I am a diehard gardener. I just love it…probably my favourite hobby (yes, it trumps shopping). If you share my same flower lust, you are probably gearing up to welcome spring, dusting off those gardening tools and longing to dig around in the dirt! It’s still snowing and dreary here in Ottawa, which is doing nothing for my current sour mood, so I’m taking some valuable advice from my dear friend Vanessa and looking at pictures of some of the world’s most beautiful and famous gardens in order to find my happy place.
Let’s start with the glorious gardens of Versailles, France:
Now off to Villa d’Este,Tivoli, Italy. A former dilapidated monastery, the grounds were recently declared a UNESCO heritage site.
Gorgeous wisteria at Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C. Located in Georgetown, the gardens have a very “Merchant Ivory” feel.
Now off to the verdant environs of Stourhead, Warminster, England. This is a personal favourite thanks to its expanses of greenery and nice mixture of different tree types, thus featuring brilliant colours in the fall. Henry Hoare II loved the classical era and dotted his Wilshire estate with replicas of ruins and classical buildings such as the Pantheon and Temple of Apollo. Ahhh – to be rich!
Hopping on over to Kawachi Fuji Gardens, Japan. Just stunning! I wish my zone supported wisteria! These gardens feature over 150 wisteria plants of over 20 different species. The best time to visit is late April and May when the plants are blossoming. Too beautiful…
Here we have the Gardens of the Villa d’Ephrussi de Rothschild, St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France. I love these gardens mainly because they surround Béatrice Ephrussi’s (a Rothschild baroness) pink confection of a villa. LOVE.
The famous Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, Richmond, Surrey, England feature many large greenhouses. Look that those giant, perfect lily pads and of the “field” of bluebells!
…and last but not least, Canada’s Butchart Gardens, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. A dazzling example of a reclamation project, the grounds used to be an exhausted quarry until Jennie Butchart filled it with soil from nearby farms. Her “pet project” eventually expanded into 55 acres which are now home to over 700 varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers blooming from March to October. Look at those happy Japanese maples! I just love them – one of my favourite tree varieties. Heaven!
Anyone know what this beautiful purple tree is?
Hope you enjoyed as much as I did. Are you a gardener? Any favourite gardens you care to share? Better yet, any good spring cleaning gardening tips? LOL!
xo,
Dom
Dominique is a Canadian-based fashion and beauty influencer with a strong voice in Ottawa’s black community. Since launching her blog Style Domination in 2015, she has amassed a global fanbase. Dominique shares her life through beautiful imagery and compelling story-telling that speaks to her fans on a personal level. She’s been featured in The Guardian, Flare, The Kit and Cityline. She also hosts events for Dress for Success, the Gem Conference, and has been named a United Way Person 2 Know for the past three years.
I do not have a green thumb but I can see myself gardening once the kids are out of the house. Beautiful photos! It is slowly warming up here too. Hang in there! ?
Author
Thanks, Veronica! This weather is really wearing me down! And you’re right. While I love gardening, my gardens take up a lot of my time. Just watering everything is a full time job! Lol!
What could be more beautiful? Really lovely.
Author
Honestly, gardening brings me such joy! Befor me, there is nothing like eating my hands dirty, planting a seed and seeing it flourish into something beautiful. I wish I just had bigger gardens so I could plant more stuff! Lol! Thanks for your kind words!
One can see it. May your work continue to shine!
Author
Thank you!
I do not have green thumb and my only outdoor space is a balcony. However, I would like to try to set something up on the balcony this year. This was a beautiful tour.
Author
Thanks Lourdes! I’m working on a “container gardening post”. You may be interested for your balcony. Keep your eyes peeled for it and hopefully you’ll get some ideas! Thanks so much for your kind words!
Awesome! Looking forward to it. I need all the help I can get! LOL!!
Author
Lol! Ok! I’ll post probably this weekend. The great thing about container gardening is that it’s so low maintenance!!!
Can’t wait! I need to start with low-maintenance:)
Author
Geraniums and begonias are your low maintenance friends! They look great with their bright happy colours and the geraniums throe in the sun, while the begonias love shade. Boom! Insta-garden. LOL!
Nice! Thank you for the tip, Dominique! I love when people have a passion for anything and you definitely sound like gardening is your passion:)
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You’re welcome! Stay tuned! ;o)
This is breathtaking!
Author
Such beautiful places in the world, right??? xo