Virtual Tour: Garden of Cosmic Speculation - near Dumfries, Scotland

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation, is at Portrack House, near Dumfries in South West Scotland. It is a private garden created by Charles Jencks.





Although some parts seem to leap right from the pages of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, according to Wikipedia, "the garden is inspired by science and mathematics, with sculptures and landscaping on these themes, such as Black Holes and Fractals. The garden is not abundant with plants, but sets mathematical formulae and scientific phenomenae in a setting which elegantly combines natural features and artificial symmetry and curves."












"It is probably unique among gardens, and contrasts nicely with the historical and philosophical themes of the less spectacular but equally thoughtful Little Sparta." (Set in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh, Little Sparta is Ian Hamilton Finlay’s greatest work of art.)

Unfortunately, the garden is private and not open to visitors! Sometimes it is open to raise money for the Maggie's Centres, a cancer care charity named for Maggie Keswick Jencks, the late wife of Charles Jencks. But I couldn't find any events or openings online. The closest we all may come to actually seeing it is the book: The Garden of Cosmic Speculation.

Although, we do have our own artist-made, garden-as-sculpture at Opus 40 in Saugerties, NY. (We'll feature it as our next virtual tour.)

In the meantime, we'll leave you will this final image: (Can you imagine that this is someone's private garden!?)



For more images of the Garden of Cosmic Speculation here is a slide show on flikr

Virtual Tour: Stone Crop - Cold Spring, NY

"Stonecrop Gardens is located in Cold Spring, New York and was originally the home of Anne and Frank Cabot. Stonecrop became a public garden in 1992 under the direction of Caroline Burgess.

At its windswept elevation of 1,100 feet in the Hudson Highlands Stonecrop enjoys a Zone 5 climate. The display gardens cover an area of approximately 12 acres and comprise a diverse collection of gardens and plants including woodland and water gardens, a grass garden, raised alpine stone beds, cliff rock gardens, and an enclosed English-style flower garden. Additional features include a Conservatory, display Alpine House, Pit House with an extensive collection of choice dwarf bulbs, and systematic order beds representing over 50 plant families."









"Stonecrop's plant collections and display gardens not only demonstrate what can be achieved by horticultural enthusiasts, but also serve as an educational resource which, together with its professional staff, constitute the foundation upon which is based a developing School of Practical Horticulture."



Even though they tease us with this beautiful winter image, Stonecrop is only open to visitors April 1 through October 31.

Open days are Monday through Friday, as well as the first and third Saturdays, from 10am to 5pm. Starting May 1, the gardens will stay open until dusk every Friday.

Admission is $5.00 per person for a self-guided tour. Guided tours for groups of 10 or more people are available by appointment.








For a series of slideshows visit the Stonecrop Website.

Virtual Tour: Montreal Gardens

This is also a rerun from 2009, but it was very popular, so here it is for those of you who missed it:



A friend passed this slide show on to Victoria.
Some pretty amazing topiary from Montreal.

Virtual Tours: Gardens Around the World

This is a rerun from 2009, but it was very popular, so here it is for those of you who missed it:


Keukenhof Gardens

This time of year in Upstate New York, we are all dreaming of gardening and traveling. I stumbled upon this great slide show featuring the 13 most amazing gardens in the world:



The Gardens of Versailles

1. Versailles, France
2. Garden of Cosmic Speculation, Scotland (More Pictures)
3. Boboli Gardens, Italy
4. Rikugien Gardens, Japan
5. Claude Monet Gardens at Giverny, France
6. Butchart Garden, Canada
7. Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, South Africa
8. Yuyuan Gardens Shanghai, China
9. Abraham Lincoln Memorial Gardens, Springfield IL
10. Exbury Gardens New Forest, England
11. Holland's Keukenhof Gardens
12. Mirabell Garden in Salzburg, Austria
13. Ryoanji Zen Garden in Tokyo, Japan


Monet's Garden

Virtual Tour: Wave Hill - Bronx, NY

"Wave Hill House was built as a country home in 1843 by jurist William Lewis Morris. From 1866-1903 it was owned by William Henry Appleton, who enlarged the house in 1866-69 and again in 1890. A publishing scion, Appleton brought to Wave Hill such pioneering natural scientists as Thomas Henry Huxley. Huxley was astounded by the site, declaring the Palisades across the river one of the world's greatest natural wonders.

Theodore Roosevelt's family rented Wave Hill during the summers of 1870 and ‘71, when the future president was a youth of 12 and 13. Teddy's time here significantly deepened his love of nature and love of the outdoors that would later prompt him to secure the preservation of millions of acres of American parkland.

Mark Twain leased the estate from 1901-1903, setting up a treehouse parlor in the branches of a chestnut tree on the lawn. Of winter at Wave Hill he wrote, I believe we have the noblest roaring blasts here I have ever known on land; they sing their hoarse song through the big tree-tops with a splendid energy that thrills me and stirs me and uplifts me and makes me want to live always."

Part of the New York City Parks Department, "Wave Hill is [now] a 28-acre public garden and cultural center in the Bronx overlooking the Hudson River and Palisades. Its mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscapes, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts."









Visit Wave Hill later in March and you will see the heralds of spring Chionodoxa sardensis (a very early blooming bulb) and Helleborus sp. (Victoria's favorite spring perennial). You will also be able to see the winter forms of many different species and varieties of trees.

"A trail winds through the Herbert and Hyonja Abrons Woodland, which wraps around the outer edges of Wave Hill. These 10 acres of second-growth forest and meadow are being rehabilitated with native plants. Featured plants include black gum (Nyssa sylvatica), yellowwood (Cladrastis lutea), shadbush (Amelanchier species) and native ferns and wildflowers."

Although if you visit in summer, you will be treated with not only an exquisite flower garden but also the charming herb garden - pictured below.



"The stone foundations of a former greenhouse reflect and retain the sun’s warmth, and provide these connected garden areas with a strong architectural continuity. Narrow beds and paths invite close observation. Ornamental, culinary, and medicinal herbs from around the world make their home in the Herb Garden. Highlights include mints (Mentha species), pomegranate (Punica granatum), teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) and bay laurel (Laurus nobilis). Silver plants predominate in the Dry Garden, where a selection of plants from warmer and drier regions of the world include ornamental sages (Salvia), lavenders (Lavandula), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and Euphorbias."











Quotes and images taken from the Wave Hill website.

Location:
West 249th Street and Independence Avenue (front gate)
Bronx, NY 10471-2899

Hours
Tuesday-Sunday
Closed Mondays except Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day
Closed New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas

April 15-October 14: 9am–5:30pm
October 15-April 14: 9am–4:30pm

Tours

Free garden and Conservatory tours begin at the Perkins Visitor Center Sundays at 2pm
Guided group tours are also available.

Greenhouses
10am–noon, 1–4pm

Galleries
10am–4:30pm.

Café and Shop
10am–4:30pm

Admission
Free to Members and children under 6
$8 Adults

$4 Students and Seniors 65+

$2 Children 6+

Target Free Days
Tuesday: Free all day during off-peak months (November–April, July & August)
Tuesday: Free 9am to noon during peak months (May, June, September, October)
Saturday: Free 9am to noon year-round

Parking (effective May 1, 2008)

Onsite: $8 per vehicle
Nearby offsite parking is free with continuous, complimentary shuttle van service.

Virtual Tour: Hudson Vally Gardens - Lyndhurst

Lyndhurst, a grand historic Gothic Revival estate, and an outstanding example of 19th-century landscape design. The Rose Garden includes 100 varieties of roses designed in a circular pattern, while the Fern Garden is bordered by a rock garden. An 1870 conservatory greenhouse remains on site with outdoor plants, one of the largest private greenhouses in the world at the time.

(This virtual tour will definitely be revisited in the summer months after a real visit because there were not enough photographs of the grounds available - 67 acres and I'm afraid these were the only pictures I could find:)



Lyndhurst is located on Route 9 in the village of Tarrytown with spectacular Hudson River views. It is a historic site of the National Trust and is one of the great domestic landmarks of America. A visit to the house and its 67-acre park is a must for all who are interested in 19th-century architecture, decorative arts, and landscape design.


Lyndhurst is Open
Mid-April to October

Daily (Closed Mondays, except holidays)
10am - 5pm; last admission at 4:15pm
November to Mid-April

Weekends only: 10am - 4pm
Last Tour at 3:30pm



I was a little disappointed with the photos available on the Lyndhurst website - don't they know a picture's worth a thousand words? I did find some visitor photos and there a re certainly plenty of "weddings at Lydhurst" photos.

Virtual Tour: Hudson Valley Gardens - Kykuit

Our winter virtual tours continue. Hopefully this will inspire a real trip because it is so close. Hard to think about while the snow is still coming down? That's what daydreams and the internet are for.

"Kykuit (pronounced cake-eight), home to four generations of the Rockefeller dynasty, offers magnificent views of the Hudson River from the palatial estate. The remarkable beaux-arts landscape was created by William Welles Bosworth between 1907 and 1913. Formal gardens include the Rose Garden, Morning and Brook gardens, Italian garden, Adam and Eve Fountain area, and several terraced areas featuring sculptures by Henry Moore, Gaston Lachaise, Aristide Maillol, Alexander Calder, and others.

An elegant, neo-classical mansion sited high above the Hudson River, you enter Boscobel through the apple orchard to the formal rose garden with its central fountain. There are over 140 varieties of roses and 600 separate plants on display in the garden. The one-mile Woodland Trail winds through 29 acres of wooded landscape with rustic structures, and features spectacular vistas of the river."

-prepared by Hudson Valley Tourism
www.travelhudsonvalley.org









For many more images click here - a visitor (and good photographer!) captured over a hundred images featuring the sculptures and gardens of Kykuit.



Kykuit is reached from the Visitor's Center at Philipsburg Manor, located on Route 9 in the village of Sleepy Hollow.

Kykuit is Open
May 9 to Nov. 1, Nov. 6-8

Visitor Center opens at 9am

Daily except Tuesdays: Various Tours

For More Information
Call 914.631.8200 Monday through Friday or 914.631.3992 on weekends