Dahlia Show, San Francisco

California's Dahlia Society 2014 Flower Show at the Hall of Flowers in San Francisco. With more than 8 distinct forms and many more in a full spectrum of form only nature could make. Below are those that look outstanding to me.

English Garden Tour with Mike & Frank - 2014

Here's the start of our 2014 tour of English gardens.  Click on the garden title to see more photos.

Garden Museum Gardens - London, July 4th

Brighton - England

The last weekend of our trip culminated with Brighton's gay pride celebration.  A fun diverse tourist industry catered to vast hordes arriving from London and beyond.   Gay pride is the cities largest event bringing more people to the already large groups of English couples, Muslim couples and families, straight, gay, old and new.   It's a city that knows how to entertain. 

Brighton is historically the tourist get away spot for England.  An hour train ride from London means it can entertain large numbers of day tourist.   Extra trains back to London left late into the night via their special red queuing scheme.   Our train home was a party train. 

Sissinghurst Castle Gardens

Great Dixter

We decided to end our tour with the garden we saw first in 2012, Great Dixter.  This time the season is solidly summer with the dahlias in crescendo.  

Barnsdale Gardens

 

Castle Howard Gardens

 

Scampston Hall and Gardens

Studley Royal - England

Studley Royal, this idyllic English garden was created in the first half of the 18th century in the scenic Yorkshire Skell river valley. The main approach to the house is a long allee of trees focused on the Ripon Cathedral almost 3 miles on the horizon. The formal part of the garden is isolated from the Palladian house that burned down in 1946 but a similar Palladian style stables remains on 800 acres parkland. The raised valley floor anchored a series of straight and curved canals controlled by numerous weirs. The center of the valley and garden is a series of Moon ponds, one full circle, one half circle and two crescent that may represent the waxing and waning of the Moon. The ponds are laid out in an asymmetrical form that echos the natural serpentine valley floor and is reminiscent of natural oxbow lakes. Clipped yew hedges separate the formal water & Parterre à l'Angloise from the planted native tree hillside. Steep and angular turf banks frame the valley floor. Here the light and wind play off the water surface and the tree canopy. Everywhere the sound of water.

Newby Hall and Gardens

Levens Hall Gardens

 

RHS Harlow Carr Gardens

 

Tatton Park Flower Show

 

Biddulph Grange Gardens

 

Trentham Estate Gardens

The Trentham Estate in Staffordshire is a formal garden set along the River Stoke.   Recently renovated from the designs of Piet Oudolf and Tom Stuart-Smith, this is a contemporary formal garden. 

The Victorian Garden in the front with the Italian Garden and lake beyond.