French gardens

The Loire Valley, a Unesco World Heritage site in central France, offers so much history, food and wine to enjoy that the choice can be quite overwhelming. However, if you focus on visiting gardens, over the course of a long weekend you should naturally come across some of the other great highlights of the region – long lunches, wine-tasting opportunities and historic family chateaux. Based on visits I made last September and this April, these are my favourite gardens, old and new.

The Rock of Cashel, Ireland!

Bora Bora

Longwood Gardens

Aogashima Volcano, Japan

Aogashima (青ヶ島?) is a volcanic Japanese island in the Philippine Sea.[1] The island is administered by Tokyo and located approximately 358 kilometres (222 mi) south of Tokyo and 64 kilometres (40 mi) south of Hachijō-jima

The history of human settlement on Aogashima is uncertain. Most of the people in Aogashima are Japanese. The island is mentioned in Edo period records kept at Hachijō-jima, which record volcanic activity in 1652, and from 1670-1680. An earthquake swarm in July 1780 was followed by steam rising from the lakes in the Ikenosawa Caldera. Further earthquakes in May 1781 led to an eruption. In April 1783, lava flows from the Maruyama cone resulted in the evacuation of all 63 households on the island. During a massive eruption in 1785, some 130-140 of the population of 327 islanders perished.

Najpiękniejsze żywopłoty.

Jedną z zalet formowanych żywopłotów jest to, że zajmują mało miejsca. Poza tym chronią i zdobią. Wykonane ze starannie dobranych roślin mogą zaskakiwać urodą przez cały sezon.

Żeby żywopłot dobrze pełnił swoją funkcję, trzeba pamiętać o kilku sprawach. Musi być jednakowo oświetlony - fragmenty pogrążone w cieniu rozwijają się słabiej. Ponieważ rośliny rosną tu w dużym, nienaturalnym zagęszczeniu, konkurują ze sobą o wodę i pokarm. Efektem jest szybkie wyjałowienie gleby, dlatego już na etapie sadzenia trzeba zapewnić roślinom jak najlepsze podłoże, zgodne z ich wymaganiami, a później regularnie je nawozić i oczywiście podlewać (dotyczy to zwłaszcza młodych żywopłotów). Pamiętajmy też o ściółkowaniu podłoża kompostem lub skoszoną trawą.

 Żywopłoty w miejscach słonecznych możemy tworzyć z wcześnie kwitnących tawuł, pięciorników, ogników szkarłatnych, żywotników, jałowców bądź berberysów. Natomiast w cieniu doskonale radzą sobie cisy, porzeczki ozdobne, irgi oraz bukszpany.

Missouri Botanical Garden - St. Louis

The Missouri Botanical Garden is a botanical garden located in St. Louis, Missouri. It is also known informally as Shaw's Garden for founder and philanthropist Henry Shaw.

Founded in 1859, the Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the oldest botanical institutions in the United States and a National Historic Landmark. The Garden is a center for botanical research and science education of international repute, as well as an oasis in the city of St. Louis, with 79 acres (32 ha) of horticultural display. It includes a 14-acre (5.7 ha) Japanese strolling garden named Seiwa-en; the Climatron geodesic dome conservatory; a children's garden, including a pioneer village; a playground; a fountain area and a water locking system, somewhat similar to the locking system at the Panama Canal; an Osage camp; and Henry Shaw’s original 1850 estate home. It is adjacent to Tower Grove Park, another of Shaw’s legacies.

Monte Titano, San Marino

Monte Titano ("Mount Titan")[2] is a mountain of the Apennines and the highest peak in San Marino. It stands at 739 m (2,425 ft) above sea level[3] and is located immediately to the east of the capital, San Marino.

It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 under the combined title "San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titano". Inscribed under reference no. 1245 criteria iii, the two together encompass an area of 55 ha with a buffer zone of 167 ha. It encompasses Mount Titano and the other structures such as the fortification towers, walls, gates and bastions, as well as a neo-classical basilica located on it and its slopes forming a small but unique urban conglomerate. Straddled on the ridge of Mount Titano is the city of San Marino of the Republic of San Marino on the eastern part of the Italian peninsula, it has a hoary history starting from early 4th century. According to the legend related to the Mount and its precincts a small monastery existed on top of the Mount during the 8th century. The mountainous landscape provides excellent views of its surroundings, and its isolated location ensured the needed seclusion for San Marino to survive as a Republic over the past several centuries.

KOISHIKAWA KORAKUEN GARDENS

Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden (小石川後楽園?) is in Koishikawa, Bunkyō, Tokyo, adjacent to Tokyo Dome City.

It is one of two surviving Edo period clan gardens in modern Tokyo, the other being Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden, and one of the oldest and best preserved parks in Tokyo.[1] The construction was started in 1629 by Tokugawa Yorifusa, the daimyo (feudal lord) of Mito han, and was completed by his successor, Tokugawa Mitsukuni. Mitsukuni named this garden "Kōraku-en" (Kōraku means "enjoying afterwards") after a Chinese teaching of "a governor should worry before people and enjoy after people". The garden shows strong Chinese character in its design, as it was influenced by the West Lake of Hangzhou.[2] Kōrakuen was appointed as a special place of scenic beauty and a special historic site based on the cultural properties protection law of Japan. All through Japan, there are only seven premises which enjoy double appointments by this Law. They are Kinkakuji, Ginkakuji and Sampo-in of Dogoji in Kyoto, the trace of Nibo-no-miya in the former capital of Heijō-kyō in Nara, Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima and Hamarikyū and Kōrakuen in Tokyo. The park can be accessed by walking from Iidabashi Station or Kōrakuen Station. Regular hours are from 9 in the morning until 5 in the evening. General admission is 300 yen.

Greece - Oia

Oia (Greek: Οία, pronounced [ˈi.a]) is a small town and former community in the South Aegean on the islands of Thira (Santorini) and Therasia, in the Cyclades

Oia was previously known as Apano Meria (Απάνω Μεριά or Επάνω Μεριά, "upper side"), a name which still occurs locally as Pano Meria,[5] and the inhabitants are still called Apanomerites (Απανωμερίτες). The Ancient Greek Oia was one of the two harbours of ancient Thera and was located in the southeast of the island, where Kamari is now. Oia reached the peak of prosperity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its economic prosperity was based on its merchant fleet, which plied trade in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially from Alexandria to Russia. The two-story captains' houses built on the highest part of the village are a reminder of the village's former affluence. Part of the town was destroyed by the 1956 earthquake.

Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden

Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden is a 500-acre (2.0 km2) botanical garden and tourist attraction at kilometer 163 on Sukhumvit Road in Chonburi Province, Thailand.

Pisit and Nongnooch Tansacha purchased the 600-acre (2.4 km2) plot of land in 1954 with the intentions of developing the land as a fruit plantation. However, the owners instead decided to plant tropical flowers and plants as a wildlife conservation project. The garden opened to the public in 1980, and management was transferred to Pisit and Nongnooch's son Kampon Tansacha in 2001. The garden currently fills 500 out of the 600 acres (2.4 km2).And they lived happily ever after.

Cathedral ruins in Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua Guatemala (Spanish pronunciation: [anˈtiɣwa ɣwateˈmala]) (commonly referred to as just Antigua or la Antigua) is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala famous for its well-preserved Spanish Baroque influenced architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches.

Antigua Guatemala means "Ancient Guatemala" and was the third capital of Guatemala. The first capital of Guatemala was founded on the site of a Kakchikel-Maya city, now called Iximche, on Monday, July 25, 1524—the day of Saint James—and therefore named Ciudad de Santiago de los Caballeros de Goathemalan (City of Saint James of the Knights of Guatemala). Naturally, St. James became the patron saint of the city. After several Kaqchikel uprisings, the capital was moved to a more suitable site in the Valley of Almolonga (place of water) on November 22, 1527, and kept its original name. This new city was located on the site of present-day San Miguel Escobar,[1] which is a neighborhood in the municipality of Ciudad Vieja.[2] This city was destroyed on September 11, 1541 by a devastating lahar from the Volcán de Agua.[3] As a result, the colonial authorities decided to move the capital once more, this time five miles away to the Panchoy Valley. So, on March 10, 1543 the Spanish conquistadors founded present-day Antigua, and again, it was named Santiago de los Caballeros. For more than 200 years it served as the seat of the military governor of the Spanish colony of Guatemala, a large region that included almost all of present-day Central America and the southernmost State of Mexico: Chiapas. In 1566 King Felipe II of Spain gave it the title of "Muy Noble y Muy Leal" ("Very Noble and Very Loyal"). On September 29, 1717, an estimated 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Antigua Guatemala, and destroyed over 3,000 buildings. Much of the city's architecture was ruined. The damage the earthquake did to the city made authorities consider moving the capital to another city. In 1773, the Santa Marta earthquakes destroyed much of the town, which led to the third change in location for the city.[4] The Spanish Crown ordered, in 1776, the removal of the capital to a safer location, the Valley of the Shrine, where Guatemala City, the modern capital of Guatemala, now stands. This new city did not retain its old name and was christened Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción (New Guatemala of the Assumption), and its patron saint is Our Lady of the Assumption. The badly damaged city of Santiago de los Caballeros was ordered abandoned, although not everyone left, and was thereafter referred to as la Antigua Guatemala (the Old Guatemala). As of 1850, Antigua had an estimated population of 9,000.

Keukenhof Gardens

Keukenhof ("Kitchen garden", Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkøːkə(n)ˌɦɔf]), also known as the Garden of Europe, is the world's second largest flower garden following Dubai Miracle Garden.

The Keukenhof features a variety of different gardens and garden styles. For example, the English landscape garden features winding paths and unexpected see-through points (designed by Zocher in 1830, the garden architect of the Vondelpark in Amsterdam, among others). The historical garden is an enclosed garden where you can see many old types of bulbs. The nature garden consists of a water garden where shrubs and perennials are combined with bulbous plants. The Japanese country garden is a non-traditional garden in a natural environment. The Keukenhof doesn't contain the long fields of tulips many visitors expect. However, there are tulip fields outside the Garden (mostly privately owned). These fields may have restricted access and are not included as part of the Keukenhof ticket. Many dignitaries have visited the Keukenhof. Queen Juliana was a patron. Her daughters, princesses Beatrix, Irene and Margriet were among the first visitors in 1950. As a passionate filmmaker Prince Bernhard shot some unique films. Other members of the Dutch Royal Family also visited the Keukenhof. In 2001 prince Willem-Alexander and his girlfriend, Maxima, paid a visit to present themselves to the Dutch population. They planted a Tilia europea, the "Koningslinde". In the autumn of 2003, Prince Willem-Alexander, together with Olympic medal winners Ankie van Grunsven and Pieter van den Hoogenband, planted the symbolical first bulb for the Olympic rings. In 2005 the park was opened by Princess Margriet.

Rock pools, Canadian Mountains

Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, approximately 500 km west of Yellowknife, protects a portion of the Mackenzie Mountains Natural Region.

The Rabbitkettle Tufa Mounds are the largest of tufa mounds in Canada. The largest of the mounds is 27m high and 74m across. The source of the springs comes from deep in the earths crust, near the base of the granite batholiths that form the Ragged Range. The volcanic activity that raised the mountains still heats the water deep below the surface of the earth. The heated water percolates upwards, dissolving calcium carbonate from limestone deposits on its way by. When it reaches the surface springs, the water cools and the calcium carbonate particles are released. These microscopic particles settle to form porous calcite rims around the pools of water. These pools range in size from bathtub to fingernail size. This process takes a great deal of time, and it is believed that the mounds themselves are around 10, 000 years old, their creation beginning at the end of the last ice age. These rare and fragile features are protected as a Zone 1, Special Preservation Area, and all visitors must be accompanied by Parks Canada Staff in order to minimize impact.

Atlanta Botanical Garden - Atlanta

Take a 600 foot-long canopy walk among the branches of oaks, hickories and poplars, while looking down on native azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas, perennials and bulbs.

That’s just one of the fantastic ways to experience Atlanta Botanical Garden. There is also an orchid center with the largest collection of species orchids on permanent display in the US, a garden pond filled with aquatic plants, and a children’s garden with fountains, sculptures and fun exhibits on botany and ecology.

Petra - Jordan

Petra (Arabic: البتراء, Al-Batrāʾ; Ancient Greek: Πέτρα) is a historical and archaeological city in the southern Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system.

The site suffers from a host of threats, including collapse of ancient structures, erosion due to flooding and improper rainwater drainage, weathering from salt upwelling, improper restoration of ancient structures, and unsustainable tourism.[21] The last has increased substantially, especially since the site received widespread media coverage in 2007 during the controversial New Seven Wonders of the World Internet and cell phone campaign.[22] In an attempt to reduce the impact of these threats, Petra National Trust (PNT) was established in 1989. Over this time, it has worked together with numerous local and international organizations on projects that promote the protection, conservation and preservation of the Petra site.[23] Moreover, UNESCO and ICOMOS recently collaborated to publish their first book on human and natural threats to these sensitive World Heritage sites. They chose Petra as its first, and most important example of threatened landscapes. A book released in 2012, Tourism and Archaeological Heritage Management at Petra: Driver to Development or Destruction?, represents the first in a series of important books to address the very nature of these deteriorating buildings, cities, sites, and regions. The next books in the series of deteriorating UNESCO World Heritage Sites will include Macchu Picchu, Angkor Wat, and Pompeii. (25).

Toketee Falls, North Umpqua, Oregon

Toketee Falls is a breath taking two stage 113ft. waterfall located about 2-1/2 hours Southeast of Eugene (less than one hour east of Roseburg) just off of highway 138.

Adventure Specifics: Toketee Falls is accessed via a shady 0.7 mile graded dirt and gravel path from the parking lot. The trail is relatively smooth and easy with multiple sets of natural rock and built stairs. There are handrails in steeper places, but it is not handicap accessible due to the several sets of stairs. The trail was closed for several years due to damage, but was reopened in 2011.

Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, usually referred to as Kew Gardens, comprises 121 hectares of gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and Kew in Richmond upon Thames in southwest London, England.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is the world's largest collection of living plants. The organisation employs more than 650 scientists and other staff. The living collections include more than 30,000 different kinds of plants, while the herbarium, which is one of the largest in the world, has over seven million preserved plant specimens. The library contains more than 750,000 volumes, and the illustrations collection contains more than 175,000 prints and drawings of plants. The Kew site includes four Grade I listed buildings and 36 Grade II listed structures in an internationally significant landscape.

St. Michael's Mount, Cornwall, England.

St Michael's Mount (Cornish: Karrek Loos yn Koos,[1] meaning "grey rock in the woods", also known colloquially by locals as simply the Mount) is a tidal island 366 m (400 yd) off the Mount's Bay coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.

The island has a mix of slate and granite (see Geology below). Its Cornish language name – literally, "the grey rock in the wood" — may represent a folk memory of a time before Mount's Bay was flooded. Certainly, the Cornish name would be an accurate description of the Mount set in woodland. Remains of trees have been seen at low tides following storms on the beach at Perranuthnoe, but radiocarbon dating established the submerging of the hazel wood at about 1700 BC.[2] Historically, St Michael's Mount was a Cornish counterpart of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, France (which shares the same tidal island characteristics and the same conical shape), when it was given to the Benedictines, religious order of Mont Saint-Michel, by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century.[5] St Michael's Mount is one of 43 (unbridged) tidal islands which can be walked to from mainland Britain.[6]

Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix, Ariz.

Desert Botanical Garden in Papago Park is not only a botanical garden, but it is also classified as a museum.

Desert Botanical Garden covers about 50 acres, and in addition to the the vast array of native plants on display, the garden is home to over 21,000 plants representing 3,931 plant classifications in 139 plant families. Nationally and internationally renowned for its plant collections, research, and educational programs, Desert Botanical Garden has been operating since 1939.

Fisherman's Bastion, Budapest, Hungary

Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest is one of the top Budapest attractions without a doubt. The present day lovely lookout towers / decorative fortification of Fisherman’s Bastion were built in the 19th century to serve as a lookout tower for the best panoramic views in Budapest, Hungary. Needless to say, there used to be real castle walls where now you can take fantastic photos from, but the present day structure has never served as an actual fortification in Buda.

The views from the Fisherman’s Bastion well deserve their own special tower atop the Buda Castle Hill, as not only the Buda Castle but also the river views and the Danube riverfront sights are now part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

The garden of the Nezu Museum, Japan

The site of the museum and garden used to be his private residence, which he bought in 1906. After his death in 1940, his son founded the museum to preserve the collection. In World War II however, the museum and gardens were severly destroyed.

The hilly garden has two ponds that are connected by small streams. Upon every turn of the numerous winding paths, you can see a new garden lantern, memorial stone, Buddha or Kan'non statue. The garden also has some well-preserved tea houses. Near the main building, you can find a modern cafe. 

Hidcote Manor, UK

Hidcote Manor Garden is a garden in Britain, located at Hidcote Bartrim village, near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. It is one of the best-known and most influential Arts and Crafts gardens in Britain, with its linked "rooms" of hedges, rare trees, shrubs and herbaceous borders.

Lawrence Johnston was influenced in creating his garden at Hidcote by the work of Alfred Parsons and Gertrude Jekyll, who were designing gardens of hardy plants contained within sequences of outdoor "rooms". The theme was in the air: Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicholson's Sissinghurst Castle Garden was laid out as a sequence of such spaces, without, it seems, direct connection with the reclusive and shy Major Johnston. Hidcote's outdoor "rooms" have various characters and themes, achieved by the use of box hedges, hornbeam and yew, and stone walls. These rooms, such as the 'White Garden' and 'Fuchsia Garden' are linked, some by vistas, and furnished with topiaries. Some have ponds and fountains, and all are planted with flowers in bedding schemes. They surround the 17th century manor house, and there are a number of outhouses and a kitchen garden.

Żywopłot w ogrodzie

Bohaterem dzisiejszego wpisu jest żywopłot. Nieodłączny bohater starych ogrodów, szczególnie tych zakładanych w stylu francuskim. To właśnie dzięki równym krawędzią żywopłotu wyznaczano granicę poszczególnych części ogrodu. Co prawda żywopłot można uzyskać z różnych gatunków krzewów liściastych i iglastych ale niekwestionowanych liderem pozostaje ligustr pospolity. Jest tani, łatwy w hodowli ale niestety posiada jedną wadę. Wymaga cierpliwości i częstego przycinania.

Róże

Cudowny żywopłot.

Best Garden Fountains