Tag Archives: gardens

Brandon Park

Our day in Bristol had a rough plan but not a terribly fixed itinerary.  I did want to check out Brandon Park since it appeared to have a nice view over the rest of the city.  That proved to be the case but that was because of the sizable hill climb involved in getting there.  At the end of our walk, this was a bit of an effort but it was worth it.  The park has a commanding position above the harbor and it provided a relaxing spot in the middle of the city (if you ignore the exertion to get there).

It has Cabot Tower at the top but that will have its own post.  In the surrounding areas, there are some gardens laid out with water features which caught me quite by surprise.  I wasn’t expecting something so structured up at the top of the hill and was very taken with how nice it was.  It was not the best of weather when we were there but I imagine on a sunny afternoon, the place would be heaving with people taking it easy.

Osborne House Gardens

We made our visit to Osborne House in October of 2022 and the gardens have since made the news in the UK.  One of the older trees fell in some bad weather so, while I don’t know which tree it was, it is possible I got a photo of it shortly before it met its demise.  Always a shame when an old tree falls but such is the nature of things.  We wandered around the grounds prior to going into the house.  It wasn’t clear whether the weather was going to deteriorate so we figured we would do the outside stuff first while we knew it was okay.

It isn’t hard to see how Victoria liked the place.  The grounds run down to the sea and the views from the house are really nice.  There are trees and plants of all sorts of varieties so, if you know more about that sort of thing, I could quite imagine that you would have much to study.  I just like looking at them so a simpler proposition for me.

We took one of the trails down to Osborne Bay.  There was a little café down there so we could stop off and have a snack and some refreshments.  It wasn’t that warm, but you can always find time for an ice cream if you want to!  From the café, it was a straight walk back up to the house.  There are some large planters along the path.  Not sure how big something could be and survive in one of them, but I imagine a moderately sized tree would be fine!

Once you get close to the house itself, you get to the ornamental gardens.  These were actually quite nicely laid out.  That sort of thing doesn’t always do it for me, but I quite liked Osborne.  However, there were some really odd sculptures scattered around near the house.  Not sure what sort of imagery the sculptures of the day had in their heads but the hybrids of various animals and humans that they sculpted were very weird.  They also suffered from the same thing of a lot of sculptures of their day- they had never seen the animals that they were recreating.  There was a lion that looked more like a goofy character from a comedy based in a high school!  We might have laughed at that one for a while!

Gardens at Filoli

B11I8598.jpgHaving described the house at Filoli in a previous post, this time it is the turn of the gardens.  I mentioned before that they were not aligned with the house so were not easy to see from there.  However, putting that aside, they are certainly very nice.  They are divided up into a number of areas.  Some are very formal while others are left in a more natural state.  The grounds around the pool are very structured.  There are orchards that are laid out in lines but then there are gardens that look as if they had never been touched.  Plenty of beds with plants of similar types and then some meadow areas.  All in all, it is a pretty eclectic mix that works well.  Put aside that it seems detached from the house, it is a lovely place to check out.  It spreads up the hill until at the top you find a temple like semi circle.  This is nice and quiet since I guess a lot of people can’t be bothered to walk that far.  Good for us!

Early Morning at Chicago Botanic Gardens

AE7I8888.jpgThe Chicago Botanic Gardens open at 7am.  This is something I was totally unaware of when we lived in Chicago.  During our recent visit, we were staying a short distance away and had some free time in the morning.  We decided to go early, have a wander around, get some breakfast there and then go back to the hotel to be ready for the day.  We might not have been there spot on 7am but we weren’t much later.

AE7I8871.jpgEarly morning is a great time to look around.  It was a hot weekend that weekend so we were able to enjoy the gardens before they got too hot.  We were also able to enjoy them pretty much alone for a lot of the time.  The crowds have not shown up yet and the place is occupied by the regulars.  In some of the more central parts of the gardens, the groundskeepers are still busy at work sorting things out before the majority of visitors appear.

AE7I8816.jpgWe wandered around a good portion of the grounds.  Heading towards midsummer, even that early in the day is long after the sun comes up so it isn’t the perfect light.  It is a lot better than later in the day though so worth taking the camera.  With so few people, the chance to get unobstructed shots is worth it in itself.  Having not been for a while, the chance to walk the grounds again was a treat as well.

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Rock Garden

C59F3060.jpgPlenty of people have rock gardens. When you have a country estate, the scale of your thinking can change. A rock garden now turns in to something that is a little more grand than average with rocks that should really be classified as boulders. We were actually beginning to wrap up our visit to the gardens at Chatsworth when we came through the rock garden. This place would be phenomenal if you are a kid. So many places to climb on and jump across. The opportunities for bumps and bruises would be many but it would be so worth it.

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Grotto Pond

C59F3022.jpgExploring the grounds of Chatsworth House took us to places we had not seen on previous visits. Even if you exclude the majority of the estate and just focus on the organized garden areas, there are so many parts to see that it is easy to overlook them. This is why, despite having been to Chatsworth on a number of occasions, this time I saw areas that I had not seen before. One of these was the Grotto Pond.

C59F3005.jpgBecause this area is one of the furthest away from the main house, the number of people making their way that far out is pretty small. It is not deserted by any means but it is pretty quiet. This is ideal given how tranquil the setting is. It was very easy to just stand and look. Given how far out in the country you are, there isn’t much background noise so you can let your mind wander…

Kitchen Garden

C59F2878.jpgIf you have a big country house, you will be housing a lot of people. No doubt, there will also be times when you will host a large gathering. You need to be able to feed everyone. The estate produces a lot so it will cover many needs but the kitchen also has to have its own garden. Located a short distance from the main house and slightly up the hill, Chatsworth’s kitchen garden is very extensive. It has a lot of space and many different types of food in production.

C59F2897.jpgAs with everything else about a place like Chatsworth, function does not override form. The gardens are laid out beautifully and with structure. They are functioning still yet they are a place worthy of visit just for the appearance. Some areas are restricted to keep the visitors from inconveniencing everything too much but much of the space is fully open to wander through. The staff is busy but were willing to talk if you had questions.

Stourhead

C59F1685.jpgOne thing that there is no shortage of in the UK is impressive country houses. As a result of the financial circumstances of many of the old families that owned these places, a lot have ended up in the hands of the National Trust. One of the most attractive estates is Stourhead in Wiltshire. This was not originally on our schedule during our UK trip but we had a change of heart regarding our original plan for the day and decided to head to Stourhead instead. We are still members of the National Trust so this was a freebie for us (if you excluded the amount spent over the years on membership!).

C59F1741-HDR.jpgWhen we visit these estates, our focus is usually on the grounds rather than the houses themselves. While I am interested in the external views of the house, the interiors are often a bit repetitive and something I will only bother with if I have plenty of time and there is something special about the insides. Normally, I am far happier walking around the grounds. In Stourhead’s case, the grounds are quite stunning. There are many buildings scattered around the estate, there are lakes, bridges, temples and a village within the estate including estate cottages and a pub. I imagine you could avoid ever having the leave if you were so inclined!

C59F1847.jpgVisiting these places in September is a good idea. The weather is still pretty nice but the holidays are over and so the number of people attending has significantly dropped. I think it is fair to say we were amongst the youngest people there! If we lived closer, I would certainly enjoy visiting Stourhead at various different times of year. I imagine the fall colors will be impressive and winter would be very nice to see.

Shrines

wpid9486-AU0E0484-Edit.jpgThe reason for being in Asakusa is that there are some famous shrines there. This is a very popular tourist area and there is a market on the grounds of the shrine which is designed to suck up the cash of the passing tourists. While there are some awfully tacky things for sale, there are also some very classy artisans at work too. Quite a contrast. I am not a souvenir person so, while I paid some attention to these stalls, I was more interested in the shrines themselves.

wpid9478-AU0E0475.jpgThey are impressive structures and hugely popular. There are some massive paper lanterns at the entrance which apparently are very famous (shows what I know). They do look great. What was strange to me was that, while the main shrine was very impressive and very busy, there were a number of other buildings, sculptures and gardens in the area that were also very cool but far less busy. Everyone appears to go to the main shrine and then leave. They certainly missed out in my opinion.