Thank you .. ‘Dirt du Jour’

for the glowing review! "Go ask Alice ... where all the best vineyard gardens are. She's an erudite charmer; you'll have fun!"
Hotels & Inns

Serra Retreat Labyrinth Overlooking the Pacific Ocean

Serra Retreat Labyrinth Santa Monica Mountains Photo © Alice Joyce

Perched atop a knoll in the Santa Monica Mountains, Serra Retreat Center is a Catholic retreat operated by the Franciscan Friars. The 23-acre property features lovely landscaped flower gardens, countless terraces for contemplation in blissfully peaceful settings, and a Santa Rosa labyrinth created by Lea Goode-Harris. The center’s hilltop site offers 360 degree views, taking in sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean & mountains.

Continue reading Labyrinth Overlooking the Pacific: Serra Retreat

3 comments - (Comments are closed)   Hotels & Inns, Los Angeles, Nature, Southern California   , ,  
Green Roofs/Vertical Gardens

Verdantly Vertical - Patrick Blanc Garden .. London's Athenaeum Hotel

Athenaeum Hotel Wall Detail Blanc Design Photo © Alice Joyce

Admittedly, I’m in thrall with Vertical Gardens, like the Living Wall or Mur Vegetal created by botanist/artist/passionate plantsman, Patrick Blanc, for The Athenaeum Hotel Piccadilly, London. The garden Blanc created in 2009 for The Athenaeum had slipped past my radar, until it appeared like a vision before my eyes while riding atop one of London’s double-decker buses, my preferred mode of transport when time permits. The garden’s commanding verdant expanse wraps around a corner of the hotel building on Piccadilly Road.

Continue reading Verdantly Vertical – Blanc Garden at The Athenaeum Hotel

5 comments - (Comments are closed)   Green Roofs/Vertical Gardens, Hotels & Inns   , ,  
France

Alchemy in Provence .. Jardin de l'Alchimiste

Garden of the Alchemist Red Opening to White Photo © Alice Joyce

The Alchemist’s Garden – Le Jardin de l’Alchimiste, adjoins the lovely Renaissance manor housing a charming country hotel in Provence: Mas de la Brune, a Bed & Breakfast lodging. Nestled in the bewitchingly blue Alpilles mountains of France, the garden opened to the public in 1999. The owners worked with renowned designers Arnaud Maurieres and Eric Ossart to create a uniquely conceived, contemporary gardenscape here in the charming Provençal village of Eygalieres.

Continue reading Sensuality and Alchemy in Provence .. Jardin de l’Alchimiste

4 comments - (Comments are closed)   France, Garden Travel, Hotels & Inns, Landscape Architecture   , , ,  
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