Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Several panelists chose the terrific Brooklyn Botanic Garden, of which Ken Druse says, "four million 'neighbors' think of it as their backyard. There's just a feeling there—it's friendly and just feels good." The 52-acre garden is known, among other things, for encompassing the first garden designed for the visually impaired and the first children's garden, which became the prototype for children's gardens worldwide. BBG's lily pools attract herons and egrets, and 10,000 different plants ranging from 45,000 bluebells blossoming in an oak, beech and birch wood to a collection of rare tree peonies from Japan to the largest and most diverse flowering cherry collection outside of Japan delight visitors. There's also a celebrity path honoring famous Brooklynites from Walt Whitman to Wendy Wasserstein.
Boerner Botanical Garden, Milwaukee, Wisc.
Based on Beaux Art principles, the 600-acre Boerner Botanical Garden, outside Milwaukee, Wisc., includes collections of hostas and conifers, and a bog walk (with wild raspberry, marsh marigold, and skunk cabbage) that provides passage from the cool shade of the rock garden to the warm, fragrant enclosure of the herb garden. Harry Landers portrays it as, "a good place to get an idea of how big plants get. It's where they hold the field trials for flower awards."
Old Westbury Gardens, Long Island, N.Y.
Designed in 1906 on Long Island, N.Y., by George A. Crawley for the Phipps family, Old Westbury's 160 acres of formal gardens, woodlands, grand allées, architectural follies and lakes surround a Charles II-style mansion. Ken Druse calls it "one of the best gardens that was a private estate," and inspirational for a completely different reason than some of his other choices: "It's incredibly beautifully maintained and impeccably manicured." He adds, "It's got one of the most lavish expanses of lawn and old trees, a walled garden, a perennial garden in the Italian style filled with flowering plants, and at one end there's a pool surrounded by a pergola covered in wisteria."
Katsura Imperial Villa, Kyoto, Japan
Elizabeth Scholtz calls this "one of the great imperial gardens of Japan. It's both ancient and famous." Designed in the 16th century by renowned gardener Kobori Enshu, Katsura is the earliest known strolling garden. "It's a hide and reveal garden," Scholtz explains, "offering different views at every turn and full of surprises that are revealed as in a great drama. It's full of literary allusions and very carefully planned." The all-green gardens boast water bridges, small villas, moss, stepping stones, and other subtle delights.
Chanticleer Garden, Philadelphia, Penn.
Just outside Philadelphia, Chanticleer offers 30 acres of botanical treats that include gardens featuring perennials, tropicals, containers, woodlands and wildflowers. Sculpture, homemade seats and benches, wrought-iron fences and bridges offer an enticing combination of natural and artistic elements. Rick Los says, "Chanticleer touts itself as a pleasure garden, and I must say that I did get a great deal of pleasure while visiting. The well-designed plantings are creative and the layout of the garden is well planned. The garden's features keep you engaged throughout your journey. I especially love the area immediately around the main residence, with the transformed tennis court and terrace garden, where you'll find imaginative container plantings and unique water features."
New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, N.Y.
Just 20 minutes from Grand Central Station, the New York Botanical Garden, in the Bronx, is a world in miniature. It encompasses orchards; herb, rock and rose gardens; a crabapple collection, conifer arboretum and home gardening center. The Victorian-styled glasshouse known as the Enid Haupt Conservatory displays plants from 11 habitats around the world. Rick Los calls it “the best botanical garden for overall quality of the plant specimens, the beauty of the floral displays and borders, and the highest level of upkeep and overall presentation."
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town, South Africa
Just outside Cape Town, South Africa, Kirstenbosch sprawls across more than 1,300 acres climbing up Table Mountain, and includes only plants native to the country. "It has the richest wildflower collection of any garden in the world, including proteas—the South African national flower—unusual ground orchids, and a collection of cycads, which flourished during the time of the dinosaurs," says Elizabeth Scholtz. She also loves the way Kirstenbosch "borrows" the scenery of Table Mountain almost as part of the gardens themselves.
Filoli, San Francisco, Calif.
Thirty miles south of San Francisco, Filoli includes a historic house from 1917 and extensive gardens growing across 654 acres along the eastern slope of California's coastal mountains. Designed in the California eclectic style, Filoli boasts garden rooms, parterres, terraces, lawns, and pools set between walking paths—not to mention 16 perfectly manicured acres of formal gardens. It was used as the backdrop for the TV show Dynasty. Ken Druse declares, "Filoli is incredibly photogenic… It's got lots of color and is located in a climate where you can grow anything." Druse cites the giant Irish yew trees, "which are like 20-foot columns 10 feet in diameter," as particularly unusual and impressive. Harry Landers describes Filoli as "having so many ideas and new concepts on a massive scale."
Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent, England
Among the most visited gardens in England, Sissinghurst was created by British writer Vita Sackville West and her husband Sir Harold Nicholson in 1938. Elizabeth Scholtz says, "He was the architect who designed it, and she was the interior decorator who planted it." The six-acre site encompasses an Elizabethan castle tower and ten box garden "rooms" that include the famous white garden that, Scholtz explains, has often been imitated. Rick Los says, "Sissinghurst has captured my imagination and inspired me like no other garden that I have visited."
Allerton Garden, Kauai, Hawaii
After he saw such tropical effects as banana plants and tree ferns at Allerton Garden on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, Harry Landers had to have them. "Tree ferns aren't supposed to grow in Oregon, but they don't read the labels," Landers remarks. His home garden now features almost a dozen banana plants (some of which he must take inside during the winter)—something he might never have considered if he hadn't seen them at Allerton, which also sports a towering rain forest, bamboo grove, tropical fruit trees, and a cut flower garden. Pools, waterfalls, fountains and statues create a mood that is lushly Hawaiian with a European accent.
credited to link
0 comments
Post a Comment