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  • From: Catriona Tudor Erler <cterler@gardenvista.com>
  • To: gardenwriters-on-gardening <gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [gwl-g] gardens in Europe
  • Date: Tue, 08 Nov 2005 11:21:47 -0500

Sounds like a busy trip.  Join the Royal Horticultural Society.  You get free entrance to Wisley (fantastic) and a lot of other gardens, and you get the monthly magazine, which is excellent.  The English National Trust and Scottish National Trust also are good organizations to join if you plan to visit a lot of public gardens run by those organizations.  Here are a few gardens in Scotland that I've enjoyed:
The Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh is good.

Edzell Castle, Near Brechin, Angus; 01356 648 631. Open daily 9:30 a.m to 6:30 p.m.  The Garden was built for Sir David Lindsay, Lord Edzell, about 1604 and was recreated in the 1930s. The carved decoration of the garden walls is unique in Britain. The carvings depict the Planetary Deities, Liberal Arts and Cardinal Virtues. Visitors enter through the summer house to discover nesting holes and flower boxes set into walls, and decorative hedges shaped and trimmed into the Fleur de Lys, Scottish thistle and English rose and the family mottoes of the Lindsay family: "dum spiro spero" (while I breathe I hope) and "endure forte" (endure firmly). Sir David intended his garden to stimulate both mind and senses, and it does.   I've sold photographs of the flowering containers set in the wall niches.

Falklands Palace and Garden, (National Trust Scotland) Falkland, Fife. The gardens have been restored to the plan of a 17th century engraving. 

Cambo Gardens,  Kingsgate, Fife (not far from St. Andrews); 2 ½ acre Victorian walled garden..   It is privately owned by the Erskine family since 1688, and has been run by Peter and Catherine Erskine since 1976. Catherine, a knowledgeable plantswoman and passionate gardener, has inspired the gradual transformation of the garden into the delight it is today.  It is renowned for its snowdrop collection, has been featured in the Royal Horticulture Society magazine, and has something of horticultural  interest going on year round.  You also can stay there.  Choose from the range of self-catering apartments (with meals if preferred) within the mansion house or one of the traditional farm cottages less than a mile away, all fully self-contained and well-appointed. If you prefer bed and breakfast, guest rooms with magnificent beds are available on the first floor. They also have a golf course.  The Erskines are a delightful couple, and will give you special attention as a garden writer. 

House of Pitmuies, Guthrie, Near Forfar, Angus; 01241 828 245.  Open daily 1 April to 31 October – 10.00 to 5.00 p.m. (£2.00 honesty box) Private house with garden open to public. Lovely garden: Two semi-formal wall gardens adjoin 18th century house.  Long borders of herbaceous perennials, superb delphiniums, old fashioned roses and pavings with violas and dianthus. Spacious lawns, river and lochside walks beneath fine trees with a wide variety of shrubs.  The owner, Mrs. Ogilvie, is a keen gardener (does a lot of the work herself) and would probably give you special time as a garden writer if you called ahead and made a plan. 

Crathes Castle, (National Trust Scotland) Kincardinshire (near Aberdeen).  The garden, dating from the early 18th century, contains some of Britain's finest plant collections.  The lime avenues were planted in 1702, as were the dense yew hedges which are now used to divide the garden into units.  Each enclosure has a distinctive horticultural personality.  The Pool Garden is planted in a color scheme of purple foliage and red and yellow flowers.  The yew borders shelter plants which show off well against the somber green: yellow-flowered witch hazel and Eucryphia, which has blooms of white flowers carrying golden tassels.  A visit to this property is enhanced by the 1.5 ha (3,75 a) of walled garden, which incorporates herbaceous borders and many unusual plants. The garden provides a wonderful display at all times of the year. The great yew hedges, fascinating examples of the art of topiary, date from as early as 1702.

Less known gardens in England that are worth a visit are Ham House (near London), Polesden Lacey (near Wisley: fantastic roses, although early May will be too early), and I love Rudyard Kipling's garden, Batemans.

If you see a private garden that you really like, ring the doorbell.  I did that for a garden near Horsham.  The owner was extremely flattered, invited me into the garden (I had seen it on a walk, looking over the back garden fence), and I've sold many photos I took of the garden that day. 
    Enjoy your trip,
    Catriona

   
   





Carol Matthews wrote:
Hello Anna:
  I'd suggest you visit the Chelsea Physic Garden in London (http://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/) and the Leiden Botanical Garden (http://www.hortus.leidenuniv.nl/english/index.php3?c=3&m=&session)
Cheers
Carol
 
 
Carol Matthews
carolmatthews@ns.sympatico.ca
www.carolmatthews.ca
Author of Frommer's Halifax, 1st Edition
Professional Member of:
Travel Media Association of Canada
Professional Writers Association of Canada
Garden Writers Association
Atlantic Columnist for Canadian Gardening
Garden Columnist for European Reporter
----- Original Message -----
From: Anna Ingre
Sent: Tuesday, November 08, 2005 5:18 AM
Subject: [gwl-g] gardens in Europe

A friend and I are planning a trip to Great Britain and Europe in
early May.  Mostly for driving around, some walking, visiting gardens
and doing photography.  The plans at present are to travel to the
north of Scotland, then drive south from Glasgow or Edinburgh, spend
time in Wales, drive south to Cornwall, fly over to Trescot (I
visited it a few years ago - it was wonderful), drive east to London,
then if we have time, go to Amsterdam and  perhaps Stockholm and
Helsinki.  I wondered if people have any suggestions about what are
the must-see gardens.galleries, museums, music, landscape, etc. you
would recommend.  We will have two to three weeks to totally exhaust ourselves.
Thanks for any information you are willing to share.
I have sent this email to the medit garden list also, and for those
of you who subscribe to both lists, I apologize for the duplication.
Anna


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