TAKE A STROLL THROUGH THE GARDENS OF THE WORLD: THE TRUE SENSE OF BEING GROUNDED TO THE EARTH.

Gardens began as subsistence plots, generating fruits and vegetables in abundance and Physic Gardens for herbs and medicines, in virtually every culture on the planet, once hunting and gathering got old.

Beauty in the Garden became a goal and enjoyment of the natural world has flourished from palatial estates to balcony gardens.

When I step into a Garden, often it’s as if I’ve stepped through a travel portal into another time. I not only feel connected to the designer and learn from the classic masters, but also a connection with those who have enjoyed these gems, be they Counts & Countesses, famous artists, the landed gentry to the tenders of humble Victory Gardens during the War.
TRANSPORT yourself into the arbor promenade and feel the rustle of the full skirts and corseted hour-glass waists; the art of strolling was a well-practiced activity which calms the mind and GETS YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE!
These people knew how to entertain guests and throw awesome parties. The open spaces were cultivated to encourage PLAYFULNESS & INTREGUE. ROMANTIC fern grottos and mazes, follies and ha-ha's (that's a hidden fence), classic ruins, stone and brick garden walls define each space, while fountains, acre-sized lakes and statuary, provide beauty and all the senses are stimulated.
I was introduced to England's rich gardening heritage, and Monet's Gardens, Giverney, on a fabulous garden tour provided by Smith and Hawken.
One extraordinary garden artist is Ivan Hicks. This is a must-see for those intrepid gardeners/artists who are willing to think out-of-the-box and 'round the bend! Visitors to the garden rarely behave in expected ways: whoops of discovery, giggles, awe and delight are the order of the day. Watch out for spare body parts!
"Ivan Hicks is very likely England's drollest garden artist. For, in a whimsical design style of a decidedly surrealistic bent, Hicks' art succeeds in deftly combining respect for mythic tradition to a profoundly modern worldview.

Hicks' garden designs are rooted in the Earth itself, baring the influence of ancient Celtic mythology, and in particular, its worship of trees."
http://www.offthefence.com/content/programme.php?EpID=123&ID=42&Categories=3


In Search of European Gardens!