A Whiff of Wanderlust: How Unexpected Sensations and Emotions Connect Us to Gardens
Gardens evoke a multitude of sensations and emotions. Entering a garden can remind you of a familiar place, a childhood memory, or an enticing fragrance. A garden can be thrilling, educational, and inspiring. One of my earliest memories may seem strange to others; and it does not have to do with gardens. Diesel fuel. I love the smell of diesel fuel. One whiff of gasoline vapors in the air sends tingles through me. There is a good reason. As a young 3-year-old, along with my one, two, and eventually five siblings, we traveled transatlantic often with my Scottish mom. We would have to walk hand in hand to the BOAC plane on the tarmac, climbing the stairs to take our seats. In the air, the smell of diesel fuel as the plane was refueling was exciting! This memory still conjures images of big cities, flying in planes, riding double-decker buses, traveling to faraway destinations, and walking through charming landscapes and gardens.
Buffalo’s Garden Walk: An Unforgettable Horticultural Journey
One of the most impactful gardens I have visited in the past and will be going to this July is the Garden Walk Buffalo in Buffalo, NY. The event is the largest garden walk in the United States and is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. On our Buffalo Garden tour this summer, you will visit all sizes and themed landscapes from small, zero-lot line tropical, lush gardens to large Frank Lloyd Wright estates. We will travel throughout Buffalo, going to important sites that feature Buffalo’s history with the Underground Railroad, and cross into Canada to view the Royal Botanical Garden, Niagara Falls, and more from the Canadian side.
Finding Design Inspiration: How Garden Visits Fuel Unique Landscapes
As a landscape designer, I use my garden explorations as inspiration for client projects. I see new color and texture plant combinations or a simple gardener’s style, that up to that moment, had not occurred to me. This helps open my mind to possibilities. The more I visit other gardens, the more open I am to my own creativity, to try something new. As a result of my passion for visiting gardens, botanical and private, I have never designed a garden the same. No cookie-cutter gardens for me. Visiting gardens nationally and internationally allows me to create landscape gardens that allow my clients to express their own personalities.
Crossing the Pond for Inspiration: The Chelsea Flower Show and Beyond
Traveling internationally is always thrilling! One of the most famous garden “bucket (pronounced bõˈkã) list” locations is the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show in London, England. The 163-year-old floral exhibition is absolutely a must for any garden lover. We not only go to Chelsea but also visit private homes like Iford Manor with its magnificent gardens, picturesque bridge, river and botanical estates like Hampton Court, Stourhead, and Highgrove House. These trips of a lifetime allow me to enhance my memories that will ultimately be used in my landscape designs.
Where Will Your Garden Journey Take You? The Unexpected Power of Garden Tours
The Turkish contemporary author and philosopher, Mehmet Murat ildan wrote “Going out to the garden is to go on a holiday; when you travel amongst the flowers; your body touches heaven and your mind tastes the secrets of Ataraxia. Ataraxia means tranquility, peace of mind. (“Quotes and Quotations of Mehmet Murat Ildan -86.” 2020).
What can a garden tour do for you? Where can a garden tour take you? The Downton Abbey of America, Newport, Rhode Island? The gilded mansions of the Hudson Valley? The Highlands of Scotland? What would you do with your own garden experience? Whether my travels take me to glorious floral shows, private hidden gardens or brilliant, open wildflower meadows, I am always excited to return home and create new landscapes and dig in my own garden, and that leads me to ataraxia.
Written by: Teresa Watkins
Art in Bloom Garden Tours LLC
“This post is an educational/inspirational service of the National Garden Bureau and our members. Please credit and link to National Garden Bureau and author member when using all or parts of this article.”
