The Netherlands offer large bulb flower ‘gardens’ in spring time. The country is known worldwide for its bulb cultivation. Hyacinths, tulips and daffodils are grown on long fields that colour the landscape like a piece of modern art. Most tourists head for the region where this flower industry once started, around the towns Hillegom and Lisse, […]
Gardens
Treat your winter blues in a botanic greenhouse
Especially in February or March the winter blues is getting an annoying grip. At least here in this part of Europe. Solution: go to the nearest botanic garden and lock yourself a while in the greenhouse. The best cure. The last winter months I visited three greenhouses: in the botanic gardens of Munich, Amsterdam and […]
Garden holiday in the French region Brittany
The French region Brittany is the one where it rains quite sometimes. Situated on a piece of land that stretches out in the Atlantic ocean, weather conditions are much alike the UK. So… that makes it a great place for gardeners. Did you know that Bretagne counts over 140 gardens? I visited two of them, […]
The majestic gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle
Imagine driving in northern Italy, with the high alp peaks in front of you. Behind them shines the famous vertiginous Timmelsjoch pass (2509 m) to Austria. In the valley below, lays a huge green paradise: Merano’s famous gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle. The botanical garden is nestled into a twelve-hectare amphitheatre with an altitude differential of […]
Discover the green secrets of Amsterdam
There is one weekend in Amsterdam where you may enter the elegant canal houses and nose out what’s in the garden. This year it is on Friday 16th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of June. Discover the green secrets of Amsterdam with a special ticket. Over 30 gardens will be open to the public, lots of them […]
Steal green ideas shamelessly from your neighbours
One of the advices I got from a dear old gardener was: “look what is growing well in your neighbours garden and plant that too.” See this in a wider perspective. Not only your direct neighbour could be your source for green ideas, but there must be some community or botanical garden in your area […]
Clingendael in The Hague: go there in May
If you want to see two very special gardens on just one spot, plan to go to Park Clingendael in The Hague in between the first of May till the first week of June. You will be able to walk through majestic lanes full of multi-couloured rhododendrons, plus have access to the Japanese garden, that is […]
A botanic treasury on subtropical Tenerife
In the harbour town Puerto de la Cruz on Tenerife there’s an old botanical garden (1788). It is a true treasury: this Jardín de Aclimatación de La Orotava. It has a classic layout, and is filled with tropical and subtropical trees and plants that will amaze you. Impressive exotic tropical and sub-tropical plants over here, […]
The impressive Botanic Garden Munich
While on the way to the Alps, I asked my IG-friend @greenfingers.munich if she had some tips for gardens to visit in and around Munich. She told me to go to the botanic garden, that is not really in the centre, but a bit outside the rumourous part of town. Well, she was so right. […]
Beautiful 375 year old Botanic Garden Amsterdam
Got an invitation from Instagramers Amsterdam for a special IG-visit to @hortusamsterdam. It was a very hot afternoon but we had fun. I met nice green buddies that I follow since. And I experienced again: this 375 year old beauty is always worth while a visit when in Amsterdam. Prove: the pictures I took: Only this […]