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BOTANICAL
AND OTHER GARDENS |
BLITHEWOLD
MANSION, GARDENS AND ARBORETUM
Bristol, Rhode Island, USA |
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CARLOS
THAYS BOTANICAL GARDEN
Buenos Aires, Argentina |
Buenos
Aires was a great surprise in many ways as was this lovely
garden. Most of the plants here are large, huge trees and
shrubs, but there is also a devotion to cactus and succulents
that is impressive. Maybe what is most wonderful about
this garden is that it is in the middle of a city of
eleven million people and still gives one a sense of
peace and tranquility.
The
first day we visited the gardens we were very lucky
to come upon
a fellow in the cactus
greenhouse replanting
many of their existing specimens. It is normally closed,
but he warmly welcomed us in to see the work he was doing
and all of the cactus varieties represented in the garden
collection. |
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If you would like to see more of Buenos Aires through my
eyes, read my story of our time there, CLICK HERE |
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CHINESE
GARDEN
Sydney, Australia |
The
Chinese Garden came as a complete surprise
to me and to my husband who has accompanied me in garden
walks
around
the world. We each find peace in natural environments and
interestingly we do so in different ways. This garden, designed
and created by the Chinese as a gift to Sydney, found each
of us in a place more soothing and tranquil than we had ever
found before. On arriving we had felt the garden needed more
attention and maybe it does. But, whatever magic the Chinese
can conjure, they did so here in this very tiny garden of
expansive peace. I hope slowly scrolling through these photographs
will bring you some measure of peace as well. |
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The
sky is as integral to this garden as is water.

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Still
or moving, water is an essential part of this tranquil
place.

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In
time there were two women walking in this part
of the garden, each
in her own private peaceful space.

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And,
lest we forget, Sydney is a big city making this oasis
even more healing.

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COASTAL
MAINE BOTANICAL GARDENS
Boothbay, Maine, USA |
I
was very excited in anticipation of visiting this garden
because I had read there were hundreds of acres so I was
fully prepared to be astonished. As it turned out most of
the acreage is woodsy and developed as walking or bike
paths. What I would call "garden" constituted a
small fraction of the entire property. Nevertheless there
were some fine
plants and trees to admire and many of them had accurate
labels for which I am always especially grateful. I think
this would be one of those wonderful places to have a wedding
and they have all the facilities in place. |
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ENGLISH
GARDEN
Palermo, Sicily, Italy 2012
The
English Garden is more of a people's city park than a
straight forward garden, though the plantings are lovely
and it was landscaped by someone very talented in the
field.
Most importantly, it is a place for people to enjoy trees
and lawns and bikes and kiosks with food treats. It is
a
place
to bring
children
at the end of a long work day. Both they and their parents
can be refreshed in a place such as this.
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FERNZ
FERNERY
Auckland, New Zealand |
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Fernz
Fernary is a small garden incorporated into the Auckland
city's Winter Garden yet it seems larger than life
for those of us who love ferns. Like the Winter Garden,
Fernz Fernary is on the cruise ship tour itinerary
so you will probably want to get there early in the
morning to enjoy the peace and charm of the place.
When we were there in early 2013, both gardens seemed
to need a little more attention. |
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HOTEL
ATITLAN BOTANICAL GARDEN
Panajachel,
Lake Atitlan, Guatemala |
This
part of the highlands of Guatemala is lush with
flowering tropical plants with the blue waters
of Lake Atitlan making an exquisite backdrop. Only
recently did we discover that there is a beautifully
designed and lovingly cared for Botanical Garden
devoted to exotic species. We are very grateful
for their work and have noted throughout this site
where we have photographed plants in their garden.
Visit the hotel and gardens at Hotel
Atitlan.com
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2010 |
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JAPANESE
GARDEN
Buenos Aires, Argentina |
This
garden was given to the people of Buenos Aires by
the Japanese Government. I'm not sure which government
is responsible for its care, but whichever one it
is is doing a fine job. The feeling here is peaceful
and serene even when there are many visitors. Seeing
these photographs always makes me want to visit Japan. |
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If
you would like to see more of Buenos Aires through my eyes,
read my story of our time there, CLICK HERE |
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JARDIM
DE OLHAO,
Agadir, Morocco |
This
small park like garden seems to have seen better days,
though it was created in 1992 which isn't
that long ago. On the day we arrived it was closed which
wasn't
obvious as the gates were wide open. We walked in and strolled
for about twenty minutes when we encountered
the tiny museum dedicated to the thousands of people lost
in the terrible earthquake
of 1960 which
destroyed the entire old town. The curator pictured below,
Abdellah Tamri, chatted amiably with us explaining what
had happened. That's also when we learned the garden
wasn't open to the public at that hour. Despite this rather
lackluster review of the garden, I rather enjoyed it as
did my husband. |
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This garden seemed especially
ambitious in this tropical seaside location. They couldn't
have picked a more difficult place to develop a garden, but
they did a beautiful job of laying out extensive grounds
including many of the plants and trees we would expect to
find and many that were a surprise. The maintenance difficulties
in this environment are evident in the photograph of the
sign below. |
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JARDIN
DE CACTUS
Guatiza, Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain |
If
you are lucky enough to be visiting Lanzarote in the cooler
months of the year, this
is a place you shouldn't miss. Because it is essentially
a very large deep black volcanic rock hole you will need
some real stamina to visit late in the day or in the warmer
months
of the year.
Even if you don't love cactus, you may find it as fascinating
as we did to see nature's real survivors up close and personal.
There are hundreds of plants from the Americas, Madagascar
and The Canary Islands all artfully arranged by the artist,
César
Manrique, who created this extraordinary garden. It's open
from 10
to 5:30
and
costs just 5 Euros. For those of you less intrigued by cactus
there is a chic place for coffee, wine and beer overlooking
the garden. |
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JARDIN
ETNOBOTANICO BOTANICAL
GARDEN
Oaxaca, OAX, Mexico
Click
on Botanical
Garden to take a tour of this relatively
new and very exciting garden in the City of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Huge and perfect cactus specimens have been saved from
destruction during state construction projects such as
highways and damns. The cactus are now planted and preserved
in this large walled garden.
If
you would like to see more of Oaxaca through my eyes
in an A to Z guide, visit Oaxaca-Today.com
CLICK HERE
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Pachycereus
marginatus, Marginatocereus marginatus
Pipe Organ, Fence Post Cactus
Native to Mexico
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A
Birds Eye View of the Garden

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ORTO
BOTANICO or BOTANICAL GARDEN
NAPLES, ITALY
The
Botanical Garden in Naples was as much of a surprise
as was everything else about the city. It is fabulous.
It is open in the morning until early afternoon and is
free to the public. They do request that you call in advance
of your visit to make a reservation.
If
you have a disability of some kind, use the side entrance,
a gated driveway. Make your situation visible
in front
of the security camera
and they'll open the gate for you. Otherwise you'll
be facing a two story stone staircase at the front entrance.
You will see lots of photographs of our visit to the
garden on many of the pages on this website.
To
see more of the garden and of Naples, take a look at
my photographic story written after our last visit, Exploring
Naples.
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If
you would like to see more of Naples, Italy, through my
eyes, read my story of our time there, CLICK HERE |
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ORTOBOTANICO or
BOTANICAL GARDEN
Palermo, Sicily, Italy
This
is a Botanical Garden for those of us who are gardeners,
for dads with little children to entertain and enlighten,
for poets to dream in and for the weary to find rest
and peace in the simple beauty of the place.
In
other
words
this is a glorious garden, a huge space with extraordinary
plants for us to enjoy and appreciate and maybe to find
a bit of the peace that the human environment has not
provided. To
see
more of this extraordinary garden and of Sicily, take
a look
at my
photographic
stories from
our
last
visit,
http://www.krika.com/STORIES%20ITALY/SSICILY1.html http://www.krika.com/STORIES%20ITALY/SSICILY2.html
http://www.krika.com/STORIES%20ITALY/SSICILY3Palermo.html
This
is a photograph with Lic. Manilo Speciale, Curator of the
Palermo Ortobotanico. He transformed much
of this
extraordinary garden while coping with a long term drought.
Many of the once inoperative fountains and pools have been
restored and plants have been identified in ways which help
the public appreciate the many species and origins of this
extraordinary and historic plant collection.
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Photographed: In
the Botanical Garden in Palermo, Sicily, in Italy
in 2012.
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Photographed: In
the Botanical Garden in Palermo, Sicily, in Italy
in 2012.

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If
you would like to see more of Sicily through my eyes and
read my story of our time there, CLICK
HERE |
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PARQUE
DE LAS LEYENDAS
Lima, Peru
Parque
de las Leyendas isn't a strictly a botanical garden and
it isn't strictly a garden at all. It seems to be a place
that offers something for everyone -- gardens, a zoo,
recreation and archaeological ruins. It doesn't get great
overall reviews, but we found the garden well worth the
trip to see it. Throughout the pages of this website,
you'll see lots of plant photographs taken in this garden.
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ROGER
WILLIAMS PARK BOTANICAL CENTER
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
This is a relatively new project in the Roger
Williams Park and like all the others it is to be lauded
for design. As you will see in the photograph of the facility
below, most of it is an interior garden in quite extravagant
greenhouses. The outside areas have been laid out in appealing
meandering pathways and the plantings for the most part
look like good old New England garden materials able to
survive the ice and snow of winter. Inside the greenhouses
is another world and one well worth exploring.
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Photographed: At
the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Rhode Island
in 2013.

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Photographed: At
the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Rhode Island
in 2013.

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Photographed: At
the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Rhode Island
in 2013.

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Photographed: At
the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Rhode Island
in 2014.

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ROSEDAL
GARDEN
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Rosedal
is a large part of an even larger park system within
walking distance of some of the more
chic areas of the city. If you love roses, this is a garden
just for you. If you just like roses you may just learn
to love them. As if designed with me in mind, the lawn
grass in Rosedal is all zoysia!
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If
you would like to see more of Buenos Aires through my
eyes and read my story of our time there, CLICK HERE |
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ROYAL
BOTANIC GARDEN
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
This
is a beautifully landscaped park like botanical garden right
in the center of downtown Sydney. You'll see extraordinary
plantings, along with folks strolling during
lunch and kids having a kickball game. All in all a
very nice atmosphere. If it sounds like it might be
crowded, think again. It's huge; big enough to accommodate
everyone. |
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THUYA
GARDEN
Seal Harbor, Mt. Desert Island, Maine
www.GardenPreserve.org
Tel: 207-276-3727
Thuya
was a very pleasant surprise. Not only was it an artfully
landscaped garden, it also did its beautiful plant
work organically, once again proving that it can be
done. Here is their statement, "We at Thuya Garden
are proud of our organic horticultural practices. We
exclude the use of all non-organic pesticides and herbicides
and strictly limit the application of any chemical
fertilizer." I could not have said it better myself.
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URBINO
BOTANICAL GARDEN
Urbino, Italy
This
little garden was a delightful surprise for me to find
in a mid-spring visit to Italy. Bulbs were up and in
flower, but the spring clean
up was still
in the works. Winter was over, but summer had yet to arrive. It
reminded me very much of my spring garden in Rhode Island,
a small State in Northern New England.
Text
and Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2010/2013 |
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VILLA
JULIA
Palermo, Sicily, Italy |
When
we visited this garden it had seen decidedly better days.
Still we spent a few hours there enjoying what still
was extraordinary while feeling deeply for what had once
been. Villa Julia sits between the Ortobotanico and the
main
road running
by the ocean. When the garden was conceived the location
must have been almost perfect. If you are lucky enough to
visit Palermo I would say Villa Julia is an absolute must.
As a bonus, right across the street from the entrance is
a gelato shop to please even more of your senses. |
Photographed: At
Villa Julia in Palermo, Sicily,
in Italy in
2012.

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Photographed: At
Villa Julia in Palermo, Sicily, in Italy in 2012.

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Photographed: At
Villa Julia in Palermo, Sicily, in Italy in 2012.

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Photographed: At
Villa Julia in Palermo, Sicily, in Italy in 2012.

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VISCAYA
Miami, Florida, USA |
Photographed: In
the garden at Viscaya in Miami, Florida, in
2014.

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Photographed: In
the garden at Viscaya in Miami, Florida, in
2014.
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Photographed: In
the garden at Viscaya in Miami, Florida, in
2014.

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Photographed: In
the garden at Viscaya in Miami, Florida, in
2014.

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Photographed: In
the garden at Viscaya in Miami, Florida, in
2014.

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VICTORIAN
ROSE GARDEN
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
This
is a relatively small garden with an adjacent wedding/event
structure. We saw it in September when plants in Rhode
Island begin preparing for winter so it was not at its
perfect best, but it was still pretty wonderful. Most
of the roses I saw were of the variety we had in our
garden in my childhood -- small roses by the hundreds,
usually pink, with small leaved rambling plants. I clearly
remember crying hysterically when my parents
would trim
the roses as each of my parents was cursed with a black
thumb and each year we would lose more plants. Below
is a bit of what these roses look like. |
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WELLINGTON
BOTANIC GARDEN
Wellington, New Zealand |
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WINTER
GARDEN
Auckland, New Zealand |
The
Winter Garden and Fernz Fernary lie together as if
they were conceived as one, but they are very distinct.
The Winter Garden consists of two very large and
chock full greenhouses, one temperate and one tropical.
Between the two lies a formal garden area with sculptures,
a water lily pond and off to one side lies Fernz
Fernary. On the other side is a very traditional
and appealing
arbor for wisteria that must be fabulous when in
bloom. These gardens are great resources for Auckland
which is a relatively new city, not boasting hundreds
of years of cultural development. Best to get there
early, just as it is opening, to best enjoy the peaceful
qualities of the place its designers obviously had
in mind.
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