I’ve just had two days of crack cocaine for gardeners – lengthy visits to Kew Gardens in London and the Blenheim Palace gardens near Oxford. I’ve changed my career plans. I no longer want to be a prairie horticulturalist – and even Australia is looking dicey. I think I should like to be an English gardener....
Blenheim Palace was extremely interesting for two reasons: One, the landscaping and ga
rdens were the work of “Capability” Brown, the father of the modern English landscape garden, so it was such a classic view of the English countryside as landscaped, and two, Dave’s grandparents both served at Blenheim Palace during World War I; he as a butler and she as a maid. So this was a very educational, insightful and enjoyable day on Wednesday. Blenheim is located about 20 minutes from Oxford in beautiful country-side, which, I understand, is normally very green. But with the heat and drought here (!), the country-side is looking a little withered and burnt – still lovely to see. The Palace itself is everything one would expect – excessive, decadent and achingly beautiful. Home to the Churchill family, it was built following the
Napoleonic Wars as a gift to the Duke of Marlborough as a little thank you from the Empire for his military victories. Winston Churchill, a cousin to the Duke of the day was born here and a good deal of the publicly accessible parts of the palace is dedicated to him and his story – which is pretty remarkable. The landscapes are sweeping vistas with strategically located bridges, ponds, statuary and follies. Secret gardens, rose bowers. Gorgeous.
rdens were the work of “Capability” Brown, the father of the modern English landscape garden, so it was such a classic view of the English countryside as landscaped, and two, Dave’s grandparents both served at Blenheim Palace during World War I; he as a butler and she as a maid. So this was a very educational, insightful and enjoyable day on Wednesday. Blenheim is located about 20 minutes from Oxford in beautiful country-side, which, I understand, is normally very green. But with the heat and drought here (!), the country-side is looking a little withered and burnt – still lovely to see. The Palace itself is everything one would expect – excessive, decadent and achingly beautiful. Home to the Churchill family, it was built following the
Napoleonic Wars as a gift to the Duke of Marlborough as a little thank you from the Empire for his military victories. Winston Churchill, a cousin to the Duke of the day was born here and a good deal of the publicly accessible parts of the palace is dedicated to him and his story – which is pretty remarkable. The landscapes are sweeping vistas with strategically located bridges, ponds, statuary and follies. Secret gardens, rose bowers. Gorgeous.
Kew Gardens are home to the Royal Botanical Society and have been under development since 1759. It has the largest collection of plant specimens in the world and some of the most beautiful landscapes you can imagine. It’s over 350 acres and it contains all the classic constructs of English landscape gardening. As luck would have it, I had just finished a class in landscape gardening this spring and everything I learned was on display – so glad I’d taken the class because I knew and understood the concept, history and theory behind so much of what I was seeing, and the people who were behind the developments. I had a fabulous five hours in the gardens. 
Dave was so sad to have missed this occasion; I know he dearly would have loved to have tread every mile in the humidity with me ... too bad for him! Oh well, he got to see the 165 pictures I took. Some of which are posted. And not the least of the excitement was that I drove myself from Oxford into London. On the wrong side of the road. And home in rush hour traffic. Remember I used to have brown hair? Not so much anymore. It was worth it!
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