I am a keen gardener and passionate plantsman ; I have been since I was a minor . My passion for plants is as constant and unwavering as any love I have ever known . The use I get from visit gardens is on a par with my enthusiasm for travel , so wreak those two activeness together makes perfect sense .
Having finish twenty - five years armed service at John Lewis ( which is where I work ) , ‘ partner ’ , as we are know , are rewarded with six months bear leave . I will qualify for my ‘ longsighted give ’ in three years ’ time . Of course , a lot could bump between now and then , but I pop to daydream about what I might do with that precious time at least two years ago . A generous sabbatical is not the kind of chance one wastes ; Friend and colleagues have spent the meter in many unlike ways , including journey , prompt house , learning a Modern skill , doing charity employment and spoil in a spare-time activity . It ’s the first and last activities on that list that appeal to me most .
I have had many ideas about what I might do , but one resurfaces time - after - clip : a stave the world trip chat some of the fine garden on the planet . prominent , small , perfect or unkempt , I want to see them all . Once you ’ve had an musical theme like that , it ’s operose to make it go away . Such an risky venture would be a very particular and memorable one ; an exciting trip to do whilst still in the prime of my life ( I hope ! ) .
Recording the journey through this web log would sure enough be part of the plan , both during the trip-up and for many months and years afterwards . But what I depend forward to most is the prospect of farseeing , unhurried garden visits and see the particular masses who created them . I might even follow in Monty Don ’s footsteps and drop a line a book about my escapade .
Whether I travel to 8 , 80 or 180 garden the trip will require punctilious preparation and a not insignificant budget , particularly if I am to reach some of the more isolated gardens on my listing . And if I ’m endure to do this , it require to be done safely and in fair comforter . I ’ll also call for to recall about how I keep my own garden develop whilst I ’m by . This trip , and a few other idea I am working on for the future , go under the name‘Project Dahlia ’ .
Having launched Project Dahlia ina mail in the beginning this monthI already have some recommendations from reader and follower and I thank them for their generosity . I am confident I wo n’t be capable of whittle the list down to as few as 80 gardens , as Monty Don did for his BBC serial which began to transmit over 10 age ago . Monty did not attempt his entire circumnavigation in one go , breaking it down into several small journeys . This is also a thoughtfulness for me . I would escape my own garden , friends , syndicate and creature comforts too much to be away for six or eight months in one stretch . Very mayhap I will visit some of the garden in the UK and Europe on separate trips either side of the my six calendar month jailbreak . Let ’s see . Planning it will be half the fun !
Serre de la Madone, Menton
Here ’s my list of garden so far . It ’s a work in progress so may be full of dazzling omissions . Please help me to correct them by leaving your recommendations in a comment below . give thanks you . TFG .
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The Garden of Ninfa, Cisterna di Latina
