Gardens Near and Far Archives

Gardens Near and Far episode 45 – Tresco Abbey Gardens

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / October 22, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 45 – Tresco Abbey Gardens: Augustus John Smith – 26 years old rich aristocrat decided to sow a subtropical garden, the “Tresco Abbey Garden”. The Scilly archipelago can be found in the Celtic sea, off the coast of England… The windy island of Tresco saw Augustus John Smith arrive at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Augustus John Smith studied the miserable living conditions of the English population. Ideologically close to the utopian ideas of his time, he sought to change the neediest’s ways of living. The Scilly Islands were extremely poor, thus […]

Gardens Near and Far episode 45 – Tresco Abbey Gardens Read More »

Gardens Near and Far episode 44 – Taman Ujung

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / October 21, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 44 – Taman Ujung: Built between 1912 and 1921, the floating gardens of Taman Ujung are the work of King Anak Agung, the last king to govern the region of East Bali. Although Indonesia was then under Dutch rule, the kings of the provinces continued to exercise local power. The place was carefully chosen for the presence of sacred water sources beneath a lake that opens onto the sea. It was the king’s duty to transmit spiritual values to his people, and the design of his garden illustrates this approach. Gardens Near

Gardens Near and Far episode 44 – Taman Ujung Read More »

Gardens Near and Far episode 43 – Sezincote

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / October 18, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 43 – Sezincote: At the heart of the English countryside in Gloucestershire, north-west of Oxford, the Sezincote estate houses a surprising dwelling. It is the work of the Cockerell brothers – British aristocrats of the end of the eighteenth century. Sezincote’s history is one of family. Right as they came back from India where they spent long years serving the crown, the Cockerells acquired the estate in 1794. The house was then no more than a “plain old” English manor. Charles Cockerell transformed it into an Indian palace – which was quite a

Gardens Near and Far episode 43 – Sezincote Read More »

Gardens Near and Far episode 42 – Sacro Bosco

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / October 16, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 42 – Sacro Bosco: The Sacred Grove, a mysterious garden to the North East of Rome, was created in the 1550s by Vicino Orsini, Lord of Bomarzo, who worked on beautifying it until his death in 1584. He drew inspiration from the Etruscan civilisation but in a style that was closer to Mannerism, a trend at the end of the Italian Renaissance that refused the traditional rules of harmony and imitation of nature. After Vicino Orsini’s death, the garden was abandoned for nearly 350 years. In the mid 20th century it was rediscovered,

Gardens Near and Far episode 42 – Sacro Bosco Read More »

Gardens Near and Far episode 41 – Rosendal

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / October 14, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 41 – Rosendal : Sprawling on 5 hectares, Rosendal is a food and flower garden at the heart of Stockholm. It has been in perpetual evolution for 200 years: it is a model garden for Sweden. The exceptional nature of the Rosendal garden is explained by its situation in the city; it is located in the island of Djurgarden – which is 27 square kilometers large – flanked by the waters of the Baltic sea and linked to the town center by multiple bridges. Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, the island of

Gardens Near and Far episode 41 – Rosendal Read More »

Gardens Near and Far episode 40 – Powerscourt

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / October 8, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 40 – Powerscourt : this Irish garden has witnessed four centuries of history. Initially designed for the Wingfield family in the eighteenth century, the grounds of Powerscourt were the creation of the English architect and landscape designer Daniel Robertson. Although Powerscourt is still privately owned, the Irish are justly proud of this historic garden with its splendid trees and statues, which incorporates superb panoramic views of the landscape. Until the nineteenth century, with the exception of the Italian garden, the grounds contained very few trees. But the seventh Viscount of Powerscourt wanted to

Gardens Near and Far episode 40 – Powerscourt Read More »

Gardens Near and Far episode 39 – Murin-An

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / October 7, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 39 – The garden of Murin-An, in central Kyoto, was made in the late nineteenth century by Aritomo Yamagata, a wealthy statesman. He acquired a 3000-square metre plot that then belonged to the monks of the temple Nanzen ji, one of the most influential in Kyoto. The garden represents the surrounding landscape according to the shakkei principle of “borrowed scenery”. Stones feature prominently. They are used for paths, as stepping stones and to make little beaches. Above all, they are host to a wide range of mosses, for which the garden of Murin-An

Gardens Near and Far episode 39 – Murin-An Read More »

Gardens Near and Far episode 38 – Mount Stewart

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / October 4, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 38 – Mount Stewart: Made in the 1920s by the English society hostess Edith Vane-Tempest-Stewart, Marchioness of Londonderry, who played a major organizational role in World War I, this Northern Irish garden defies categorization. The garden is traditional in structure, but its exuberant planting reflects its creator’s strong personality and sense of humour. In the turbulent period between the wars, Mount Stewart provided Lady Londonderry with a peaceful retreat and an outlet for her creativity. Here, she could express her highly individual taste and engage in all manner of experiments. Gardens Near

Gardens Near and Far episode 38 – Mount Stewart Read More »

Gardens Near and Far episode 37 – Longwood Gardens

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / October 3, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 37: Longwood Gardens, in Pennsylvania, is famous for its European architectural style and the diversity of its flower beds. In the early 20th century, a director of General Motors created a garden that reflects both his love of plants and the American industrial might. He was inspired by his travels and the architectural style of Europe’s loveliest gardens.Today, the Longwood park is considered to be the largest in the United States. Gardens Near and Far episode 37 – Longwood Gardens Longwood Gardens is an American botanical garden. It consists of over

Gardens Near and Far episode 37 – Longwood Gardens Read More »

Gardens Near and Far episode 36 – Little Sparta

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / October 1, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 36: The Little Sparta garden is South of Edinburgh and lost in the Pentland. It was Ian Hamilton Finlay’s art piece of a lifetime. The late twentieth century Scottish poet and artist was an influent member of the experimental movement referred to as “concrete poetry”. To reach Little Sparta, you need to cross the meadows on foot to finally enter this extraordinary garden. In 1966, Ian Hamilton Finlay decides to settle here with his wife Sue to design a garden dedicated to poetry where he will be able to create his art and

Gardens Near and Far episode 36 – Little Sparta Read More »

Gardens Near and Far episode 35 – Levens Hall

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / September 30, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 35: Levens Hall, in the north of England, has belonged to the same family for 800 years. Its garden was laid out in the seventeenth century by a French garden designer, Guillaume Beaumont, who trained with André Le Nôtre at Versailles. Since then, it has withstood the vagaries of fashion, remaining essentially unchanged over the centuries. The topiary gardens are its crowning glory. The oldest in England and probably in Europe, their trees and shrubs have been painstakingly clipped by generations of gardeners. Landscape architect Jean-Philippe Teyssier takes us on a discovery of

Gardens Near and Far episode 35 – Levens Hall Read More »

Gardens Near and Far episode 34 – La Mortella

Gardens Near and Far / 2 minutes of reading / September 24, 2019 / By HDclump

Gardens Near and Far episode 34 : on the volcanic island of Ischia – in the gulf of Naples – the la Mortella domain’s tropical vegetation is surprisingly lively. Paths have been carved in volcanic rock and are flanked by Mediterranean essences. They lead to the garden’s top – which has a splendid view on the city of Forio and the sea. The London composer Sir William Walton settled here with his wife Suzana at the end of the Second World War – in what was only a volcanic stone quarry. Lady Suzana had always dreamed of creating

Gardens Near and Far episode 34 – La Mortella Read More »