tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post8809633446304185488..comments2024-03-18T23:41:14.186-07:00Comments on A Library of Design: The Most Beautiful Garden In The World?Janelle McCullochhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-11404146201850091852012-11-13T23:33:45.188-08:002012-11-13T23:33:45.188-08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Outdoor living directhttp://www.outdoorlivingdirect.com.au/index.phpnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-12315664859147476532012-08-22T16:25:43.592-07:002012-08-22T16:25:43.592-07:00Hi janelle! Sorry typing on my iPad and wrote &quo...Hi janelle! Sorry typing on my iPad and wrote "Italian" instead of "England" tour! Definitely interested in the England tour (but Italian one also sounds exciting!) I shall email you my details to keep on the info list.<br /><br />I think Monty has the most wonderful voice and a way with words...he really manages to describe the spirit of the gardens.Sophienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-88088887582643434202012-08-22T15:19:38.237-07:002012-08-22T15:19:38.237-07:00I'm not sure if this is the right spot to expr...I'm not sure if this is the right spot to express interest in your tour next year. I would be really keen. Itinerary ticks all the boxes for me!Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00237348453754597720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-27448415446559583312012-08-21T04:19:22.871-07:002012-08-21T04:19:22.871-07:00Dear Pamela,
Do come on The Royal Tour! (As some ...Dear Pamela,<br /><br />Do come on The Royal Tour! (As some of us are now calling it, with tongue-in-cheek humour). If you husband doesn't want to jet off again that's perfectly understandable, but I know you would just love it. (Especially as you haven't seen Chelsea, or Chatsworth.) And we would take very good care of you. If your knee is weak, don't worry; most of the gardens are not the size of Stourhead, and very few have steps. Even Chelsea FS has places for people to sit and recover! I will look after you.<br /><br />My friend Millie at The Laurel Hedge may be coming as co-tour leader and you'd like her; she's really lovely and great fun. She's a very experienced traveller and has a great eye for interesting places, as her blog The Laurel Hedge attests.<br /><br />Can't reveal too much as our itinerary is so special, but Sissinghurst is definitely on it, and I think we may have to include Chatsworth too now, don't you think? Perhaps I'l provide a Reading List beforehand, so we can all catch up on Brideshead Revisited and 'Mad World' (the story behind the novel). I've already ordered Vita Sackville West's garden books.<br /><br />xxJanelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-20994127388441491552012-08-21T04:08:19.397-07:002012-08-21T04:08:19.397-07:00Completely forgot about Giverny. Will add that to ...Completely forgot about Giverny. Will add that to the list - or do a blog post on it. Thanks for the reminder Pamela. It's beautiful, isn't it? I thought it might be a big, blowsy, iris-filled cliché, with naff little bridges groaning with tourists. But it was just so beautiful. The spring tulips and peonies were incredible. And even the Japanese garden was exquisite. The house was wonderful too, with all those rooms saturated in colour. Even the village was charming. I long to go back. Perhaps next year!Janelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-68944993321012196352012-08-21T04:04:09.379-07:002012-08-21T04:04:09.379-07:00I'm sure your mother appreciates your efforts....I'm sure your mother appreciates your efforts. It sounds like the garden is benefitting from all the attention too!Janelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-55897990182808836672012-08-21T04:02:08.339-07:002012-08-21T04:02:08.339-07:00Hi Sophie,
It's actually a tour of English gar...Hi Sophie,<br />It's actually a tour of English gardens, but we're considering an Italian tour down the track. You're right - May in London can be grey, wet, cold and miserable, and it can often rain right through to the end of the month. (Paris is the same.) I loved in London for many years and remember going to Chelsea for each of those years in my winter coat! But come June, summer almost always kicks in, and the days are balmy and beautiful. Even when there is a rain shower it doesn't last long, and it leaves gardens fresh and lovely in the sun.<br /><br />Monty Don is rather handsome, isn't he? I think it's the enthusiasm as much as the voice.Janelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-45345659563329051662012-08-21T03:03:13.862-07:002012-08-21T03:03:13.862-07:00I am in love with Monty Don! Have the Italian Gard...I am in love with Monty Don! Have the Italian Garden series on DVD.....haven't watched it all yet as I like to savour each episode for as long as possible lol! I would totally consider the Italian tour dependent on details and if it's in may or June...I find England in may so miserable! :(Sophienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-21957488195593882672012-08-20T06:43:48.598-07:002012-08-20T06:43:48.598-07:00Dear Janelle
Have also been a fan of Monty Don fo...Dear Janelle<br /><br />Have also been a fan of Monty Don for some time and try to watch all his garden shows. We've been to quite a few of the Italian gardens he visits, including the Villa Cimbrone garden at Ravello and especially its magnificent vertigo inducing views, it's all fabulous! Also Axel Munthe's garden and similarly spectacular views on Capri. But have never been to Ninfa. It's my dream that one day we'll get there. <br /><br />Your garden tour sounds wonderful. Would love to go but not sure if this will be possible as we generally travel to Europe only once every two years and having just returned, husband isn't too keen on another trip in less than a year. Still we'll see. <br /><br />Would love to revisit Sissinghurst - last saw it many years ago. Other favourite gardens back then: Stourhead; Wisbech; Chartwell and Winston Churchill's gardens (the house itself is very interesting - and looks as though Winston had just gone out for a walk), including the golden rose garden that his children had created for their 50th wedding anniversary; of course some Cambridge college gardens are lovely along the banks of the Cam; also there's a wonderful garden at a private Tudor manor called Sutton Place - it used to belong to J Paul Getty and then his estate but has since been bought by a Russian oligarch, so probably not possible to see it. An English friend had access there before the sale and took us along about 10 years ago, just us and about a dozen gardeners in this vast garden. It was very beautiful with the loveliest garden "rooms". If the garden has been kept up to the beautiful standard it was 10 years ago and if you can get access, it really is wonderful. In Paris some of our favourites include the gardens at the Rodin Museum, in June it's particularly beautiful because of all the roses; likewise, Le Jardin de Bagatelle in the Bois de Boulogne, the many roses and clematis will be spectacular; the smaller courtyard gardens of the Musee Carnavalet and the wonderful paradise gardens of the Grande Mousquee de Paris which you recommended, are all lovely in June. Of course Giverny is unforgettable, the irises and the wistaria over the Japanese bridge will probably no longer be flowering but the roses will be lovely and at least some of the famous waterlilies will be in flower. Just the village itself is beautiful and worth walking around and there's a pretty hotel a short walk away where you can have a pleasant lunch in the garden. Of course the Tuileries gardens are probably at their prettiest in June too and you can enjoy lunch under the trees at Cafe Diane. Oh, it all sounds rapturous! Je voudrais y aller maintenant! We've always loved/loved/loved gardens. <br /><br />Have also always wanted to go to the Chelsea flower show, but despite having lived in the UK for five years, somehow we just didn't make it. Chatsworth too!<br /><br />Will follow developments with interest. Best wishes, PamelaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-51749673658167484112012-08-19T22:23:46.775-07:002012-08-19T22:23:46.775-07:00Isn't gardening fantastic? My twice-weekly vis...Isn't gardening fantastic? My twice-weekly visit to my mother's house is mostly spent checking how her garden grows and - ahem - being a little self-satisfied with my efforts there. My apartment unfortunately doesn't have a balcony so I've adopted my mum's garden and nurtured it back to life. <br /><br />Like your blog too. Very elegant. cheers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-60194514182404011172012-08-18T12:52:45.476-07:002012-08-18T12:52:45.476-07:00Wow, the Garden in Ninfa is so enchanting. Defini...Wow, the Garden in Ninfa is so enchanting. Definitely worth a visit. How about Monet's garden in Giverny? I have been to Lake Como and the gardens there are beautiful too. Yes, please let us know about the Garden tour that you are organizing next May. Chic Delightshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095901296795998446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-1570888051880286842012-08-18T04:12:57.964-07:002012-08-18T04:12:57.964-07:00Hi dear Bumble,
Thank you for the tip. It's ...Hi dear Bumble, <br /><br />Thank you for the tip. It's very much appreciated. <br /><br />I saw Ivington Diaries on Amazon after Tara recommended it. (Another Library reader.) It looks beautiful. I loved the cover. It must be a gorgeous book if you've recommended it. (Knowing your gorgeous taste!)<br />Have now put it on the Christmas Wish List.<br /><br />Did you see Cameron Kimber's beautiful house in Vogue Living this month? Will do a post this week. Am SO in love with that interior. You have SUCH stylish friends!<br /><br />xJanelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-46730839723912400312012-08-17T22:42:32.756-07:002012-08-17T22:42:32.756-07:00If you love listening to Monty Don you must read h...If you love listening to Monty Don you must read his 'Ivington Diaries' it weighs a ton but is a sheer delight.Bumble at homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06373365757370344752noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-32727583708412632432012-08-17T18:03:21.463-07:002012-08-17T18:03:21.463-07:00Oh goodie! If it's mostly June then definitely...Oh goodie! If it's mostly June then definitely count me in! I was thinking the weather in May wasn't that flash in the UK too...would love to go to Chelsea though.Heidihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01432089507602828735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-41640469722975567162012-08-17T17:21:31.743-07:002012-08-17T17:21:31.743-07:00A charity ball sounds very glam Heidi! I wouldn...A charity ball sounds very glam Heidi! I wouldn't know what a high heel was after wearing flats for so long. (Being a writer is the very opposite of glamour.)<br /><br />We'll just have to accommodate you then. I'm aiming for a late May/early June tour to catch the Chelsea Flower Show, but the garden part will be in June. May weather in London is always a little wet and cold and dubious; June is (mostly) glorious, and June in the English countryside is nothing short of heaven. xxJanelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-50351364056869630332012-08-17T16:41:42.529-07:002012-08-17T16:41:42.529-07:00I'd love to go on the garden tour....May/June ...I'd love to go on the garden tour....May/June though is a bit tricky for me (2 children's birthdays mid may, and I'm organising a charity ball on the 1st June (gosh, isn't my life a suburban mother cliche?!)) If the tour leaves on the 2nd June, I'm there! Love Monty's Italian Gardens, have to catch up on it on iview. Heidihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01432089507602828735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-24406889896146686632012-08-17T08:50:22.053-07:002012-08-17T08:50:22.053-07:00No Jules, I haven't seen the Water Garden Show...No Jules, I haven't seen the Water Garden Shows. Is that episode next week? He's at the Italian Lakes. <br />Otherwise, I've asked Santa (aka my mother) to buy me the DVD for Christmas. <br />Hope you're well and happy, and those lovely daughters are well too.<br />xxJanelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-44623920394042747192012-08-17T08:48:15.496-07:002012-08-17T08:48:15.496-07:00Oh, that's great Miss FF. Cos we've voted ...Oh, that's great Miss FF. Cos we've voted you Tour Leader. (It happened when you weren't in the room.)<br /><br />Seriously, I think it would be lovely if you could come. I think I can persuade Miss Millie from The Laurel Hedge to come too. She'd be lots of fun. I'm very shy in real life, so we need lots of Extroverts to liven up the bus trip!<br /><br />As I commented to Romy, it's going to be Chelsea's 100th Anniversary. I think we garden lovers should be in London for The Big One, don't you think?<br /><br />xx<br /><br />PS Hope your 40th Festival is still going strong. Better make it go all year.Janelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-18331204164405816502012-08-17T08:44:14.522-07:002012-08-17T08:44:14.522-07:00Oh, I haven't read that Romy. Thanks for the r...Oh, I haven't read that Romy. Thanks for the recommendation. I will add that to the Book Buying List now!<br /><br />I have Adam Nicholson's 'Sissinghurst', which is very good, and I want to buy 'Portrait of A Marriage', which is meant to be brilliant. <br /><br />Laughed at your comment about dragging the motorhome to Chatsworth. How funny. Seeing Cornwall in a motorhome would be bliss! (Although I hope it was summer and not winter?)<br /><br />Glad you're on The Tour. It's going to be special. Chelsea's 100th Anniversary. I think we garden lovers should be in London for The Big One, don't you think?<br /><br />xJanelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-38483521623173964522012-08-17T08:40:43.964-07:002012-08-17T08:40:43.964-07:00Yes, well, I had to be ladylike as my partner was ...Yes, well, I had to be ladylike as my partner was cooking chicken curry in the kitchen while the show was on. But I did think Mr Don was rather lovely. I perhaps didn't go any further than head-swivelling interest, but you can see why he pulls in the ratings. Perhaps women have a thing for gardeners? Look at Lady Chatterley's Lover. xJanelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-42916729923370777262012-08-17T08:37:41.880-07:002012-08-17T08:37:41.880-07:00It looks like a contender smr... xIt looks like a contender smr... xJanelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-15146280319259414492012-08-17T08:37:07.342-07:002012-08-17T08:37:07.342-07:00Oh that's so kind of you to say Sandra. Thank ...Oh that's so kind of you to say Sandra. Thank you.<br />I'm so amazed that you've been to Ninfa? I think we ALL want to go now!<br /><br />Villandry was amazing, wasn't it? And to think they have only 7 gardeners on staff. Incredible. <br />Ninfa looks lush and romantic and heavenly.<br />xJanelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-35833552767643911622012-08-17T08:35:15.669-07:002012-08-17T08:35:15.669-07:00Mmm, I think it's the voice that seduces me. I...Mmm, I think it's the voice that seduces me. I think it seduces everyone...<br /><br />Apparently, they took him off-air for a while and the ratings dropped by half, so they brought him right back. Damn straight, I say! Take that silly old Jeremy Clarkson off. Monty Don's where the money is.Janelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-16651646412725524602012-08-17T08:32:57.443-07:002012-08-17T08:32:57.443-07:00You're very welcome Miss GD. We're all thi...You're very welcome Miss GD. We're all thinking of you. Hugs to both of you. I've always loved your beautiful blog and amazing talent, and also your wonderful support of others' blogs. If I can do anything to help, please just let me know. I'll be there in a flash. xxJanelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383907926280689006.post-79001478572436199512012-08-17T08:30:28.338-07:002012-08-17T08:30:28.338-07:00Oh I'm so excited for you! I'm dying to se...Oh I'm so excited for you! I'm dying to see Ninfa now. <br />Please take lots of photos and email me. <br /><br />And do come on our tour if we do one next May/June. Will be cheap, I promise you! I'm a very f-r-u-g-a-l traveller. Have already found the most beautiful little boutique hotels for relatively little money. Plus it's Chelsea's 100th Anniversary, so going to be quite celebratory in London that week, I think.<br /><br />xxJanelle McCullochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16006727386237836016noreply@blogger.com