Summer, Sonoma and St. Francis Winery

St. Francis Winery in Sonoma Valley

The cooling effect of a fountain's cascade on a summer day.

Sculpture! Chelsea Flower Show 2011

Chelsea Flower Show 2011: A look at selected sculptural works on view at this year's show.

Above: Laura Antebi - Wire Sculptures

Tom Hare installation: 'The Power of Plants' on exhibit in The Great Pavilion.

Physalis alkekengi: the Japanese Lantern or Cape Gooseberry is said to have use as a sore throat remedy; also to treat eczema, among the plant's medicinal properties.

I particularly liked this eye-intriguing work by Tom Hare - aka Willowman, combining willow elements woven onto a steel framework. At the base, a naturalistic planting, along with woven willow honeybees.

Photos © Alice Joyce

RNIB Garden - Royal National Institute of Blind People:

A silvery gilded figurative work, although not readily apparent, revealed itself to be a 'living' sculpture when slight movements could be detected.

Exuberant oversize blooms...

A discretely minimal form emerged as a central fountain in the M&G Garden designed by Bunny Guinness.

Photos © Alice Joyce

One side note: Strolling on the streets of London near the Victoria Embankment Gardens, a noteworthy architectural element loomed large.

On offer at Chelsea, works in most every style and material.

Tom Stogdon Sculpture

Photos © Alice Joyce

Sculpture figured prominently in all the major show gardens.

For more on design and horticulture at Chelsea, visit my website:  Alice's Garden Travel Buzz and click on 'Chelsea Flower Show' in the Topics.

The Bad Tempered Gardener: Anne Wareham

A special day.

My review copy of Anne Wareham's new book, The Bad Tempered Gardener arrived and I'm immersed in reading her chronicle of creating the brilliant garden at Veddw, on the Welsh borders.

Anne's unmistakable voice had me in its grip from the Introduction. And after reading one chapter, I'm impressed by the way Anne turns a critical eye on the act of making gardens.

Her insights on design, and advocacy for thinking about gardens as a distinctive art form are qualities I expected from her writing.

Visiting Veddw on Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Meet me at Cottage Gardens! Wine Country Landscape Design

 Should you be in Northern California on Sunday, April 10th around 11 a.m., Cottage Gardens in Petaluma I hope you'll drop by and say hello!  I'm pleased to be a part of the Springtime schedule of events taking place at this wonderful plant nursery. 

Photographed at Darioush Winery

My presentation will feature my favorite destination wineries, along with aspects of landscape design, and...

I'll be giving away a limited number of complimentary wine tasting cards.

Matanzas Creek Winery Dry Stream Bed

Cottage Gardens is located at 3995 Emerald Drive, Petaluma. 
Photos © Alice Joyce

Chateau St. Jean's romantic setting.

Benziger Winery's Biodynamic Flow Form Water Feature in the 'Discovery Trail'

On FaceBook? I'd love to connect with you.

Log in and ...  'Like' Alice's Garden Travel Buzz 

Hope to see you at Cottage Gardens!

Asian Species .. Quarryhill Botanical Garden

Photo: Christine Walker

(Photo: San Francisco Chronicle)

Some years ago one of my San Francisco Chronicle 'Garden Walks' columns

highlighted Quarryhill Botanical Garden

The site is a horticultural paradise that is surprising to discover when touring Sonoma's Valley of the Moon in wine country. What sets Quarryhill apart is the fact that most all the plants - trees, shrubs, bulbs, roses - have been grown from wild collected seed gathered during plant expeditions undertaken by the garden's director, Bill McNamara, who travels extensively to China, Japan and the Himalayas. You can click below to read...

...the original feature in the archives on SFgate.com...

More photos of the garden are posted on Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Writing about garden travel is especially gratifying when sharing information about a place like Quarryhill.

Fertility .. Abundance : Pomegranates for Turkey Day!

via Wikipedia .. Illustration by Otto Wilhelm Thome - 1885

Pomegranates - Symbol of fertility and abundance, befitting a Thanksgiving afternoon.

à votre Santé my friends... to your health!

Garden travel enthusiasts are invited to peruse my web site:

Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Garden Art That Stirs the Imagination

Turquoise Lotus

(Photo: Courtesy of Little and Lewis)

Click below to be redirected to the art and gardens of Little and Lewis, featured on:

Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Garden Alchemy in a Provencal Setting

Le Jardin de l'Alchimiste

(Above photo courtesy the Garden of the Alchemist)

Revisiting an all-time favorite ... A garden rich with atmosphere,

adjoining a lovely country inn located in the village of Eygalieres,

Update:  Mas de la Brune ~ The garden and inn are no long open, sadly.

I pay homage to the amazing landscape in a long post on:

Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

What's Happening on Alice's Garden Travel Buzz?

Container array .. Great Dixter
England
Have you visited my new web site?

Click here for a preview! Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Secret Garden in Granada, Spain

Early 20th Century Modernism: Studio and gardens of artist Jose Maria Rodriguez-Acosta

....down the road from the Alhambra Palace yet hidden from view!

Visit  Alice's Garden Travel Buzz to read more...

Steep Learning Curve .. Designing a Web Site!

The new web site is under construction but the design is moving forward! 

Redirecting to... Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

p.s. Anyone who may have signed up for an RSS feed before this afternoon - Saturday,

will need to sign up again. 

The old feed setting had to be deleted - I spent 7 hours on the phone today straightening out the problem. 

Sorry for any inconvenience.