started in newspapers in 1968 in...
Why I’m feeling glad all over because these flowers are all mine
Some friends brought us a huge bouquet of gladioli the other day - four bunches containing red, purple, orange and peach ones.
They were barely in flower when they arrived, but they have since started...
