Ballintubbert Gardens in Co. Laois are a complete revelation to the first time visitor. On entering through what must be one of the humblest and unassuming garden entrances, a short distance further along the drive reveals the fine Georgian Manor House around which the 14 acres of gardens are found. The house was first built in 1725 and has the distinction of being the birth place of Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis (father of actor Daniel Day-Lewis). There are further associations with the artistic fraternity as the actor Sir John Hurt and his family lived here in the 1990s. It is now firmly on my list of must-see gardens in Co. Laois.
Tag: Western Europe & UK
Christmas Lights, Birmingham
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas when the trees and glasshouses of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens are playfully lit and all aglow. There’s something for everyone at this festive time of year as a sparkling path winds its way through the Gardens in a magical after dark experience. Timed entry every half hour, last entry 8.30pm.
Christmas Garden Berlin
Follow a 2km circular path through Berlin’s Botanic Garden enjoying 30 individual light installations with 1.5 million twinkling lights. Warm up at fireplaces along the trail and finish up with a cosy restaurant meal. Ice skate on the Garden’s ice rink
RHS Early Spring Plant Fair
From 13–14 February 2018, the RHS kick-starts the gardening season with a mix of fresh spring colour and early-flowering plants. Workshops, experts on hand, plant sales, floral displays, garden designers.
12 February from 5pm-9pm; 13 February from 11am-8pm; 14 February from 11am-6pm
Women in Horticulture, RHS Harlow Carr
This fascinating exhibition highlights the careers of these talented women of horticulture, who over the last 100 years, have left an enduring legacy as educators, scientists, artists, writers and gardeners. The exhibition includes the current RHS Director General Sue Biggs.
Entry is free after paid entry to RHS Garden Harlow Carr
Christmas Glow at RHS Wisley
Smart Energy GB and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) have entered into a partnership that will light up the winter sky at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey from Friday 1 December to 3 January 2018.
The garden’s annual ‘Christmas Glow’ event, now in its third year, is a captivating light installation of giant, botanically inspired blooms, which enhance the natural beauty of the garden and provide a magical view after dusk.
Entry after 3pm is £11.20 adults, £5.60 child
Kew Gardens Thai Orchid Festival
Thailand’s vibrant colours, culture, and magnificent plant life will be the centrepiece of Kew Gardens 2018 Orchids Festival in February. Inside the tropical paradise of the Princess of Wales Conservatory, visitors to Kew’s 23rd annual Orchids Festival will get a chance to shake off the winter blues and get creative through a host of exciting new events and activities designed to appeal to all ages.
Free entry to exhibition after Kew Gardens entry. ‘Orchids Lates’ at Kew Gardens will be held on 15th, 16th, 22nd and 23rd February / 1st and 2nd March; 6.00pm – 9.30pm (last entry 9pm)
Christmas at Kew
Follow our sparkling trail of over one million twinkling lights, illuminating heritage trees and buildings through the Gardens. Fairy-tale meets fantasy in a world of singing trees, larger-than-life flora, ribbons of light, giant baubles, and a flickering Fire Garden. The Palm House leaps into life with a dazzling show of laser beams, jets of light and kaleidoscopic projections.
Little ones can catch a glimpse of Santa and his elves at the North Pole village and enjoy a vintage fairground ride. Not so little ones can warm up with some mulled wine or hot chocolate and toast marshmallows around the fire.
Photography at Chaumont-sur-Loire
The Centre for Arts and Nature at Chaumont-sur-Loire in France will devote its 2017-18 winter exhibition to some stunning photography. In the Château and the Cour de la Ferme, from November 19, 2017 to February 28, 2018, more than 2,000 square meters of work will be presented, with the works of seven photographers focusing on landscape and nature. A special tribute will be paid to two great personalities of the world of the image, who too early disappeared: Thibaut Cuisset and Gérard Rondeau.
Free entry with ticket to Chaumont-sur-Loire (12€, 4€ child)
Les Journées des Plantes, Chantilly
Almost 30 years after its creation, Les Journées des Plantes Flower Show has become the main event for European horticulture in France. Nursery growers, collectors, landscapers, professionals from the plant trade, horticultural associations… From collection plants to the great classics, the entire palette of horticultural diversity will be on show. Objects and furniture to fully enjoy the garden, gardening tools and accessories, arts & crafts and traditional know-how. Conferences, signings, events, workshops and advice.
Radicepura Garden Festival, Sicily
The new Radicepura Garden Festival in Sicily is dedicated to Mediterranean-style gardening and landscape design. Organised as a collaboration between Piante Faro nursery and the Fondazione Radicepura, which is dedicated to protecting the natural environment, the Festival features 14 designer show gardens by well known international designers such as James Basson and Kamellia bin Zaal, as well as emerging designers who have won a place in the Festival. Several artists such as Sicilian artist Alfio Bonanno have also contributed to the Festival with art installations in specially-built gardens
As it is held in the Radicepura Botanical Gardens alongside the giant Piante Faro nursery, visitors will also discover the inner workings of a large production nursery.
Open daily from 10am-7pm, 15 euro adults, children 6-16 years 5 euro, U6 free.
Radicepura Garden Festival – Via Fogazzaro n. 19 – 95014 Giarre, Catania
RHS Hyde Hall Flower Show
Join us for this four-day floral extravaganza set in the stunning surroundings of Hyde Hall.
The show promises an all-encompassing day out with specialist nurseries, gardening sundries, expert advice and demonstrations, as well as the chance to explore the garden in full bloom.
And don’t forget that if you’re an RHS Member you gain FREE access to the show, along with one family guest.
NEW for 2017
Exhibits and advice from the British Cactus & Succulent Society and Southend Bonsai Club. Chat to members, pick up tips and see choice plants on display.
An expanded Artists’ Pavilion featuring more exhibitors, with outstanding botanical art, glass and photography to view and buy.
Innovative floral art displays on the theme ‘Celebrate Summer’.
Talks from Hyde Hall staff will include updates on our exciting Strategic Investment Programme.
Scything for beginners, RHS Rosemoor
Andi Rickard Andi has been a champion scythe for some years and enjoys teaching others the graceful art of scything. The skill has been making a comeback in recent years, partly helped by a scene in the television version of Poldark, and is a more environmentally friendly way to cut grass and wildflower meadows.
You will learn the history of scything, how to sharpen and use the scythe and try different designs, all in one of our wildflower meadows. Scythes and other tools will also be available to buy from Andi.
Rose Festival RHS Rosemoor
Join us in this month long celebration of the rose. Rosemoor’s Garden Kitchen will be celebrating roses throughout the month with a delectable series of rose-inspired and rose-infused treats, from rose meringues, rose and rhubarb cakes, to the restaurant’s much-lauded Turkish Delight Coffee.
A Rose Trail will take visitors on a historic, scented journey through the garden: from the Queen Mother’s Rose Garden, to the Long Borders and the Cottage Garden, discover stunning varieties and their fascinating stories.
FREE for RHS members plus 1 family guest
The Artist’s Garden, RHS Rosemoor
Over 80 of the South West’s most talented artists join together in this exciting and colourful exhibition of naturalistic pictures, prints and cards. With a focus on gardens and plants as well as landscapes, seascapes and wildlife pictures, this exhibition offers an eclectic range of art.
Free entry for RHS members, plus family guest
Lecture Hall, RHS Rosemoor, Devon
RHS Wisley Flower Show
Celebrate 25 years of the RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show this year. Featuring a variety of top quality nurseries and tradestands, there will be expert advice, plenty of shopping opportunities and beautiful floral displays from the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies, and much, much more.
Adults £14, RHS members (plus 1 guest) FREE
Autumn Plant Festival, RHS Harlow Carr
Make the most of the season at the Autumn Plant Festival with Plant Heritage. This two-day event welcomes a range of specialist nurseries to the garden and presents a wealth of advice and information for autumn and winter planting as well as a Tender Plant Show.
The experts on hand are: Helen Bainbridge, Martin Fish, Geoff Oke, Lynne Dibley, Don Billington and David Allison, Chairman of the National Vegetable Society and RHS judge.
Free with garden entry of £12.10/adult
Outdoor Sculpture, RHS Hyde Hall
A charming exhibition by Surrey-based artist Alison Catchlove who specialises in metal sculptures of birds, bugs, animals and flowers which will be dotted around the garden for visitors to admire in this beautiful autumnal setting
Open Garden Squares London
Feed your curiosity with over 200 private, institutional, commercial and communal gardens to explore in this magical two-day event. Gardens range from the historic and traditional to the new and experimental and can be discovered across 27 London boroughs. Gardens may be open either Saturday or Sunday, or both days, and opening times will vary so consult the Open Garden Squares website
Lloyd-Dawson and Stevens Open Garden, Herts
Visit one of Hertfordshire’s most stunning gardens this May when Kerrie Lloyd-Dawson and Pete Stevens open their private garden for the National Garden Scheme.
Although the garden is only 30m x 15m (100ft x 50ft), you will be amazed at the huge variety of plants accommodated by several soil types and microclimates. Includes a pond, bog garden, sun-loving perennial border and significant collections of rare woodland plants and hosta.
43 Mardley Hill, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0TT, only a 1 hour drive from central London.
Open Monday 29 May (Bank Holiday), from 1-5pm. Admission is £4, children free. Homemade teas.
Córdoba Patio Festival, Spain
From 2 to 14 May, the city of Córdoba in Spain becomes the capital of color, light and joy! Declared a UNESCO cultural heritage festival, Córdoba’s annual spring Patios de Córdoba opens the stunning private courtyards that so typify the city.
To see the best courtyards, visit Alcázar Viejo district, between the Alcázar and the parish of San Basilio, although there are also many in the districts of Santa Marina, around the church of San Lorenzo and near la Magdalena. Just around the Mosque-Cathedral, there are also very beautiful old examples of courtyards in the old Jewish quarter. The most beautiful courtyards of all are to be found in the Palacio de Viana (Viana Palace), with twelve different courtyards.
Private patios are open every day, from 11am to 2pm and then in the evening from 6pm to 10pm. Some of those around offical buildings are open only in the lunchtime hours.
Patrimonio Inmaterial de la Humanidad por la Unesco, llenos de color, de aromas, de luz, de vida, todo esto se respira en el típico patio cordobés.
UK Society of Botanical Artists Exhibition
Changing Seasons: an exhibition by the Society of Botanical Artists. For our new and regular visitors alike, we hope you will enjoy visiting us in the autumn of 2017 to delight in this seasonal change and maybe do some pre Christmas shopping before the City gets too crowded. As well as paintings on show, our shop will be full of cards, prints, books and new SBA products to tempt you.
Central Hall Westminster, SW1. Nearest Tube stations are St James or Westminster. 11am to 5pm daily
RHS Flower Show Cardiff, Wales
RHS Flower Show Cardiff is an early-spring show with the beauty of spring flowers set against majestic trees and contrasting hard landscaping within Bute Park. featuring show gardens, and the floral marquee, it’s a great family day out, with plenty of activities to keep kids and parents happy like the renowned Schools Wheelbarrow Competition as well as the Young School Gardener of the Year Competition.
RHS Botanical Art Show London
See some of the world’s best botanical artists on display plus the famous RHS Lindley Library collections. Free entry, open 10am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday. Meet the artists, pop-up studio, food available, find out about botanical art courses.
RHS Early Spring Fair London
The RHS Early Spring Plant Fair in London features high quality plant exhibitors, expert advice, previews of garden designs for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Q&A sessions with designers, expert plant and design talks, tours of the Lindley Library, floral art. Workshops on posy making and creating a terrarium. Evening opening 6pm-9pm 13 February, and 10am-5pm on 14 and 15 February 2017.
RHS Early Spring Fair London
The RHS Early Spring Plant Fair in London features high quality plant exhibitors, expert advice, previews of garden designs for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, Q&A sessions with designers, expert plant and design talks, tours of the Lindley Library, floral art. Workshops on posy making and creating a terrarium. Evening opening 6pm-9pm 13 February, and 10am-5pm on 14 and 15 February 2017.
Two Madrid garden masterpieces
In Spain’s capital, two impressive garden works caught my eye and considerably enhanced my ‘art experience’. In a city justifiably renowned for three great art museums, these outdoor living works offer their own distinctive appeal and artistry. Continue reading “Two Madrid garden masterpieces”
Garden review: historic Villa Gamberaia, near Florence
As gardeners, it is usual for us to want to see gardens that might inspire us. One garden I had read about, and heard about from fellow horticulturists, is the Italian garden of Villa Gamberaia, on the outskirts of Florence. Continue reading “Garden review: historic Villa Gamberaia, near Florence”
Festival International des Jardins – 4 weeks left in 2016!
The International Garden Festival at Château Chaumont-sur-Loire, near Blois south of Paris is on for just 4 more weeks, now with glorious autumn colour. Continue reading “Festival International des Jardins – 4 weeks left in 2016!”
The Garden of Ninfa – is it worth all the superlatives?
It was at a meeting of heritage rose lovers that I first heard about Ninfa, a romantic, rambling, Italian garden built in the ruins of a medieval town. People spoke of it in reverential terms and my interest was piqued by their idyllic description – old roses and vines cascading from ruined towers and trees, scrambling along crumbling archways and overhanging crystal clear streams. Continue reading “The Garden of Ninfa – is it worth all the superlatives?”
Review: A tale of two Normandy gardens
A broad lawn sweeps downhill to a lily pond at lowest point, rather than being interrupted by the usual terracing of Continental gardens. On two sides of this lawn, woodland gardens of rhododendrons, herbaceous perennials and bulbs transition from humanised landscape to natural forest. On the far side, a series of themed garden rooms surround the country house and assorted farm buildings, leading to further woodlands beyond. Continue reading “Review: A tale of two Normandy gardens”
Amsterdam’s secret: an enchanted forest and gardens
For a lifelong cyclist Amsterdam is heaven – once you get your bearings that is. That skew-whiff grid of canals is totally bamboozling at first. The initial 24 hours completely did my head in. Utterly lost. Embarrassing for someone who prides himself on being able to find his way around. Since then however, the cycling has been sublime.
Continue reading “Amsterdam’s secret: an enchanted forest and gardens”
Great Gardens to visit around the world
Listen as Catherine Stewart, of GardenDrum.com and Garden Travel Hub, talks to Michael Williams on ABC Radio National and lists some of the best gardens to visit around the world. Which ones should be on your gardens bucket-list? Continue reading “Great Gardens to visit around the world”
Bee delighted by Kew Gardens’ ‘The Hive’
On June 18, 2016, Kew Gardens in London will open ‘The Hive‘, a 17m (55ft) metal structure that will use both sound and light to tell the story of one of the world’s most important creatures – the honey bee. Continue reading “Bee delighted by Kew Gardens’ ‘The Hive’”
RHS Chatsworth 2017 tickets now on sale!
Tickets are now on sale for the first RHS Chatsworth Flower Show 2017 (7-11 June) on the spectacular 1,000-acre parkland of the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire in northern England next year. Continue reading “RHS Chatsworth 2017 tickets now on sale!”
Chelsea Flower Show goes on
There is just so much to take in at the Chelsea Flower Show. So here is some more of 2016’s fun, fashion, flowers, fascination and fantastic gardens – all the things that makes Chelsea so special. Continue reading “Chelsea Flower Show goes on”
Chelsea Flower Show 2016
On a glorious sunny Spring day in London the Chelsea Flower Show delivers again. The pinnacle of horticultural endeavours and exhibitors were on display and I was certainly impressed by the gardens on show. Continue reading “Chelsea Flower Show 2016”
Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire 2016 season opens
The 25th International Garden festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire has begun, with ‘Gardens for the Coming Century’ (Jardins du Siècle à Venir) showing 23 exciting conceptual gardens from a range of international designers. Continue reading “Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire 2016 season opens”
Estufa Fria – Lisbon’s greenhouse (serra fredda Lisbona)
[Scorri in basso per leggere l’articolo in Italiano – scroll down to read in Italian]
This enchanting “cold greenhouse” is located at the end of the Parque Eduardo VII in Lisbon, Portugal, in a protected and sheltered area of an abandoned former quarry. It occupies the surface of one hectare and a half and was inaugurated in 1933 on the project of the painter and architect Raul Carapinha, then renovated in the 1940s and 1970s with new facilities and a new pond. It is now divided into three different areas: Estufa Fria, Estufa Quente and Estufa Doce.
Continue reading “Estufa Fria – Lisbon’s greenhouse (serra fredda Lisbona)”
Canal Open Gardens (Tuinen Dagen)
More than 25 Amsterdam garden owners will open their canal gardens to the public. When the gardens were designed, in the 17th century, their purpose was to be useful. When the inhabitants grew richer, ornamental gardens became a status symbol. These days however, a return to utility is apparent in the canal gardens. It seems to be a trend to grow fruit, herbs and vegetables again.
Open Garden Days gives special attention to this trend, by creating a tour past these gardens as well as the beautiful ornamental gardens and exquisite garden houses. All gardens can be reached on foot or by bike
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