Archives for category: Nature

This last month I have been on a pretty incredible road trip through The Alps, northern Italy, Corsica and Monaco. For the first post I’ll share some pics from Morzine and Les Laix in The Alps.

Les AlpsOne thing that really struck me about The Alps is the amazing healthiness of the place. Nature is bursting at you everywhere you look and you find yourself being super active and eating well from the land.  I loved the constant buzzing of the insects, the clear streams of water running down the mountains every hundred metres or so, and the deliciously warm sun. Because of all this the plants are absolutely thriving. I was in complete heaven with a smile I could not wipe off my face picking wild flowers and berries which covered the earth.

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Along with picking what seemed like a million wildflowers we also went to the annual méchoui (spit roast) party of a friend, spent a morning summer skiing in Tignes, hiked through the mountains, swam in the glacial streams, went mushroom foraging, fishing (not so successfully), and made delicious salads with goodies picked straight from the portage (organic vegetable garden). This place makes me happy.

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Cute puppies, markets and explosions of flowers and ivy.

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Beautiful wisteria in Venice and delicious home grown artichokes.

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Tomorrow I leave Paris to spend a few weeks in Italy, sticking mainly to the north. One of my best friends Tiffany recently took a trip around the country and took some beautiful photographs for The Secret Garden. I have based her first post on the colours red and pink, the two to follow will have a colour theme of their own. Thank you so much to the lovely Tiffany. Enjoy!

ItalyItalyItalyItalyItalyAll photographs by Tiffany Hague.

My sister and I just got back from a few days in London visiting friends. We stayed with very good mate Sam near Broadway Market and spent a lot of time in his jungle of a garden. Here are some pics of us arranging flowers and planting roses bought at the Columbia Road Flower Market, while eating raspberries and playing with little Iola and Jobie.

SamSamSamSamSamSam9All photographs by Olivia & Sophia Kaplan.

My first weekend in Paris we went to the Parc de Bagatelle, a beautiful picnic spot in the wider Bois de Boulogne. The Bagatelle was built in 1777 by the Comte d’Artois, who managed to complete the project in 64 days, winning a bet against Marie Antoinette who wagered that it could not be completed in under three months. It’s changed hands a few times since then and is now open for the rest of us to enjoy.

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I have to apologise for the lack of posts, it’s been an incredibly busy first couple of weeks in Paris. I will try and get to you a little more often I promise!

Since I left you we have visited a bunch of amazing private gardens, cycled all over the city, had a couple of BBQs, gone kayaking, horse riding, had lunch with a donkey, overloaded on fruit and veg at the market and I even managed a few hours actual work for a friend.

Tomorrow I will share some photographs of the Parc de Bagatelle.

ParisParisParisParisParisParisParisParisParisParisParisAll photographs by Sophia & Olivia Kaplan.

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Japan. My man and I went to Osaka and Kyoto and in amongst all the shopping and sightseeing we managed to squeeze in a few garden visits.

First cab of the rank is Utsubo Park in Osaka. This garden hosts a rose garden that was originally planted in 2006 for the first World Rose Convention in Asia. There are approximately 160 different species of roses on display. A little man-made creek runs through the area with kids splashing around while parents laze in the sun.

JapanJapanJapanJapanJapanJapanAll photographs by Sophia Kaplan.

We’ll be back to regular programming tomorrow, but until then please enjoy the final guest post by Liv for the moment (she will be back!).

House & Garden – June 1971 by Olivia Hantken

Carrying on from my last post, here is another House & Garden magazine which I adore. This issue was hard to pull apart, so I have chosen a bit of everything! From garden sitting rooms, to outdoor entertaining, and two amazing forest retreats.

House & GardenHouse & GardenHouse & GardenHouse & Garden

Located in Waccabuc NY, and designed by architect Myron Goldfinger this amazing house still exists today and is actually for sale! Check out the listing here. Sadly it looks as if the house has been redesigned and lost some of its 1970s charm.

House & GardenHouse & GardenHouse & GardenThis bird watching structure is located on a riverbank in England, and was designed by two British husband and wife architectural teams: Richard & Su Rogers, and Norman & Wendy Foster.

House & GardenHouse & GardenThank you so much to Liv for her beautiful contributions and enthusiasm for The Secret Garden.

French floral artist Claire Basler’s home and studio in Les Ormes, and hour an a half from Paris, is filled the nature. There is a constant flow of fresh floral displays which inspire her paintings, drawings and textile designs, all of which also blanket the property.

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