Katsura Imperial Villa Garden

 

Today's garden is one from Japan.  It's the Katsura Imperial Villa in western Kyoto, Japan.  Completed in 1645, it is the residence of the Katsura family, who are members of Japan's Imperial Family.

Seeing this place is not easy.  You must make reservations for a limited number of tours that are given by the Imperial Household Agency.  The tours last about one hour and are in Japanese.  You don't speak Japanese?  That's okay.  You can get an English audio guide.  They are very strict about following the rules - you must stay with the group on the path, and you are only allowed to take pictures at designated areas.

That said, the garden is really lovely.  Visitors will see a pond, bamboo, four tea houses, and a lovely arched wooden bridge called a "Dobashi."

The agency is open Monday - Friday from 8:45 - 12:00  and 1:00- 5:00 PM.  Tours are held during these times, but you may be able to get a Saturday tour.  No tours are ever given on Sunday, and I would venture to guess that no tours are being held during the COVID pandemic.

Before I go, I would like to let you know about the release of my latest book, Bubba and Squirt's Mayan Adventure.  I'm on tour with MC Tours for the month of September and October. If you would like to follow along and have a chance to win an autographed copy, you can go here.

Garden of Cosmic Speculation and Latin Flavors Blog Hop Sign Up

 

Don't you just love the name of this garden?  This is definitely a one-of-a-kind garden.  I've never seen anything else like it in all of my travels.  The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is located in Dumfries, Scotland.  It covers thirty acres and was built in 1989 by Charles Jencks, an internationally acclaimed architectural critic and designer.  The garden is actually his own private garden.  It is open to the public only once a year (usually in May).  If you want to see this place, you'll have to do a little planning (and get there really early when it does open, because the traffic jams are ridiculous).

The garden was designed to provide thought (speculation) about the nature of things.  It was inspired by science and mathematics, with themes like Black Holes, Fractals, and DNA helixes.

Plants are not the big feature here.  There are a couple of man-made dragon lakes. Mostly what you'll see are a lot of steel structures and symmetry.  The garden begins at the base of steps leading down from the original eighteenth-century manor house.  You'll see a Sense of Touch garden, where a metal hand waves back and forth, beckoning visitors to come to check it out.  You'll see a steel DNA helix and a Heaven-Hell primeval wilderness garden with a beautiful red arched bridge

 The snail mound allows you to explore the Fibonacci Sequence of numbers that make up the shell.

Before I go, I'd like to tell you about the Latin Flavors Blog Hop I'm hosting:

When:  September 14-18

Where:  Your Blog

On September 15th, my new book, Bubba and Squirt's Mayan Adventure, will be released. To help get the word out, I'm having a blog hop. It's called, "Latin Flavors."

In the book, Bubba and Squirt try a couple of Latin dishes. I thought it might be fun to share recipes of food from Mexico and Central America.

Here's what participants will do:

1. Share a favorite "Latin Flavor" recipe

2. Include information about my book in the post. I will provide all of that and send it to you a week before the blog hop.

If you'd like to participate, please sign up on the Linky List.

Thank you!

Villa d'Esta

If you like fountains, the gardens at the Villa d'Este, in Tivoli, Italy, are a must-see.  The gardens are on the grounds of the former residence of Cardinal Ippolito d'Este.  They were built in 1572.  Today, this garden is part of the UNESCO world heritage list.

The garden is organized in terraces and steps.  Visitors will see numerous fountains, grottos, and ponds.  The Neptune fountain, pictured at the top, is the largest and most spectacular fountain.  There's also an organ fountain, which, yes, plays organ music with the sounds of the falling water.  If you'd like to hear it, the first playing is at 10:30 every day, and then it occurs every two hours.

The garden is open daily from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM.  Admission is 10 euros for adults.

Nongnooch Tropical Botanical Garden

 Nongnooch Tropical Botanical Garden is located in Pattaya, Thailand.  It boasts the world's largest palm collection and has the largest variety of orchids in Thailand.

 

The history of the garden is interesting.  In 1954, Mr. Pisit and Mrs. Nongnooch Tansacha bought about 600 acres, originally thinking that it would be a fruit plantation.  But then Mrs. Nongnooch went on vacation.  She saw many beautiful gardens around the world and was inspired to create her own.  She decided to make it a tropical garden of ornamental flowers and plants.  The garden was opened to the public in 1980.

 Today, there are plenty of trails, tours, and animal shows to entertain visitors.  One of the most popular shows is the elephant show.  Kids really enjoy this!

  The gardens are open daily from 8 AM - 6 PM.  Admission is $15.00 (500 THB).

And before I go, I want to let you know that my publisher has a few extra review copies of Bubba and Squirt's Mayan Adventure.  If you would like a chance to win one, please participate in the Rafflecopter. Open to US residents only. Click this link:  https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/699793521/

Shenyang Botanical Garden

  Shenyang Botanical Garden, located in Shenyang City, China, covers 467 acres and contains more than 1,000 species of flowers, trees, and shrubs. 

 A walk through the garden reveals several ponds, waterfalls, and ornate bridges.  There are 20 gardens in all, including an azalea garden, peony garden, lilac garden, and rose garden.


Shenyang Botanical Garden is open daily from 8 AM to 5 PM.  The admission is 20 CNY.

Powis Castle Gardens

Powis Castle Gardens, located in Welshpool, Wales is located on the grounds of the residence of the Earl of Powis.  The castle itself was founded in the early 13th century by Welsh princes. The formal, baroque gardens were designed in the 1670s.

Visitors will see Italian style terraces, statues, an orangery, and even an aviary.  Each terrace has a different theme.  One has a Mediterranean theme.  Another is planted with rhododendrons and ferns.  Another has herbs.  There is also a lower formal garden that has unusual pyramid-shaped apple trees, roses, delphiniums, phlox, and hollyhocks.

The gardens are beautiful year-round, but I think the best time to visit is in the spring when the tulips, hyacinths, and rhododendrons are in bloom.  The gardens are open daily April to September from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and March, October-December from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.

Exbury Gardens

The Exbury Gardens, located in Hampshire, England, are a real treat for the eyes!  In fact, in December of 2011, they were awarded the Hudson's Heritage UK "Best Garden" award.

The gardens contain over 200 acres of rhododendrons, azaleas, and a plethora of rare trees and shrubs.  They are the inspiration of Lionel Nathan de Rothschild who passed away in 2009.  Today, his grandchildren carry on the legacy.


 There are several ways to view the gardens. You can walk on the numerous trails, you can ride a chauffer-driven buggy, or you can do my favorite thing:  ride a miniature steam locomotive through the gardens.
 

The train will pass through the Summer Lane garden.  From there, you'll catch glimpses of the rock garden, followed by the wildlife pond.  Next, you'll pass the plant nursery and exotic fruit patch.  Then you'll pass by the sunflower field, which if you visit in the summer, is just amazing!  Finally, you'll loop around the oldest tree in the garden:  the Domesday Yew.  The train ride takes about 20 minutes.

 

The gardens are open daily from March to early November.  Admission for adults is 14 British pounds and 4 British pounds for children.