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Two Mannerist Gardens in Northern Lazio, Italy

For many years, I’d been contemplating making a trek to the hills of Northern Lazio, to see a duo of dramatically different gardens that had long piqued my curiosity. The Sacro Bosco at Bomarzo ( constructed from 1552 until 1588 ), and the Villa Lante at Bagnaia ( made from 1566 until about 1595 ) … Continue reading »

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My Recipe for a Stress-Free Week in Rome

November 2014 Winter has just arrived in New Hampshire…with typically indecent haste. For all of us who thrive during summertime, these first days of snow and chill — which promise months of the same to follow — pose a challenge: how indeed, are we to cope cheerfully with the absence of regularly-appearing sunshine, of green-growing … Continue reading »

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The Crane Estate at Castle Hill, in Ipswich, MA. A Tour of the House & Gardens which exemplify the American Country Place Era.

October 2014. I’m constantly transporting my mind to far-off places…whether I’m plotting my next trip abroad, or I’m reviewing photos taken and books gathered on past journeys, as I compose my Diaries for Armchair Travelers. But occasionally, I stop all of that distant-lands musing, and instead remind myself to dig for the treasures in my … Continue reading »

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The Chelsea Flower Show of 2014: Contemplating the Biggest Pop-Up Gardens in the World.

Late July 2014. September of 2008: As I was displaying my garden furniture in a rather grotty convention hall in Birmingham, England, I was invited by a representative of the Royal Horticultural Society to exhibit my designs at their next Chelsea Flower Show. And so, in May of 2009, I found myself and my creations … Continue reading »

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Part Five. Rambling Through the Gardens & Estates of Kent, England.

April 30, 2014. In just a matter of days I shall once again be heading out into the World…for a month of still-deeper England-explorations, and also for an additional nine days in Italy. During the Italian portion of this forthcoming journey I’ll photograph the quiet corners of Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood; I’ll travel north toward Viterbo, … Continue reading »

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Part Four. Rambling Through the Gardens & Estates of Kent, England.

March 2014. Behind the making of every garden there’s a Story. But, interesting stories alone don’t make for interesting gardens. Only in those rare instances when a compelling story is joined with idiosyncratic inspiration, and then honed by deep design expertise, does a world-class garden spring forth. Although it’s a rare bird who can create … Continue reading »

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Part Three. Rambling Through the Gardens & Estates of Kent, England.

February 2014. On Tuesday, August 6, 2013 my meanderings through Kent continued, as I was led by extraordinary Blue Badge Guide Amanda Hutchinson ( www.southeasttourguides.co.uk ), and expertly driven to our destinations by Steve Parry ( www.snccars.co.uk ) . By this, the third day of our travels, Amanda and Steve and I had settled into … Continue reading »

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Part Two. Rambling Through the Gardens & Estates of Kent, England

February 2014. Although not by design, some days of my Kent-Garden-Touring also became days of Finding-the-Haunts-of-Famous-Authors. Kent has always been a fertile place: its beautiful landscapes have nurtured the growing of plants, and the assembling of words, in equal measure. Although I won’t officially get to Jane Austen until my fifth in this series of … Continue reading »

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Rambling Through the Gardens & Estates of Kent, England. Part One.

January 2014. As we in Northeastern America endure our most violently cold winter of the past 40 years, I’m finding it therapeutic to begin considering my August 2013 perambulations through Kent, the southeastern-most peninsula in England which is often—and accurately– called “The Garden of England.” I’d never been to Kent, and so it had behooved … Continue reading »

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Hudson River Valley Gardens–Part Two: Stonecrop, & Kykuit

December 2013. The impulse to collect–whatever one happens to want to accumulate—is powerful. As one hunts for treasure, each discovery, rather than satisfying, seems instead to whet the appetite; after all, treasures exist most properly in troves. Humans are greedy souls. At first glance, the shaggy, encyclopedic collection of plants at Stonecrop Gardens (which perch … Continue reading »

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