Arizona Inn .. Gracious Gardens

Stay tuned for features on my travels in Tucson.

Here's a sneak peek of the gardens at the historic property where I stayed for a couple nights: the Arizona Inn.

Forgive the iPhone photo - real photographs and trip details soon to follow!

Glorious Great Dixter ..

Spring Display .. Great Dixter

The Legacy of Christopher Lloyd 

Celebrated garden writer, the Dean of British Gardening passed away in 2006.

I will always remember these magnificent gardens on a tour led by CL himself.

Though I returned whenever travel to England allowed, 

it was that rainy day in May that stands out in my memory.

Springtime Array of Containers ... Maximum Visual Impact!

More to see and read on Alice's Garden Travel Buzz:

https://www.alicesgardentravelbuzz.com/great-dixter-christopher-lloyd/

Opulent Epoch .. Wordless in Italy

Hadrian's Villa

Dreaming of Italy....

Naughty Neptune! Villa Lante Reprise

Villa Lante Parterre : Fontana dei Mori

Photo © Alice Joyce

When I wrote my contributions to the book, 1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die, I did not have the pleasure of writing the entry for Villa Lante.

Still, every so often I feel the urge to reprise this magnificent setting when I'm caught up in the reverie of touring Italy to visit gardens. I hope you'll enjoy these glimpses of an Italian gem, located near Viterbo in Lazio Province, not terribly far from Rome.

Text  and Photos © Alice Joyce - All rights reserved

Beverly Hills Beauty .. Greystone Park Gardens

A little-known gem of a public park in Beverly Hills....

Greystone Mansion is an impressive Gothic-style estate surrounded by picturesque gardens.

Although more minimal than the landscape originally created in the 1920s, and designed by Paul G. Thiene, the lovely parkland has been administered by the City of Beverly Hills since 1965.

A cultural and historic destination you'll want to explore when visiting Los Angeles, Greystone is the site of special events -- from weddings to home and garden shows. It's a popular location where filming often takes place for television and movies.

Visit www.beverlyhills.org for the park's current Open Hours: Admission is free.

Look for Greystone on AlicesGardenTravelBuzz.com

On the Subject of Garden Seating! Westbury Court

A magnificent 400-year-old evergreen oak growing at Westbury Court Garden.

Continuing the topic of benches and garden seating... a throne-like structure

...that complements Westbury Court's formal Dutch water gardens,

rescued by The National Trust after many years of neglect.

The bench inscription reads: To remember Hugo Colchester Memyss - 1910-1974

Representing the last of his family at WESTBURY COURT.

Link to Westbury Court Garden:

A Dutch Landscape in England: Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Ninfa .. Flora and Fauna of a Protected Landscape

Ninfa ... Conservation of a Protected Landscape

Safe harbor for 132 species of birds, pure lake waters,

and a Pontine marshland habitat.

Ninfa's 100,000-hectare property is accorded utmost respect by the governing Roffredo Caetani Foundation & curator, Lauro Marchetti. With the dawn of the 21st century, to care for the land is a primary consideration: Ninfa's historic landscape of treasured flora and fauna is in many ways unique. Thankfully, I had planned well in advance to visit Ninfa, and it was my good fortune to meet Dirrettore Marchetti and his charming wife, Stella.

The rain began, then stopped, then fell lightly once again as I strolled through the organically maintained gardens with Signora Marchetti.

Located 20 km from the sea, Ninfa is situated at the base of the Lepini Mountains, and therefore protected from harsh winds. The gardens emerge as an idyllic natural setting. Yet, at the same time, the lush plantings are a resonant reminder of of the loving touch and prescient planning of the keen-sighted garden-makers of the past.

The restored castle tower overlooks magnificent architectural evergreen pines, playing off flowering cherries, aristocratic magnolias, and the contorted limbs of mature maples. The atmosphere felt blessed as we explored pathways, coming upon long vistas of gently meandering streams flanked by an alliance of roses and rhododendrons, self-sown mahonia, and the lavish foliage of gunnera.

Ninfa: Small Books of Great Gardens

Text by Lauro Marchetti and Esme Howard - Photos by Claire de Virieu

The eye alights upon a banana grove in a sun-drenched clearing:

A microclimate warmed by venerable stone walls and ruined towers.

An appointment called the Marchettis to Rome, but before they departed. I had the opportunity to talk with Lauro Marchetti about a project to extend the gardens, creating a spacious nature reserve for the abundant wildlife.

As I proceeded to walk alone, I found myself wishing that I were a resident nymph,

able to spend intimate hours on the splendid property...

cavorting with hedgehogs, or romping through the spring-fed bamboo forest.

Conservation of Ninfa's unique gardens and vast landscape is of great concern.

Photos and Text Copyright © Alice Joyce

Protected by Copyscape: Do Not Copy

Link to Part II: Enchanting Ninfa

Ninfa opens to the public on a limited basis, offering guided tours.

Enchanting Ninfa .. the Saga Continues

Ninfa - In a few words, an enchanted landscape.

A place where gardens rise up on the site of a once-prominent 8th-century town. Documentation traces Ninfa to the 1st century, when Pliny wrote of a temple constructed in homage to mythical nymphs: Nymphs known to dwell in Ninfa's pristine lake, the cold waters flowing from an alpine mountain source.

In 1297 Pope Bonifaciio VIII gifted Ninfa to a relative, Pietro Caetani. Yet, by the late 1300s,

warring factions overran the thriving Medieval town, leaving it in ruins.

Look to The English Garden Abroad, should you wish to learn more about the making of Ninfa's gardens.

In the well-researched book, Charles Quest-Ritson follows the shaping of the present-day gardens by the creators: Three generations of the Caetani family responsible for the landscape one sees today. In particular, three ladies of English and American ancestry - laudable, artistic figures who contributed to the gardenscape. A breathtaking naturalism envelops the visitor to Ninfa. At every turn, the eye rests upon lush greenery,

or plentiful vistas of fresh water.

The wistful romanticism of ancient stone walls is not easily captured in words;

the stone surfaces a honey-hued canvas for fading frescoes.

Introducing: Ninfa and Sermoneta

Part 3 to follow ....

Garden Idyll in Italy .. Sermoneta Overlooking Ninfa

Highlights from my garden idyll in Italy appeared on Bay Area Tendrils in 2009 

Villa Lante

Hadrian's Villa

and the Sacred Wood of Bomarzo

however ... to write about Ninfa is another story.

With a history spanning the first century and extending to a uniquely vibrant landscape of the present day,

the magical setting of Ninfa exacts a thoughtfully rendered chronicle.

And so, I shall be offering glimpses of the setting and its rich history.

Hotel Principe Serrone - Sermoneta, Italy 

Protected by Copyscape: © Alice Joyce

Sermoneta 

A delightfully out-of-the-way Medieval hill town: the nearest train station is in the city of Latina,

capital of the province of Lazio; some 40 miles south of Roma. 

Gazing out from my window at Hotel Principe Serrone, 

I could see Ninfa's ancient towers in the valley beyond.

Link to:

Part II - Enchanting Ninfa

Historic Gardens of Alcatraz - A Garden Conservancy Project

Westside gardens

Photos by Elizabeth Byers

Spring 2008

The Historic Gardens of Alcatraz

- a project of the Garden Conservancy - recently received two awards from the California Preservation Foundation.

Alcatraz staff family in an Officers' Row garden, circa 1869

Photo by Eadweard Muybridge, Bancroft Library

Roadside Gardens, 2009

The Garden Conservancy became involved in 2003 with spearheading the rehabilitation of the heritage gardens on The Rock: now a National Historic Landmark,

and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The 22-acre island, part of the National Park Services Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is the GGNRA's most visited site, with some 1.3 million annual visitors

hopping a ferry ride from San Francisco to see Alcatraz first-hand.

Officers' Row, 2009

A brilliant team of volunteers have gardened and toiled

to restore the uniquely stunning landscape.

A tour is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure! The gardens shown to you within the context of history, horticulture, and cultural significance.

A Riot of Rhodies - Sonoma County Getaway

Sonoma Horticultural Nursery

It was a glorious day for a getaway! Driving west to the Coast, we aimed for Bodega Bay, site of Hitchcock's, The Birds. 

The route took us along the back roads, through Sebastopol, for a stopover at Sonoma Horticultural Nursery: A Northern California destination for plant geeks and garden aficionados. 

Sonoma Hort features 1-1/2 miles of pathways winding through moist woodland gardens. The magic touch of proprietor Polo de Lorenzo emerges throughout the nursery's leafy surroundings; an environment befitting the nursery's emphasis on rhododendrons and azaleas. 

Once, during a visit in early May, I witnessed the heart-stopping performance of a legendary dove tree (Davidia involucrata), its white bracts likened to fluttering handkerchiefs. In a circular driveway, one particularly enchanting dove tree has been designated a Sonoma County treasure--Heritage Tree #20. When blooming in May, Empress trees (Paulownia tomentosa) are another revelation!

The densely planted 8-acre property encompasses a pond & Blutcher Creek - a preserve for countless water-loving specimens, which add to Sonoma Hort's beguiling vignettes and picturesque vegetation. A lavish exhibition at this time of year - replete with the riotous colors of rhodies and azaleas - also takes in the strapping foliage of primitive-appearing Gunnera chilensis, accompanied by swathes of pretty primulas. Clematis cultivars are beginning to bloom, and soon, towering foxgloves will emerge along with masses of flamboyant clematis blooms decorating vertical posts and pillars placed along the paths. 

The nursery sells species, and choice cultivated varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas, along with exceptional selections of trees, shrubs, vines and shade-loving perennials. Scheduling a springtime stroll is a must for local gardeners & anyone touring Sonoma Wine Country.  As it's open year-round, Sonoma Hort is always a lovely spot for a getaway.... and plant shopping!

Italian Gardens: Hadrian's Villa

Villa Adriana - Hadrian's Villa

Outside Rome, a bit southwest of the town of Tivoli, the monumental Roman ruins of Villa Adriana stand as a testament to the ambitions and fancies of Emperor Hadrian.

Based upon Hadrian's design and built in the 2nd century A.D., the villa site presents a remarkable fusion of ostentatious architecture - a vast complex of buildings and thermal baths - cradled within hundreds of acres of green terrain.

Used as the Emperor's retreat, the once impeccable garden settings demonstrate the influences of Greek and Egyptian art, especially the preserved area of the Canopus; its name taken from an Egyptian city. Set off by magnificent statuary and fountains, the central feature - a long reflecting pool, is watched over by caryatids - figures copied from the Athenian temple of Erechteion, and linked to the god Sarapis.

Look for Italian Gardens on Alice's Garden Travel Buzz

Barcelona, The Horta Gardens Part 3

Parc del Laberint d'Horta

Photos © Alice Joyce

Barcelona, Spain

Hidden Gardens

Near the main thoroughfare of Germans Desvalls is the entrance to the Horta Gardens. Here, the property's semi-restored mansion reflects an interesting pastiche of styles influenced by Moorish and Gothic architecture. The exterior is said to have been covered at one time with frescoes, while the presence of a 12th century watchtower, the Torre Sabiana, reflects the structure's antiquity.

Currently used as offices for the city's Parks and Gardens department, the building stands adjacent to a more contemporary gardenscape, built and enjoyed early-on by the estate's owners. Delineated by boxwood topiary, the setting is now lush with flower beds, mature palm trees and camellias.

Generally one enters the Parc del Laberint d'Horta along the walkway opposite the mansion's gardens. Looking at a plan of the grounds reveals a complex layout, encompassing romantic grottoes, canals, and a bevy of secreted spaces encountered along dense paths through the woods.

If you choose not to approach the maze directly, but take a side path instead, you'll pass through the Porta Xinesa or Chinese Gate, and come upon a secluded spot. The gateway, with its delightful openwork design and peaked roof, sets the tone for a perfectly composed, intimate space embraced by the surrounding woodland. Low, trimmed hedging articulates the geometry of the garden. A space open to the sky, and centered upon a circular pool, and the plashing of a simple waterspout fountain.

For more on Barcelona & The Horta Gardens, click here:

Part II

Barcelona's Secret Garden, The Horta - Part 2

Barcelona

The Horta Gardens 

The compelling art and architecture of Antoni Gaudi draws flocks of admirers to Barcelona, and Bay Area Tendrils will be returning to Parc Guell, one of Gaudi's beloved works.

For now, the romantic confines of Parc del Laberint d'Horta take precedence; a property owned by the city.

Joan Antoni Desvalls i d'Ardena conceived the plan of the Horta's harmonious landscape in 1791, when the area was mainly pastoral countryside. 

Acres of dense greenery foster a reflective quietude, while the imagination is easily swept away by the symbolism of statuary, and the classical counterpoint of the Italianate buildings & ornamental water features.

Eros arises center stage within the maze, while two temples arranged symmetrically - dedicated to Ariadne and Danae - overlook the labyrinth's delightful pathways.

Read more ... Part III

Barcelona, The Horta Gardens

Laberint d'Horta 

The Horta Gardens and Maze

Barcelona's 'secret' garden

A historic garden-museum located in the city's Green Zone; a quiet neighborhood far removed from the Barri Gotic and La Rambla. The 18th century Horta gardens are perhaps most often associated with the highly photogenic, living architecture of the gardens' centerpiece - an elaborate cypress maze.

Yet, many more pleasurable scenes, from intimate to monumental, await visitors to this beautifully preserved neoclassical landscape.  
Read more....

Valencia's 19th Century Gardens, Monforte - Viveros

Valencia's 19th century Gardens

The old center of Valencia offers charming diversions for garden lovers: In contrast to the contemporary aspects of the Turia gardens, demonstrating the precision of Bofill's Modernism, or Calatrava's innovative 'City of Arts & Sciences' buildings that manifest the breadth of the engineer/architect's expertise, visitors to Valencia bask in historic parks and flower-filled promenades. 

Monforte Gardens

Stepping out from the designated old quarter, via the Puente de Real, one enters Viveros by crossing to the right bank of the old river bed. Valencia's largest garden landscape, it's the site of the former Royal gardens; the palace long since destroyed. With rose-draped pergolas, aviary, and Paleontology Museum on the grounds, Viveros  is a perfect spot to take a cafe break and engage in people-watching.

On a more intimate scale, Monforte Gardens presents an achingly romantic, mid-19th century design of clipped orange trees and manicured parterres. In this atmospheric setting, venerable, age-old trees provide shade from the intense sunshine, giving way to grottoes of moss and lichen encrusted rock. In a satisfying convergence of fountains and filigreed ironwork, stroll amid an allee of classical sculptures, and feel refreshed, pausing at a pond shaped like a water-lily.

A bit further along, the 19th century Paseo de la Alameda is a leafy, Moorish-inspired walk running adjacent to the old river bed. Delight in the ancient stone stairways, and asymmetrical layout of flower-filled beds and borders.

Valencia, Spain - Botanical Garden

photos copyright © Alice Joyce

Images from the Botanical Garden of  Valencia University (Jardi Botanic)

http://www.jardibotanic.org

In the days ahead I'll be sharing my impressions of Valencia.  I was, in large part, drawn to this coastal city because of Santiago Calatrava, architect and native son.

Valencia, Spain...

Calatrava's buildings and bridges have garnered praise and sparked controversy worldwide. And he has been instrumental in putting Valencia 'on the map' with his recently completed buildings that make up the City of Arts and Sciences.  (Much more will follow on this stunning complex & the Turia Gardens, another must-see destination.)

In the same way that Frank Gehry brought Bilbao to life, when his breathtaking design for the Guggenheim Museum began to attract pilgrims among the cognoscenti of art and architecture, and soon after, the pilgrimages of everyday tourists, Calatrava has put his mark on Valencia.

Today I offer a peek inside Valencia's botanical garden, located in the city center, with fine collections of palm trees, succulents, native flora, and shade house known as l'umbracle.

Spain's El Generalife, Granada

Photo Copyright © Alice Joyce

The Nasrid Palaces  -  Inside the gracefully proportioned halls of the Nasrid palaces, a spell is cast by vast sweeps of rhythmically carved motifs, covering plaster walls and soaring wooden ceilings. The visual feast is heightened by the carvings known as muqarnas: A unique tiered ornamentation that adorns countless domes, vaults, niches, and at times emerges in the shape of stalactites. 

El Generalife

Positioned high above the surrounding river valleys,, the Moorish-designed royal gardens of the Alhambra and the Generalife manifest the ideals of an earthly paradise in sheltered courtyards cooled by shallow marble fountains or mirror-like pools of water. Providing an escape from the intense Mediterranean sun the gardens are replete with luxuriant vegetation; cypress, myrtle, and box shrubbery; abundant citrus, plum and magnolia trees. A floral perfume sweetens the air of the Generalife, where peering through arches sculpted out of massive, architectural hedges, you'll savor images of canals flanked by rose allees.

To read more about SPANISH GARDENS...

Islamic Gardens.... Paradise on Earth

Alhambra .. Torre de las Damas

 Copyright ©Alice Joyce

Paradise on earth.... an idealized world hidden within the walls of the Islamic garden.

Should the Arab world be outside your reach, you'll find that most memorable effect fully realized in the gardens of the Alhambra, looming over the city of Granada in southern Spain's Andalusia region.

Despite the crowds you'll encounter, a tour of Granada rightly pivots upon the Alhambra's wonders: The immense hilltop complex standing as a testament to eras of occupation by Romans, Goths, and the control of Christian monarchs after 1492. Yet, the grandeur of the Alhambra monument resides in neither the surviving citadel nor the palace of Charles V, but rather in the Medieval epoch's Nasrid palaces, and the exquisite gardens of the sultan's retreat, El Generalife - created by Muslim rulers.

Avid hikers may choose to follow a maze of narrow, winding streets to the monument's gateway, but a bouncing ascent aboard a minibus is the usual transport from Granada's centrally located Plaza Nueva.

Subsequent postings will delve into the architecture, ornamentation and plantings of this remarkable setting.

To read more...

Gardens in Spain ~ Rodriguez-Acosta Foundation

Spain, a land of brilliant sunshine and landscapes that manifest the country's rich history.

My journey began in Barcelona, moved south to Granada, and braided together a side trip to Valencia: A coastal destination with stunning contemporary gardens, Valencia will surface in future postings where I'll share my discoveries and not-to-miss sites in a city bursting with energy. 

For now, if it's a bit of paradise  you're after.... Granada holds sway in a little-known garden secreted from the throngs that stream through the corridors of the Alhambra. 

Ramble down the road, away from the cacophony of tourist buses unloading at that magnificent monument. Along the narrow, winding streets to the Alhambra Palace Hotel esplanade, follow the marker pointing toward the Rodriguez-Acosta Foundation, its inconspicuous, worn wooded doorway set within a formidable streetside wall. 

Sequestered here is the early 20th century home and studio of Granada-born painter Jose Maria Rodriguez-Acosta; now a museum, cultural hub, and beautifully preserved gardens. There's a calculated momentum to this journey. You must proceed through a passageway of the foundation building, before crossing a threshold to behold the artist's modernist landscape - a multilevel configuration of individuated garden rooms presided over by classical statuary.

Borrowing features from the rarified atmosphere of a Roman temple, the artist set the stage to stir intellectual and utopian yearnings with an architecture of clean-lined spaces defined by columned arcades and emerald green partitions - the garden's long-established clipped cypress hedges.

A tour of the garden unfolds along glistening stone terraces open to the bright cerulean sky, and in stark contrast, through shady vestibules enlivened by a play of light and shadow cast by the towering columns and rounded arches. By way of staircases linking the terraces, you move through a framework of hedges of varying heights, which organize the garden's soothing geometry. The outside world disappears amid these hedges that enclose and conceal unexpected scenarios. 

Around each corner a discreet scene turns your attention to a draped goddess, naked god, or a gathering of cherubs balanced on high pedestals: Enchanting prospects complemented by auditory effects from the splashing jets of a reflecting pool or gurgling fountains.

The restrained theatricality culminates with a spectacular colonnade inset with ironwork balconies. Perched on high at the garden's periphery, a promontory takes full advantage of the site, not far from the Alhambra. Visitors are enticed to linger, looking out over evocative vistas of the countryside and rugged mountains in the distance.

In the coming days, my journey of discovery will continue to unfold, revealing a hidden gem in Barcelona; the Alhambra's Generalife gardens; Valencia's expansive Turia Gardens, too. Santiago Calatrava's spirited design for the City of Arts and Sciences succeeded in putting Valencia 'on the map' so to speak, yet the city holds still more surprises.