CAN: Vancouver Island; A Private Garden a

Apr8

I have visited Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada, several times. On those visits I spent much time, both day and evening, in the famed Butchard Gardens near to the town of Victoria. But this time, we visited the private garden of our friends; a garden lovingly carved from a bare block of land; a garden of peace and the joy of plants.

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The central feature of this garden is a Lily Pond. Most rooms of the house look out across this peaceful pond to a landscape of an inlet of water and to the mountains beyond.

While I wandered in the garden, camera in hand, David talked to our friend about the plants in her garden and how they had designed the garden from a bare field.

A hand hewn stream lent a gentle, bubbling sound to the ambience.

A wide variety of well known flowers gave colour and shape to the design.

I won’t attempt to name them all… I’d like you to just wander with me, taking our time to really see them individually and enjoy their beauty.

We’ll wander in the gardens and woodlands behind the house next time.

Jennie and David

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USA: NY: Conservatory Garden Part 3

Dec16

The third section of the delightful Conservatory Garden in the northern section of Central Park, Manhattan, was inspired by English gardens. Here you will find a beautiful selection of trees and herbaceous borders surrounding a central, secret, water lily pool.

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Walking towards the “Secret Garden”

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Concentric bands of paths give a maze like structure to this garden.

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Greens predominate with a clever use of shape and texture.

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Feathery textures are also used to good effect.

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The water lily pond in the centre of the garden.

This pond was dedicated in 1936 to the memory of Frances Hodgson Burnett, whose story of the “Secret Garden” has captured the hearts of so many, young and old. The story was originaly published in 1910 in serial format but was published as a book in 1911. It has become a classic of English children’s literature and over the years has been adapted to film and TV.

This garden, like the book upon which it is based, explores the healing power of gardens, and indeed, of all living things. There is also a powerful message here that being in a quiet place amongst living things can help to bring calm to the mind, to transform negative thoughts into positive thoughts, helping both psychological and physical well being. This is a garden that gives a much needed sense of tranquility in an otherwise very busy city.

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Mary and Dickon; sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh

The sculpture represents Mary and Dickon, the central characters of the book, who find healing of both mind and body in the secret garden they discover, a garden that had been locked away from everyone for many years. Mary holds a bowl of water for two little robins. It was a robin that lead Mary to find the secret garden. The robin had turned up some soil and it was there that Mary found the key to the garden. No key is required to enter this secret garden, just the desire to spend some time in the peace and quiet of a tranquil, beautiful space in a very big city.

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Simple flowers add just a touch of colour to this garden.

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A closer look at some of the feathery grasses.

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We could have stayed much longer but rain clouds threatened.

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The northern end of Central Park.

We had to tear ourselves away from the beautiful and peaceful Conservatory Garden and head back towards the city before the rain came down. This part of Central Park is itself very attractive with undulating lawns, large rock faces and many trees, some of them not very old.

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Fifth Avenue near the Met Art Gallery.

With the rain cloud becoming ever more threatening, we came out of the park onto the famous Museum Mile on Fifth Avenue and made our way to the fabulous Metropilitan Museum of Art.

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New York Metropilitan Museum of Art

There we had lunch in the member’s lounge before spending the rest of the day being entranced by a wonderful exhibition called “Assyria” which transported us as far back as 11th century BC. You could spend many happy rainy afternoons exploring this art gallery with its changing exhibitions adding constant new attractions to the many, many permanent exhibitions.

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Sun shining on one of the fountains at The Met.

By the time we emerged from The Met, the rain had passed and rays of sunshine were sparkling on one of the fountains in front of The Met. We made our way back to our friend’s apartment ready to relax our tired feet after what had been a truly enjoyable day in Manhattan.

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View down the East River, New York.

And put our feet up we did as we watched barges move slowly down the East River towards Brooklyn in the late afternoon light. T’was a delightful way to unwind, again away from the chaos and hustle and bustle of New York. With a view like this to enjoy every day, I understand why our friends like to live in New York. We thank them for their wonderful hospitality… and the view.

Jennie and David

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USA: NY: Conservatory Garden Part 2

Nov30

After leaving the green lawns and formal hedges of the Italianate garden in Central Park’s Conservatory Garden, it comes as something of a shock to walk into the next section of the garden and see a riot of colourful flowers.

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Overview of the French Garden

This French influenced garden is oval in shape. A clipped hedge protects the outer border of colourful flowers while the apron of the fountain pool is surrounded by a partierre style garden of green and red. Beyond are the trees of the main park with a path leading away from this small contained garden to the wide acres of Central Park and the waters of Harlem Mere.

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The plants of the partiere are left unclipped with a shaggy, soft appearance.

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The floral border was a mass of Korean Chrysanthemums.

Korean Mums ( Dendranthema) are very hardy and grow in a loose and graceful mounds. Their dark-green foliage stays fresh all season. According to garden officianados in the North Eastern Sates of US, these Mums suffer no bug or disease problems worth mentioning and the 3-inch daisy-like blossoms don’t have the aroma that other Mums seem to exude. (Apparently, some people don’t like the smell of conventional Mums.) All in all, a good plant to grow in this part of the world. I wonder how they’d grow here in Canberra, in Australia. We might try!

I love daisy-like flowers and photographing these blooms was a delight.

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Notes from the New York Botanic Garden tell us that “Korean Mums were first hybridized (bred) in Connecticut in the 1930s by a nurseryman named Alex Cummings. He was working on hybridizing cold-hardy varieties that would flourish in New England temperatures. He came across a tall plant, a wild species he mistakenly identified as Chrysanthemum coreanum. Breeding from that plant resulted eventually in these lavish Korean Mums.

The original species was native to Korea, so the popular name of “Korean Mum” is correct. Their spectacular, daisy-like flowers come in a wide range of colors, from pale yellow and dusty pink to burnt-orange and fiery red. They certainly make a vibrant show in the autumn months in the Conservatory Garden. ( If you come here in the Spring time, you can enjoy a lavish display of colourful tulips.)

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After inspecting and photographing this wonderful display, we took time out to just sit on one of the benches with our New York friend and enjoy the beauty of one of her favourite quiet places.

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The fountain in the middle of the pond is a bronze copy of the joyful “Three Maidens Fountain” by German Sculptor, Walter Schott. Here in this garden, it’s also known as the Untermyer Fountain in memory of a well known civic leader, Samual Untermyer. The sculture once graced his estate in Yonkers, New York and was given to the city as a gift by his children after his death in 1940.

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The fountain exudes the joy of life and really lifts your spirits as you watch, half expecting the maidens to begin to laugh as they dance. Their dresses cling to their bodies as if perpetually wet from the spray of the fountain!

Beyond the fountain there are borders of perennial plants and a rose covered archway.

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Another view of the garden through some perennial plants.

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The perennials add even more bright colour to the garden.

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A closer look! Stunningly beautiful.

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Sunshine yellow against dark foliage is an interesting combination.

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This French section of the Conservatory Garden is indeed a very pleasant and quiet place to spend time away from the chaos of the city. But we had not yet finished our exploration of this secret part of Central Park. We still had the third section of the garden to explore, the English Garden, and we’ll visit there in my next posting.

Jennie and David

jtdytravels

USA: NY Secret Garden a

Nov23

Not being a fan of chaotic big cities, but being in New York to visit family and friends, we set ourselves the task of finding the quieter places, places to escape. And one of those places is a small six acre section of that great, green space, Central Park.

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Many people know the beauty and the facilities of Central Park but few know that there is a ‘secret garden’ very close to this north-eastern section of the park.

Google Map of Conservatory Garden, NY

To get there, we travelled north along Park Avenue by bus from 59th Street to 106th Street. ( We could have taken the subway # 6 to 103rd Street Station.) It was then but a short walk west to to the gates of the Conservatory Garden in 5th Avenue opposite 105th Street. This area is the border between Manhattan and Harlam, and Harlam, as many of our age will remember, did not always have the best of reputations for safety. So much has changed in New York and safety is one thing I noticed had really changed. The city still has an edge to it but we felt as safe as we do at home in Australia.

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David and me in front of the Vanderbilt Gate.

The main entry to the Conservatory Garden is through a magnificent wrought iron gate, the Vanderbilt Gate. This gate was designed by an American architect, George B Post and made in France. It was used for many years at the entrance to the estate of Cornelius Vanderbilt ll whose home stood at the corner of 5th Avenue and 58th Street.

We were about to step into a garden that not so long ago was an area avoided by most, a derelict area of filth, of drugs and of crime, a place where no one in their right mind would enter. But that was then. This is now. And the transormation is the result of the vision of one woman and the hard work of many volunteers who followed her vision.

The Conservatory Garden is named for the original conservatory glasshouses that were used by the Central Park to grow on plants for the park. They fell into disrepair when the cost of maintaining the glasshouses became too great and they were finally demolished in 1937. In their place a new garden was developed by Betty Sprout and Gilmore Clarke and it was maintained until the 1960s when it too became unmanageable. It stayed unloved and unkempt for twenty years.

This area became a very dangerous place to be, neglected, fullof garbage, the haunt of drug addicta and dealers; a place with a very high cime rate. That was until a landscape gardener named Lyndon B Miller was approached by a friend to see if she thought the garden could be restored. What a sight met her eyes… but thankfully she saw the potential. But restoring a garden costs money and takes time. Photographs of French and English gardens were shown to possible sponsors and volunteers from the New York Garden Club came to the fore to help. This garden is a tesatment to the value of a garden in the social life of a city. Crime has disappeared and it’s now a place of peace and relaxation.

In 1983, a Women’s Committee was founded to make sure that Central Park and the Conservatory Garden remain in good condition for the people of New York and their visitors. They raise funds through Charity events, through the sale of plaques on the park benches ( there are some 9,000 benches in Central Park!), through the adoption of trees, and through donations to help buy the many tulips and other flowers that adorn the Conservatory Garden.

New Yorkers, and visitors like us, have much for which to thank these women. Certainly many of the 1,000 plus members probably live in close proximity to the park… for aprtment dwellers, it’s somewhat akin to having your own garden. But these women raise many millions of dollars to help keep the park and its facitlities in good order. I’m sure those who founded this park and the Conservatory Garden would be thrilled to see their vision still alive and vibrant today.

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This garden is a designated QUIET Zone… something very rare in new York! It’s for those who want to quietly enjoy a stroll in beautiful surroundings where there are no bicycles or horse drawn carriages or runners to dodge, let alone people out for a brisk walk with their dogs. In this secret garden you will share peace and space with other like minded folk who seek to sit quietly, to read or just to stroll in the beautiful Conservancy Garden. Let’s go inside and enjoy its beauty.

Aerial View of the Conservancy Gardens in Spring

The photo above comes from the Park’s website and shows the layout of the Conservatory Garden.There are three sections, each one reminiscent of one of the great classical gardens of England, Italy and France. On the left is the gentle English Garden; in the centre a classic Italianate Garden bordered by the pink and white of crab apples in the spring time. Beyond the lawn and the fountain is a raised area backed by an extraordinary, semi circular wisteria arch, a pleasant pace to sit and read in the heat of summer, I would imagine. On the right is the more formal French styled garden which has plantings of tulips in the spring and Chrysanthemums in the autumn.

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The Italian Garden

The first garden to greet you after you enter the gate is the expansive lawn of the Italianate Garden. This is a favourite place for weddings and for wedding photo shoots. We were there on a week day, so it was all very peaceful. Beyond the lawn is the cool arbour od wisteria. It must be a magic sight, and fragrance, in late spring. We were there in October and the crab apple trees were just beginning to change colour.

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From the fountain, looking back across the lawn to part of Mount Sinai Hospital.

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Close up of the fountain.

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Autumnal leaves on a small pool.

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Portrait of autumn leaf on water.

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Beside the Italian garden is a quiet avenue of trees, a favourite place for those who just want to sit and read in a shady place, seemingly far from the chaos of the city. And yet, 5th Avenue is really only meters away!

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The French Garden

To the right of the Italian Garden is a garden with a French influence. It’s a small sunken garden filled with flowers. The unexpected sight of so many flowers and such a riot of colour in Central Park, or any where in Manhattan, comes as a bit of a surprise… a very pleasant surprise. This photo is a just a taste of what’s to come in my next post… so stay tuned!

Jennie and David

jtdytravels

JT&DY in Europe- at Bangkok airport

Jun2

Many of you will have traipsed along the long corridors of Bangkok airport coming to, or going from, or in transit through this busy airport. But how many of you have had the time, or indeed the inclination, to explore some of the lesser known parts of this huge place and see something of what goes on behind the scenes. We did. Why? It provided us with a good walk in a cool place and we enjoyed it. Here are a few photos all taken by David to share the experience.

Thai flags fly bravely in the breeze.

We had noticed during the night that the roads outside were almost deserted because of the curfew. Mass transportation is allowed only between 06.00 and 23.00 and the general curfew applies from midnight to 04.00. The flags outside our room tell of a proud country and we hope that the political turmoil can be resolved soon. We have noticed a great decrease in tourists in the hotel and in the airport.

A rather empty concourse

This concourse was rather empty by Bangkok airport’s usual standards.

Spider man cleaning the windows

Those travelling on the moving walkways don’t even seem to notice the window cleaner dangling like a spider man on the huge bank of windows.

An awkward place to work!

This cleaner was like a living installation in this architectural wonder of steel and concrete.

Time for a bit of a rest

We were glad to see him take a couple of minutes to rest from his work. It is people like this man who keep the airport so clean for the rest of us to enjoy. We owe them a big thank you.

Cleaners on break time

These women are also part of the army of people who keep this airport clean. They were enjoying a mango feast on their break. I was fascinated by this woman sitting like this… It was many moons ago that I was able to do this!

Cleaning machines being charged up

Whilst the cleaners took a break, their cleaning machines were being charged up at a group of power points that were situated at either ends of the long concourses, well out of the way of the public. I guess not many people go to these extremities of the concourses. But perhaps they should. The views were worth the walk!

The view from one end of the concourse.

At each end of the concourse, there’s a large garden . I love the architecture of the buildings and the gardens complimented them really well. It was good to see a well kept garden even if a couple of the pyramids are broken.

A beautiful design in the garden

A lot of thought had gone into the sculptures and the landscaping around them.

Another airport garden.

At the other end of the concourse was a much more traditionally landscaped garden. The lotus style of the architecture was reflected in the lotus patterns of the garden beds.

An eye catching bank of Palm trees

Another sculptural piece of garden landscaping caught our eye… Palm trees in pots!

These cleaners are part of the modern generation … Mobiles always to hand.

Taking no notice of the beauty just outside the window, these two young cleaners had eyes only for their mobile phones. There was no chat between them… Just that modern form of communication especially beloved by the young.

Break time over… Back to work.

All too soon it seemed, break time was over and the workers all got back to their chores. They often work behind the scenes and are not often appreciated, I’m sure. We thank them all, for without them this place, and so many places we take a bit for granted, just wouldn’t work.

Floral beauty throughout the airport.

Whether the workers are aware of them or not, I don’t know, but we were certainly aware of the beauty of plants throughout the airport, particularly orchids like these.

Orchids everywhere

I’ll let the beauty of these flowers have the last word today as we leave the airport to get ready for our flight to Zurich.

Each flower a beauty.

There is beauty in a group of orchids, but for me, the single flower is just magic.

Such delicate beauty!

We dedicate this beauty to our friend Sonia who has just lost her fight with cancer. A truly remarkable woman who has left this world a better place because of her love and concern for others. We are glad that she was part of our lives. She will be missed by many.

More anon from Switzerland as we continue our journey.

Jennie and David

UK : Cornwall : Trengwainton Garden #1

Sep9

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In the hills behind the Cornish coastal town of Penzance, in the small village of Madron, is the National Trust Property of Trengwainton Garden. Although the manor house at the top of the garden is still a private residence, the garden is open to the public. We walked up the long gentle slope of this rather narrow garden by a winding path through dense plantings; we returned by the main driveway bedecked with Rhododendron on one side and a small stream planted with bog plants on the other. The moorland misty rain had returned, but that didn’t dampen our enjoyment of this lovely garden.

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This garden is known for its collections of magnolias, rhododendron and camellias.

Although some had finished flowering, there were plenty left for us to enjoy.

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I love azaleas; so simple and simply beautiful, especially when jewelled with rain drops.

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Because spring had come late to Cornwall, there were still some magnolia flowers to enjoy.

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Both sides of the winding pathway are densely planted with a wide variety of plants…

plants that have their origins in many places across the globe.

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The ‘gulf stream’ climate here is perfect for the Australian native, Dicksonia.

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Many new season fronds were just beginning to uncurl.

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The unusual Fuchsia excorticata is a native plant of New Zealand. Sometimes known in Cornwall by the common name of ‘Sunburn Tree’, the trunk of this large fuchsia is characterised by its red peeling bark. This flower has an unusual blue pollen. The flowers are followed by dark purple, almost black berries, which some people say are delicious either raw or cooked.

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Some of the branches of the older trees have grown into strange shapes as they have sought the sun.

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Delightful rhododendron bells draw attention to themselves against swathes of dark green foliage .

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We think this plant belongs to the Malvacaea family of plants.

Does anyone know the name of this beauty?

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I’ve added two more photos of this flower in the hope that someone will identify it.

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In any case, it is a joy to behold!

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One densely planted part of the garden is backed by a large Pieris japonica.

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A closer look at the tree shows the beautiful softness of the combination of pinks and light greens.

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And a much closer look, shows the tiny bell like pink flowers of Pieris japonica.

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There are over 70 species of Hosta that can be used as dense and attractive ‘fillers’ along garden edges.

But, beware! They are much loved as food by snails and slugs!

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On the other hand, they also act as beautiful receptacles for rain drops.

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As the spring flowers were beginning to fade in the garden,

so the summer flowering groups, like the hydrangeas, began to bloom.

It’s is certainly a garden for all seasons.

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The path crosses a small bridge where a pond is the highlight of the view.

It’s a good place to take a quiet rest

as the water bubbles out under the bridge over a small waterfall.

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The light, misty rain persisted, but only enough to give rhododendron flowers a refreshing glow.

The name comes from Ancient Greek: rhódon meaning “rose” and déndron meaning ” tree”.

This photo gives a real hint of the reason for the ‘rose’ tag.

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Some rhododendron trees in their native habitats can grow very large indeed.

Even here, some were large enough to shelter beneath their branches.

That gave time to enjoy shapes of trunks and patterns on bark.

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Above us, hung more of those delightful Rhododendron bells.

There are over 1000 species of this plant, so gardeners are spoilt for choice.

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Finally the house came into view. We had reached the top of the path.

This property, not open to the public, was once the residence of the powerful and very wealthy Cornish Arundell Family, From small beginnings in the early 1200’s, when their only possession was the manor of Treloy in the parish of St Columb Major, the Arundells reached the height of their wealth and influence in the late sixteenth century when this house was built. By then the family owned twenty-eight manors in Cornwall as well as manors and other properties in Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.

The house was altered and extented in the 18th and 19th centuries and is now a Grade II listed building. In 1814, this estate was bought by a Jamaican sugar plantation owner, Rose Price. However, by 1833, his fortunes were diminished when his slaves in Jamaica were freed by the Emancipation Act. In 1867, the house was bought by the Bolitho family. Members of that family still live here.

The gardens were given to the National Trust in 1961 and are very well cared for by that organisation. We’ll explore a very different part of this garden in our next Cornwall episode.

Jennie and David

UK: Cornwall: Trelissick # 3 Rhododendron Walks

Jul30

One of the best known features of Trelissick is its collection of Rhododendrons which come into their own in Spring. Many of them continue to flower into late Spring and we were able to enjoy these, the very essence of a Cornish garden it seems to me.

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One of the best Rhododendron species to grow well in the upper part of the garden, where the ground is thinner and drier, is the rich red ‘Gwilt King’, a hybrid of Rhododendron griersonianum.

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When a touch of sunlight catches these flowers, they seem to glow.

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There were still plenty of new flowers to come even in mid June.

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Rhododendron buds are elegant and deserve just as close a look as the more showy flowers.

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Along the Rhododendron walk, we found this moss covered seat. Whenever I find such an empty seat, I’m reminded of UK friends who enjoyed exploring gardens with me in years gone by but who are now no longer here for me to sit and have a chat with. I love the memories of the good times we spent together in gardens such as these and am grateful for those special times of friendship.

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Walking on, we found several other Rhododendron species in flower. Many of these were brought to Trelissick Gardens from the famous Bodnant Gardens in north Wales by Ida and Ronald Copeland when they lived here. I don’t know their species names but each and every one of them was a delight. I hope you enjoy our photos of a selected few of them.

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As well as Rhododendrons, there were still some azaleas in flower.

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My favourite is the Mollis Azalea. It reminds me of my wonderful Mum!

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Other trees in flower were Cornus, or Dogwoods.

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Have you ever really looked at the centre of a Dogwood flower?

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In amongst the borders are plants like Aquilegia, cottage garden and border essentials with their delicate nodding flowers and delightful lacy foliage which is a rare blue-green colour. They are a beautiful foil for other larger, heavier plants and , although the fresh foliage starts growing in early spring, the flowers develop just in time to fill in when spring flowers begin to fade.

They are commonly known as Columbines or, a name I love for these beauties, Granny’s Bonnets .

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This delicately petalled Roscoea cautleyoides is another Asian plant that’s grown in this garden. Although it’s a member of the ginger family, which has mostly tropical species, this plant comes from the mountain regions of Sichuan and Yunann provinces.

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Another delicate white flower is the bell of Polygonatum or Solomon’s Seal. Once classified as a member of the Lily family, this plant is now classified as a member of the family Asparagaceae. It’s hard to keep up with these classification changes at times!

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Most Cornish gardens make some use of the lovely Astrantia along the borders of the garden.

The flowers range from white to a deep wine red.

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If we look closely we’ll see that this one has a visitor – a tiny green beetle.

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Another plant used to great effect in this garden’s borders is the Geranium, commonly known in UK as Cranesbill.

I love the veined petals. There are many colours for gardeners to use and they flower for a long period.

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A flower that adds a wonderful dash of colour to any border is Alstroemeria commonly called Peruvian Lily.

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Time was getting away from us and, reluctantly, we followed this man and his grandson back to the carpark. I hope they had enjoyed their Trelissick experience as much as we had done. But we still had a long way to go to Sennen Cove near Lands End where we were to stay for the next three nights.

Apart from visiting a quiet Cornish beach for the weekend, our goal in going to that southern part of Cornwall was to learn more about the kind of lives lived by David’s forbears working in the tin and copper mines from the 1600s to the 1850s when some of them made the big decision to emigrate to Australia.

More of that story anon.

Jennie and David

UK: Cornwall: Trelissick Gardens # 1

Jul24

Set above the southern banks of the River Fal in Cornwall, Trelissick Gardens are large and park like. In a picturesque setting, they cover a peninsular of several hundred acres of contoured land.

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The garden has had many owners since its early days in the 1700s and each of them have made their own contribution to this garden. However, the greatest contributions have been made by Carew Gilbert in the late 1800s, Ida and Ronald Copeland from 1937 to 1995 and, since then, by the National Trust who now own the gardens. Three NT gardeners now take good care of the gardens with the help of volunteers (Friends of Trelissick) and students during their holidays.

The NT restored the orchard in the 1990s. It now contains 68 different apple trees, mainly Cornish varieties, and as such is a valuable asset to Cornish heritage. The grass in the orchard is left uncut in the summer to encourage wild flowers. Unfortunately we didn’t get to that part of the garden which must look good in any season with the spring apple blossoms, the summer wild flowers, the autumn apple harvest and then the tracery of the limbs in winter.

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Overlooking the visitor car park is the former water tower with its delightful squirrel weather vane. Because the house and gardens are so far above the river, the water tower was built in about 1825 to pump water from the river. Looking more like a fairy castle, this is now one of five NT holiday cottages which can be rented on the estate. The house and gardens were given to the National Trust in 1955 with the proviso that future generations of the previous owners, the Copeland family, could live on in the house.

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For now, just the gardens are open to the public. The reception, cafe and shop are housed in former farm buildings giving a rustic feel to the entrance. Once inside, the first thing that greeted us on a cool June morning was the beautiful sight and smell of wisteria. This curtain of flowers was labled as Wisteria floribunda ‘Macrobotrys’, a plant that has been known in Japan for at least 400 years.

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Flower beds line the short entrance walk into the main gardens.

Purple iris were brilliant against the greens.

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The markings on this yellow iris are stunning and the furled bud is so elegant.

It always pays to stop and take a closer look.

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Colours, shapes and textures were carefully blended in the garden design.

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There were delightful small plants, too, like this Scilla peruviana.

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The main lawn spills down a slope to a border thick with trees and shrubs. In the centre of the lawn is a large Cryptomeria japonica, Japanese Cedar, planted in the garden in 1898 by the estate’s owner at that time, Carew Gilbert.

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Carew was a great traveller and brought back many exotic plants from Japan, southern Europe, North and South America. Many of the bigger specimen trees in the garden were planted in his time. This one dwarfs David. It’s magnificent.

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Paths run along the top of the slope with glimpses of the River Fal.

Above the river, at the top of the hill, is a glimpse of the Tregothnan Estate owned by Lord Falmouth’s family.

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A closer view of the large mansion at Tregothnan. In 1832, Lord Falmouth of Tregothnan bought Trelissick from the then owners, the Daniells. The cost of building a new house at Trelissick and a slump in mining had forced the Daniell family into bankruptcy. The house was unlived in and the gardens untended until 1844, when the estate was purchased by John Gilbert, father of the plant hunter, Carew Gilbert. Thankfully, a keen gardener had come to live on the estate and his plantings form the skeleton of the gardens today.

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There is plenty of space in this garden to wander and unwind as you discover the great variety of plants that grow in the various micro climates formed by the topography of the garden and sheltered by those trees planted by Carew Gilbert.

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It’s a garden to be enjoyed in any season of the year although early spring and autumn must be the most spectacular. We were there at the end of spring when the garden was filled with many different greens highlighted by an occasional splash of colour.

P1150163 © JT of jtdytravels

Trelissick is a huge garden. It’s not a place to try to see in just one visit.

Those who live near by, can take it in a section at a time, a season at a time.

We would, if we could.

P1150177 © JT of jtdytravels

At the end of an hour or so of enjoying the garden and its trees, we came upon a small NT gate house. From there, steps lead down to the River Fal and the ferry, a popular way for people to come to the garden from north of the river. There’s also a river side path that’s always freely open to the public. This path area is thickly planted to give the main garden protection from the wild Cornish winter winds.

We decided to take the river side woodland walk and go on through the farm, leaving more wandering in the main garden until the afternoon. We’ll show you something of that relaxing walk in our next episode about Trelissick and then we’ll come back to explore more of the garden after that.

Jennie and David

Fiji # 8 : “Garden of the Sleeping Giant” Part 2

Mar16

I left you wandering in the beautiful orchid gardens of the sleeping giant just off the road between Nadi and Lautoka. But there is much more to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant than just orchids – much more. It’s a tranquil place to walk on a hot day. Unfortunately we did not see it all, partly because of time constraints – we had to get back to the ship for our next island hopping adventure – and partly because cyclone Evan had badly damaged the forest. Much of it was closed to the public for the time being. I’m sure it will be open again soon for those who wish to walk through the forest to the top of the hill for the fine views that I am promised are there.

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The path we were able to walk was a board walk that led us down into a shady gully

where part of the jungle-like undergrowth had been cleared

to make a welcoming grassy patch.

Small gardens of tropical ground cover plants edge some of the ‘lawn’ area.

This part of the gardens is sometimes used for weddings.

A wedding ‘chapel’ is on the hill above here.

In the forest, some of the older trees were just magnificent,

held into the ground with formidable roots.

At the base of the gully is a lush lily pond.

And where there’s a lily pond, there are usually lilies!

I love the structure of a lily. One of nature’s beautiful sculptures.

Several beautiful red dragonflies made use of the lily leaf water pools.

Their gauzy wings are another delight of nature.

Water iris are another delight found beside this pool.

Nearby, there were tropical gingers in abundance.

I’ll leave you to enjoy them as we did.

Too soon it was time to wend our way back up the board walk towards the entrance.

On the way there was time to look back at the hills – and enjoy more orchids.

Close to the entrance to the gardens is a delightful shaded ‘fern house’.

Palms. Again, one of nature’s masterpieces of sculpture.

A small water ‘rill’ had been diverted through the fern house.

The sound of gently running water gave authenticity to the fern forest feeling.

In this area, dashes of red and gold lifted the predominant greens.

Shape and texture were also there to be enjoyed –

if you took more than a cursory look.

Just outside the fern house, a few bananas were in flower.

Aren’t they superb? Well worth a close look.

The entrance area is furnished with inviting, comfortable cane lounges.

Welcomed back with a cool drink, this is the place to rest awhile.

Taxis arrived, and it was time to leave this delightful garden.

It was time to drive back to Lautoka.

We were about to embark on another island hopping adventure.

With some new passengers on board , we set sail for the Mamanuca Islands.

Arriving at a small coral cay, we stopped to enjoy the late afternoon.

An hour of snorkelling was a great way to end the day.

On the horizon, though, clouds began to gather.

This is the tropics and afternoon storms are very frequent – and to be expected.

Now join us as we sail through the warm tropical waters.

Ahead of us, an interesting three days as we explore the small archipelago of the Mamanuca Islands.

With the Fijian flag flying in the breeze,

we are on board Captain Cook Fiji’s exploration ship, the MV ‘Reef Endeavour’.

Why not join her sometime for your own Fiji adventure!

Jennie and David

Fiji # 7 : Orchids of the Garden of the Sleeping Giant

Mar16

The Orchid Garden of the Sleeping Giant was a complete contrast from the experiences we had been enjoying on our island hopping journey on ‘MV Reef Endeavour’. Here, in a plantation of some 20 hectares, over 2,000 orchids are grown. Not all were on display, because the garden was still recovering from the cyclone, but there were enough to make for a magical walk through a lush green forest at the foot of the mountain of the Sleeping Giant.

While predominately a show place for orchids, these gardens also contain many native Fijian plants,

as well as plants from other tropical areas.

A welcome site at the garden entrance is this stunning Bismarckia Palm, endemic to Madagascar.

It really enjoys the hot wet summers and less wet winters of Fiji.

The gardens were begun in the 1970’s by the late Canadian born actor, Raymond Burr, famous for his acting personas of Ironside and Perry Mason. For Burr, Fiji was his second home, away from the Hollywood spotlight. Apart from enjoying time on his secluded ‘hideaway’ on a small Fijian island, Burr and his partner, Robert Benevides, bought this plantation to house their private collection of orchids.

Burr hybridised an estimated 1,500 varieties of orchids before he left Fiji in 1983.

Fortunately for visitors to Fiji, this garden has not only been maintained

but has been developed into one of the major orchid gardens of the world.

The paths through this botanic wonderland enter through a mesh-covered walkway.

It’s lined with cultivated orchids growing in pots perched on rock walls.

They are surrounded by perennial epiphytes and other plants such as low growing ferns and gingers.

While not all of the orchids were on show, there were indeed many to enjoy.

They come in an amazing variety of colours and shapes and sizes – all beautiful.

I’ll add a selection so that you can wander along this path with us.

We hope that you enjoy them as we did.

The orchids also had a large ‘supporting cast’ of delightful plants bedded amongst the rocks.

The bright red flowers of Anthurium added a dash of colour amongst the greenery of ferns.

Bromeliads were well represented too.

Butterflies added to the delightful experience of wandering in this orchid rockery.

But the real stars of this garden were the orchids. And there many more still to discover.

Occasionally something unusual like this wasp takes the attention away from the orchids.

After a leisurely wander through the orchid rockery, the path came to the top of a rise with an open vista towards the hills. Here there’s a delightful feeling of wildness, with the forested foothills of the Nausori Highlands in the distance. It’s these hills that give the garden its unusual name, as the corrugated ridge above the gardens is said to resemble the body of a sleeping giant.

And from here, a boardwalk leads down into the cooler shade of the valley.

And we’ll explore that part of the gardens in the next episode.

Jennie

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Category Archives: Garden Flowers

CAN: Vancouver Island; A Private Garden a

USA: NY: Conservatory Garden Part 3

USA: NY: Conservatory Garden Part 2

USA: NY Secret Garden a

JT&DY in Europe- at Bangkok airport

UK : Cornwall : Trengwainton Garden #1

UK: Cornwall: Trelissick # 3 Rhododendron Walks

UK: Cornwall: Trelissick Gardens # 1

Fiji # 8 : “Garden of the Sleeping Giant” Part 2

Fiji # 7 : Orchids of the Garden of the Sleeping Giant