Gardens of Shangri-La

For many gardeners in the U.S. the winter is a down time because the ground is frozen and covered with snow. A well loved alternative is for garden and gardening lovers is to take a midwinter trip to the world’s most well-known gardens. This article will take you to some of most well-known gardens in the world.

The first stop on the itinerary is the Far East. Japan has long been well-known for its Zen or “Japanese Style” gardens. These gardens feature carved stone lanterns that are hundreds of years ancient, along with stones and plants arranged to maximize the Zen of the garden. Most gardens in Japan can be found near Buddhist temples often surrounding them or leading up to the Temples from the busy streets. Kenroku-en, Kairaku-en and Koraku-en are the three fantastic gardens of Japan. Kenroku-en located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, is an ancient private garden developed from the 1620s to 1840s. It is open year-round during daylight hours and well-known for its beauty in all seasons; an admission fee is charged. The garden is located outside the gates of Kanazawa Castle where it originally formed the outer garden, and covers over 25 acres. The garden is home to the oldest fountain in Japan and is lovely to visit in the winter.

The next stop on the journey is the garden made well-known by Monet, the Garden at Giverny. Claude Monet noticed the village of Giverny while looking out the window of a train he was riding. He made up his mind to go there and rented a house and the area surrounding it. Some of his most well-known paintings, such as his water lily and Japanese bridge paintings were of his garden in Giverny. Monet lived in Giverny from 1883 until his death in 1926. He and many members of his family are interred in the village cemetery. Today the garden features hundreds of plants, flowers, and trees along with the well-known bridge that has been restored to its original condition.

The final garden to visit is one of the gardens designed by the one of the right experts in gardening. Gertrude Jekyll (1843- 932), was an influential British garden designer, writer, and artist. She made over 400 gardens in the UK, Europe and the USA and contributed over 1,000 articles to Country Life, The Garden and other magazines. In 1908, when she was 65, Jekyll was questioned by Charles Holme to design the garden for one of his houses at Upton Grey in Hampshire. Gertrude Jekyll drew plans for the four and a half acre garden. On this chalky, sloping site she designed one of her most gorgeous gardens. It includes many features of a typical Jekyll garden, but on a rather smaller scale than most of her commissions. To the west of the house stands the Wild garden. Grass paths wind from semicircular grass steps through rambling, species roses, to a small copse of walnut trees and wild flowers, beyond which lies a small pond. Some of Jekyll’s original drifts of daffodils remain at the end of the Wild Garden, still in the drifts she designed. This is one of the finest private gardens in the world and well worth the drive from London.

We hope these gardens have inspired you to get and travel this winter and would like for you to send us pictures that you have taken from other gardens across the globe. To read more gardening articles please visit http://www.no-crank.com.

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