The Italian Garden at Taxinge Castle

I don't know if you feel the same, but, I'm feeling kind of done being excited about winter and winter pictures. I decided to dig in to my archive for some unpublished pictures of a visit toTaxinge Castle in Sweden from last summer.

Taxinge Castle sits on a piece of property that has changed hands several times since the 1200s. Various kings and noblemen have taken up residence here, but since 1999, Nykvarn County is the owner.

Image of Italian Garden above from www.nykvarn.com

Thankfully, this space is open to the public. The property is beautifully located on lake Mälaren, provides lots of open space and greenery, and there are several themed gardens, where of the Italian Garden is my favorite.

(The ornate bird nest above is not a part of the Italian Garden.)

The Italien Garden is situated on top of the cellar of one of the castle's original orangeries. I don't know much about the orangery, when it was in use and when it was torn down, but I'm curious about whether those walls were part of it or not. I do like the "roomy" feel that the walls create and how you can look in to the room from different areas and see different views. Stone walls have always caught my attention and I love the texture it lends the room. The symmetric, geographic pattern that the boxwood make, appeals to me even though I'm not much of a formal garden lover.

I just felt happy sitting on one of these benches in front of the water fountain on this beautiful day. It was green and lush with beautiful roses and honeysuckle, the sound of the fountain was calming. If it wasn't for my two boys running around chasing each other, treating the Italian Garden as a maze, I could probably have taken a nap right there on the spot.

But, no time for sleeping, coffee and pastries were waiting for us.

Taxinge Castle's Café houses Northern Europe's largest cookie and pastry buffet. With more than 50 different kinds of home-baked pastries, it is not hard to find something that suits you. But... it is hard to make up your mind. Everything looks and tastes great. With your coffee and pastry selected and paid for, you can choose to sit either in the library or outside in the park. I like it outside were the kids can run around while I finnish up licking my plate.

Needless to say, I've been here several times - and I will come back.

From Slottsträdgårdsmästaren, who coincidentally was writing on the same topic, I learned that Taxinge Castle is competing for the title of Sweden's most beautiful garden this year.

Good Luck to Taxinge!

Boston Common and the Public Garden

Blogging has obviously been on the shelf while I've had family visiting. I haven't shared much. But I wanted to share some of todays pictures from Boston. It was such a beautiful day, cold, crisp and sunny.

Boston Common and Public Garden are adjacent to each other and provide 75 acres of green space in the heart of Boston.

The Common with its wide open lawns are always full of activity, great for people watching.

I LOVE people watching.

Today, the Frog Pond ice skating opened for the season.

I didn't skate, but I watched.


The Public Garden on the other hand is more formal and ornamental. Very beautiful.

It is particularly beautiful in the summer time when the flower beds are exploding with color and nice form.


Here is a curious tree that caught my attention. One of its branches is kind of "resting" on the ground.


City squirrels are always fun for the kids (and me) because they are not shy at all. They'll come right up to you, hoping you'll have some treat for them. I'm guessing they'll have no trouble surviving winter, they're pretty fat compared to the squirrels in my yard.

Oooh, and I must share, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw cherry looking blossoms on a tree. In the middle of NOVEMBER???

Thanks to the Gardens labeling I found out that it is an Autumn Cherry Tree. Cool!


Well, that's it for now. Over and out...

Naked Gardening

Did you know that there is such a thing as naked gardening?

Well I didn't until I read a post titled "The Home of the Naked Gardeners" on Helena's beautiful blog "The Swenglish Home".

Mr. and Mrs. Pollard, the owners of Abbey House Gardens, a former monastery in Malmesbury, England, prefer to tend their 5 acre garden in the nude with just boots and gloves on. It gives them a sense of freedom and closeness to the nature. The couple says on their website that they try not to take themselves too seriously, but, what they do, they take seriously. And that shows. Both on pictures and in the number of visitors. that by the way increased significantly after BBC showed their garden on the Garderners' World.

And who wouldn't like to visit this Garden of Eden? Judging by Helena's pictures that I borrowed, there is candy for the eyes wherever you look. And, they have the largest private collection of roses in the entire UK, displaying 2200 varieties.

For those of you who have a chance to visit and would like to do so in the nude, Sunday August 8th is the next Clothing Optional day. Which, by the way, pulls more than 300 visitors with about 80% opting to go butt-naked.

As I started looking in to naked gardening, I found that there is a WNGD, a World Naked Gardening Day. Unfortunately, it appears as though we just missed it, I know for sure I did. The fifth annual WNGD took place on May 8th, 2010.

Some of the reasons listed on WNGD's website why we should garden naked are:

• it's fun
• helps with a healthy body acceptance
• helps us relate to the natural environment
• it's a family friendly activity

And how about a little bit of gossip? I read in a tabloid that Eva Mendes likes to garden naked. And, Catherine Zeta-Jones admitted on the Letterman show that she liked to run around naked with her children in the garden at her Bermuda home. Who would have thought celebrities do it too???

Now, my blogger friends, get out there and try it! Then report back to me and let me know if it was fun.

But, might I give a word of advice before you start? Mind your poses and be careful with that hedge trimmer.

All pictures above are by Helena @ the Swenglish Home

A relaxing day

Yesterday, my brother-in-law invited us to spend the day at their house. It's a beautiful house by the ocean with a well tended garden. Coming here is like going on a vacation. We just plump down on their wicker chairs and out comes the cool drinks and appetizers, and the conversation is on. Sitting there, in good company, enjoying a perfectly sunny and warm spring day, was just soooo relaxing.

I brought my camera, so I just had to take a few pictures of the beautiful Greek Revival house and its garden to share with you.

Pansies were planted everywhere providing a rainbow of color where ever you looked. At the corner of the porch is a big hydrangea that had just started to uncurl a few little green leaves. In the summer time, that hydrangea is a show stopper.

Here is my favorite area by the koi pond. Just love the sound of moving water. Beautiful is the blooming forsythia that really stands out against the white fence, next to pansies, hostas, tulips and last but not least - the rhododendron tree. It has plenty of buds, but probably has a couple of weeks left before it blooms. I also like the little sun basking sea otter.

The heron has been trying to catch his dinner here, so this pond had to be covered by a net. My boys love feeding the fish. One of my boys aimed poorly and the food landed on top of one of the big lilly pads. It was actually funny watching the fish trying to retrieve it.

Close up of one of the tulips under neath the forsythia in the glowing afternoon sun.

I just love coming here. As soon as I leave, I can't wait to come back.

Newport

I just got back from an overnight trip to Newport, Rhode Island. The city with the highest concentration of colonial homes in the nation. The streets here, often narrow, are lined with beautiful old colonial homes, and walking the streets of Newport is a pleasure for the eye. The homes don't have much space for a garden, but somehow they manage to squeeze in quite a punch of greenery on whatever small space the homeowners have.

The bright white trim and fence contrasts beautifully against that dreamy blue color. The flowering tree completes the look. I like the urn finials.

Do you see what I mean, whatever space they have is packed with plants and flowers.
I thought this house on a corner was beautiful with all its detail. Note the pineapple carve-out on the little green gate. The pineapple is a symbol of welcome and hospitality.

I peeked through the fence with my camera to take a picture of this well manicured little yard. A stone wall is lined with an espalier tree, in front of that, a meticulously trimmed low boxwood surrounding a rectangular gravel yard. Closest to the camera is a row of hydrangea and a modern bench for the homeowner to enjoy the garden from.

I think these are American Sycamores bursting out of the sidewalk. I like the look of the ivy climbing the trunk from the bottom and dressing it up all the way to its branches. I just don't know if this is a happy match. I'm pretty sure the ivy is happy, but does it bother the tree at all?