There are some garden stories I love to tell over and over.
For instance, I love the story of how Lawrence Johnston built his magnificent garden Serre de la Madone in Menton on the Cote d’Azur.
The part of the story I always feel compelled to include and emphasize is the bit about how on Oct. 23 in 1914, Johnston was so badly injured on the battlefield in the First World War that he was left for dead.
Fortunately, a friend recognized him as he lay among a pile of corpses, noticed that he was breathing and quickly pulled him clear and got him to a hospital tent.
Johnston recovered and went on to build two wonderful world-famous gardens; Hidcote in Gloucestershire and Serre de la Madone in Menton.
Two other stories I enjoy telling have to do with how Swedish doctor Axel Munthe built the lovely hilltop garden San Michele in Ana Capri on the ruins of Tiberius Caesar’s famous villa and how English composer William Walton got so sick and tired of the dull and dreary weather in London that he ran away to Ischia where he and his Argentine wife, Susana, built the extraordinary La Mortella (place of the myrtles) garden.
All wonderful stories. And even more wonderful gardens.
At The Vancouver Sun Gardener’s School at the BC Home + Garden Show next week, I will be telling these and many other engaging garden stories in my talk on Exotic Gardens.
My plan is to take you on a whirlwind trip through the amazing gardens of southern France and Italy with stops at Ninfa, the world’s most romantic garden, and Villa San Giuliano, a beautiful tropical estate-garden near Mount Etna in Sicily.
From there, we’ll jump over to Brazil to pop into the extraordinary garden built by Roberto Burle Marx outside Rio de Janeiro and Bernardo Paz’s breathtaking Inhotim garden complex in Belo Horizonte.
It is certainly true that pictures are worth 1,000 words. And in the limited time given, I know I will be relying on the lovely photos I took in these gardens to convey the exquisite beauty and majestic landscaping in these gardens.
At the Exotic Garden of Val Rahmeh on the Cote d’Azur, for instance, I want you to see the glorious sight of a marmalade bush in full bloom alongside an equally spectacular stand of blue echium.
I also think you will you will be thrilled to see a Mexican red shrimp plant at its peak, the bright red flowers of cestrum that drive hummingbirds insane with desire and the quirky spiky battle-armour trunk of a floss-silk tree contrasted again the tree’s giant canopy dotted with soft silky white seed pods.
Before we leave France, I want us to drop into Monaco and enjoy the panoramic view over the ocean and city from the hilltop Jardin Exotique where bright yellow-flowered aloes compete for space along with tropical euphorbia, agave and cactus.
And we will tiptoe over into Ventimiglia to stroll through one of the world’s most outstanding hillside botanical sanctuaries, the Sir Thomas Hanbury Gardens with its dense woodland of acanthus, long bright pink hedges of drosanthemum, slopes smothered with 325 kinds of aloe, and the longest wisteria pergola I have ever seen.
But I am sure you are also going to find the stories of these gardens just as fascinating.
You can’t help but be moved by the tragic tale and ethereal beauty of Ninfa, the quintessential romantic garden outside Rome.
A ferocious argument in the 12th century resulted in the people of the pretty little town being slaughtered and the town smashed and left uninhabited and in ruins for centuries until it was eventually rescued and turned into what it is today: a world-class picturesque garden full of roses and tranquil streams. You’ll love the pictures of this garden.
There will be excellent garden design tips to pick up from these garden stories, such as the clean lines and elegant perspectives and vistas achieved by Russell Page’s work at La Mortella and at the celebrated Arts and Crafts garden of Villa Landriana.
I feel sure, too, that you will be touched by the vision of garden-makers like Lord Grimthorpe who rescued and restored Villa Cimbrone in Ravello and created such monumental features as the Avenue of Immensity and Terrace of Infinity and the generosity of Florence Trevelyan who created a stopover garden sanctuary for migrating birds in Taormina and also planted outstanding bougainvillea hedges and large purple flowering wigandia trees.
The Home + Garden Show starts Wednesday and continues to Sunday, Feb. 23.
My presentations will be Friday and Saturday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.
The idea of the Gardener’s School, which I started in 2002, is to inspire you and get you excited about creating something wonderful and fun in your own backyard.
We have again brought together a star-studded team of experts who are chomping at the bit to share their knowledge and insights with you.
All my favourite B.C. gardening gurus will be there, including well-known top garden centre and nursery owners Brian Minter, Miles Hunter, Wim Vander Zalm and Gary Lewis.
Vander Zalm, the author of a new bestseller called Just Ask Wim, will dig into his vault of knowledge to answer all your garden questions. They don’t call him the Plant Doctor for nothing.
Minter always has his finger on the pulse of gardening trends and hot new plant introductions, so he will again be a rich source of information about new and exciting planting ideas.
Hunter, being very close to the new generation of young gardeners, knows how huge the food-plant movement is and he will focus on Incredible Edibles for small gardens.
You will definitely need to bring a pen and paper to these talks to jot down all the information. I think it will be a books-worth at least.
Lewis, owner of Phoenix Perennials in Richmond, has established a golden reputation over the years for his discerning taste and awareness of quality plants. He will talk about Cutting Edge Plants for Cutting Edge Gardens.
For something quite different, I have asked Fred Collay and Nicolas Rousseau, of By Nature Design, to show us their ideas for bringing gardens indoors through innovative art installations, green walls and upside-down hanging pots.
Egan Davis, one of B.C.’s most gifted garden teachers, will also be on hand to explain “six key things� that you need to do every year to keep your garden looking healthy.
And since herbs continue to be immensely popular, especially with small-space gardeners in townhouses and apartments, Stephen and Julie Head will explain step by step how to get the most out of growing wonderful aromatic plants.
Paddy Wales, from Sechelt, well known for her skills as a garden photographer, will be at the school to talk about the creation of the new botanical garden on the Sunshine Coast. This is a great story of dedication and determination. It is a project well worth hearing about … and from a person who has been involved with breathing life into it from day one.
Pam Dangelmaier and Elke Wehinger from Botanus, The Vancouver Sun’s retail partners, will be stepping up to give you an exclusive sneak preview of our exciting new six Garden Collections that the paper has in store for you this spring.
So don’t miss the chance to join us down at the show. I promise you will leave inspired, more knowledgeable, and excited about what you can do this spring in your own garden.
For more information go to bchomeandgardenshow.com.
Look who’s talking
VANCOUVER SUN GARDENER’S SCHOOL 2014
Wednesday, Feb. 19: 4 p.m. — 9 p.m.
5:30 p.m.: Fred Collay and Nicolas Rousseau — Nature in my home and my office: How much more innovative and easier can this get?
7 p.m.: Miles Hunter — Incredible Edibles for Small Gardens
Thursday, Feb. 20: noon — 9 p.m.
3 p.m.: Paddy Wales — Heart, Head, and Laughter: Creating a Botanical Garden on the Sunshine Coast
5 p.m.: Brian Minter — Garden Trends
7 p.m.: Egan Davis — Six Essential Things you Need to do in your Garden Every Year
Friday, Feb. 21: noon — 9 p.m.
2 p.m.: Stephen and Julie Head — Herbs at your Fingertips
4 p.m.: Steve Whysall — Exotic Gardens
6 p.m.: Brian Minter — Garden Trends
Saturday, Feb. 22: 10 a.m. — 9 p.m.
12:30 p.m.: Pam Dangelmaier and Elke Wehinger — The Vancouver Sun Spring Garden Collections Revealed!
2 p.m.: Wim Vander Zalm — Success for the Urban Fruit and Vegetable Gardener
4 p.m.: Steve Whysall — Exotic Gardens
5:30 p.m.: Miles Hunter — Incredible Edibles for Small Gardens
7 p.m. Gary Lewis — Hot New Plants: Cutting Edge Plants for Cutting Edge Gardens in 2014
Sunday, Feb. 23: 10 a.m. — 6 p.m.
1 p.m.: Steve Whysall — Exotic Gardens
2:30 p.m.: Pam Dangelmaier and Elke Wehinger — The Vancouver Sun Spring Garden Collections Revealed!
swhysall@vancouversun.com
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