Happy Halloween from 'Monster Park'

In the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to share my visit to one of the most magical gardens I have ever seen, the Sacro Bosco or Sacred Wood.  Adding to the spell of the Sacro Bosco was how hard it was to find. 

While on my way to Viterbo, Italy, I couldn’t get my GPS to recognize either the name or the address for this garden.  This had happened to me several times in Italy, so I was mildly amused, confident that my hotel would help me with directions.  After all, I had chosen my hotel because it was close to the garden.  

My amusement turned to concern when the hotel staff had never heard of Sacro Bosco.  One by one, each tried to figure out where I was trying to go, finally agreeing with my GPS that no such garden existed in the area.  They were quite sure of themselves.  At one point, with the entire staff gathered at the front desk, they reached a consensus that I had the wrong town.  

In a last ditch effort, I recalled that I had packed a wrinkled black and white photo of the garden.   It was buried in my suitcase, but when I showed it to the staff one exclaimed, “Oh! That’s the ‘Monster Park’, why didn’t you say that from the start!” 

Emboldened by a huge sense of relief, and with my camera in tow, I drove the short distance to the garden.   The sign in the photograph of the sphinx proclaims, “He who does not visit this place with raised eyebrows and tight lips will fail to admire the wonders of the world.”  Beyond the sphinx, heavily wooded paths lead to the head of Orcus, god of the underworld, who is surrounded by sea monsters and figures from another world.

Stay tuned for more about this garden in the next post.

 

Grand entrance

Rio de Janeiro is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with a great music and restaurant scene set amongst stunning beaches, dramatic rock formations, and lagoons.  Whenever I am asked for advice on what to do in Rio, I direct people to the Jardim Botanico, one of the oldest and most elegant botanical gardens in the world. 

View of Rio de Janeiro from Corcovado.  The Jardim Botanico lies at the base of this mountain.

During one visit to Rio my colleagues and I had a couple of free hours at the end of our conference.  I rushed everyone into a cab and headed to the base of the Corcovado mountain-- where the gardens are.  On the late afternoon of our visit, the traffic was heavy and the Jardim Botanico was closing when we arrived.  Explaining our long journey, and sincere pleading, got us in.  We were the only people in the whole place!

The garden was established in 1808 and opened to the public in 1822 at a time when Brazil was still part of Portugal under the rule of King John VI.  The garden was created so that people could study the practical properties of tropical plants—to extend research going on in Lisbon. 

Initial work focused on spices like cinnamon, pepper, and nutmeg, so that these crops could be grown for profit.  In the early years, Chinese experts were brought in to teach the Portuguese how to cultivate, harvest and process black tea. 

Historically the study of plants was closely tied to medicine so it’s no surprise that the first to lead the institution was Friar Leandro, a professor of the Academy of Medicine and Surgery. His passion for teaching botany in a practical manner made him famous.  According to the garden’s official website, “The chroniclers of the time told in detail the scene of the friar teaching lessons … where, along with the students, many curious passers, [would] watch his practical lessons in botany. …Friar Leandro … aimed at passing his knowledge on natural history to all those who showed interest.”

Post card circa 1856.  Likely author P. G. Bertichem. Source: Rio.com

While a majority of the garden is natural, cultivated areas include an orchid house, a lily pond, and a Japanese garden.  Most striking is the formal allee that starts at the main entrance.  While this type of feature in European formal gardens commonly uses  hornbeam or Cyprus, this garden instead uses 100-foot tall imperial palms.  This feature is a show stopper: the repetition and form of the 100-foot tall trees amplify the perspective both outward and upward; the rigid formality contrasts powerfully in the context of a wild garden.  The two axes that form the heart of this section lead to a monumental cast iron fountain called “The Muses,” cast in Derby, UK and installed in 1895.  In the classic technique of ‘borrowing a view,’ the main avenue frames a glimpse of the Christ statue for which Rio is so well known.  This entrance garden serves as an invitation:  it slows us down; it  helps us to make the transition from the busy city; and its key elements orient us, directing us deeper into the landscape.

In 1992, UNESCO named the Rio Botanical Garden a biosphere reserve.

The garden is officially open every day until 5pm except for Christmas and New Year’s day.

 

Map of the garden shows the formal axes in the center.

John VI ruled Portugal when the Jardim Botanico in Rio was created.   It was established as part of a program to discover and commercialize tropical plants. Photo Source: Britannica

A very personal thing

“I love being in my garden.  There is movement and pause.  Then another plant beckons and moves my eye further along, until it comes to rest on a shrub or tree.  These ribbons of plants flow along the paths, taking their turn in the process.”

In my quest for inspiration from the garden next door, I am pleased to share Bonnie Buchanan’s Appleton, Wisconsin garden.  Her garden is like a story.  It has a clear beginning and a series of sections connected by a delightfully meandering garden path.  Some elements build momentum and move us through; other features make us stop and reflect.  Most of all: Bonnie’s is a gardener’s garden.   Her love and knowledge of plants combines with her painterly ability.

Her affection for plants started in childhood.  There were stories of her great grandmother Louise, whose vegetable garden provided for her immigrant family.  But it was Louise’s cutting garden of tall flowers that captured Bonnie’s imagination.  And Bonnie’s mom, Iris, tended her own garden “full of daisies and phlox, and a long pathway of roses.”

When Bonnie got serious about gardening she turned to other gardeners and books. “I learned by walking around my neighborhood.  I took extensive notes on what thrived, what looked good with what.  I remember seeing a home in Green Bay with masses of coneflowers, and a Door County garden with beds of yarrows in several colors.  I had not seen plants massed like that and was so impressed.  At another garden, they had put in flagstones with a curve that didn’t go anywhere.  It was so visually inviting and made you look deeper. I also learned what colors I liked, a range of quiet, soothing colors.”

The front garden can be seen from down the street; it draws you in with a warm welcome.  A barberry hedge marks the beginning of the planted garden.

Bonnie’s front garden can be seen from down the street; it draws you in and creates a warm welcome.  A patch of mowed grass connects the garden to the rest of the neighborhood; then a bold barberry hedge marks the beginning of the planted garden.  Just behind it, a stone lined path offers an invitation to enter.  It is this path that forms the backbone of the garden.  Geranium, lamb’s ear, and lamium are arranged in intertwined ribbons; one picks up where the other leaves off.  Boxwood, Muji pine, and weeping spruce provide structure and offer places to rest the eye.  Honey locust and hemlock create a sense of shelter.   At each resting point, something catches your attention, draws you further into the garden.  And the garden has been designed to look as good from inside as outside.

Perennials define this garden.  Bonnie explains, “You invest in them and they become a part of your life.  To see them up close, surviving these winters, welcoming you in the spring. They evolve: the leaves emerge first, then the stalks, then the closed buds opening into flowers.   They bring so much pleasure.  They take their time to renew, to return their strength into the roots, the earth, and then they go quiet.  From a design standpoint, one must think about pacing the blooms, about where you plant your material.  You have to consider color, movement, and shading.  I have become so interested in that.”

Many of her plants have a deep personal meaning.  “I have lily of valley from my great grandmother Louise.  White variegated hosta from a dear friend has moved with me three times.  My 35 year-old white peonies were originally planted by my son Gus.  And the daisies are those my mom planted for me on my 50th birthday.  Checking on these plants is a ritual that is important to me”.

Bonnie's plant palette ranges from soothing white, silver, and blue, to pops of purple and red.  

Enlightened by her own mistakes, Bonnie urges new gardeners to be sensitive to the physical characteristics of their land: wind, water, and especially light.  “Plants like sunshine.  Even the shade lovers like a bit of sunshine. They’ll do a little better. “  Also, “I think people should embrace pruning. I learned this from more experienced gardeners, and it works. Some people are reluctant to cut off a blossom but many plants need this for their long-term health. I hate to see plants being replaced that could have been saved by thoughtful pruning.” And she is thoughtful about finding plants that will not just survive, but that will reach their full potential, “I never plant anything that doesn’t thrive in zone 4.  I learned the hard way.”

“Most of all garden making should be personal.  People should find in their gardens something that they want to express.  Make the kind of garden that brings them comfort and joy.  I am always pleased to be in my garden.  I believe that people should feel the same about their own garden.” 

Here’s to finding what works for each of us and getting inspiration from each other.  Happy gardening!

 

See this post as it appeared in the Post-Crescent.