Yesterday, I watered my lawn. Perhaps it didn’t need the moisture, but when the temperature gets up to 74 degrees this time of year, it’s better to be sure the grass has the water it needs. I read and blogged about eighteenth century gardens. And I made a few sketchy notes in my new RHS Gardener’s Five-Year Record book, though there’s not a lot to record this time of year. Mostly, I just mentioned the weather and that the larkspur seedlings are making themselves at home.
This seems an odd time of year to be thinking of gardening, and yet for most people this is when the fun is — looking through catalogs and planning what to buy to fill in one’s garden. Not me, though. I usually wait until the local hardware store stocks up on plants and get whatever is available. Or I wait until fall and buy chrysanthemums and whatever else likes to be planted so late in the year.
Still, I have gardens on my mind. In the back of my Gardener’s Record Book, is a section to list any gardens I wish to visit. That’s a section that will remain blank. Any gardens I wanted to see, I already have, as well as a few gardens I’d never heard of until I was actually there.
For example, when I went to stay with a friend during my 2016 Cross-country trip, she took me to see Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. The highlight of that visit was the exotic butterfly garden in their conservatory.
She also took me to see the Chandor Gardens, a series of formal gardens created by Douglas Chandor, a renowned English portrait painter. Living artistry was certainly his calling!
The Calloway Gardens in Georgia was a garden I found on my own. I was lucky to get there just when the Azaleas were in bloom, and oh, my! So lovely.
Calloway Gardens calls the Overlook Azalea Trail the most beautiful place on earth, though that claim is rivaled by the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in Portland. Another gorgeous place that a friend in Portland took me to.
Though not technically a garden, the Antelope Valley Poppy Preserve in California is up there with the best in beauty.
And though not a garden at all, the Painted Desert in Arizona certainly acts as if it is.
Despite all that loveliness, I have to say that there is nothing like one’s own garden. Even though mine doesn’t have the panoramic beauty of those gardens I visited, mine finds its beauty in the work I’ve done, the thought I’ve put into it, and the fact that it is here and not in some far-flung state.
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Pat Bertram is the author of Grief: The Inside Story – A Guide to Surviving the Loss of a Loved One.
Bertram's Blog 
January 5, 2026 at 12:56 pm
I live in an eastern suburb of Vancouver, BC, and there are many lovely gardens to visit in the area. The VanDusen Botanical Gardens are lovely year round, with thousands of twinkling lights adding colour during the Christmas season. Both it and the UBC (University of British Columbia) Botanical Garden are world renown. Queen Elizabeth Park and the Bloedel Conservatory are in a reclaimed former rock quarry with a gorgeous view over the city. The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is a site of cultural heritage, learning, and reflection in Vancouver’s historic Chinatown, modeled after Ming Dynasty private scholar’s gardens. “It is the first of its kind built outside of China” and “has been named one of the world’s Top City Gardens by National Geographic.”
I have a bit of envy over all the lovely gardens you’ve been able to visit. I can’t manage all the walking anymore. And even when I could, I visited only a couple local ones: the VanDusen and one that no longer is public…Minter Gardens at the foot of Mount Cheam. The latter isn’t technically in Vancouver but a few miles out into the Fraser Valley, but I went there two or three times because every season was different and beautiful. Their rose garden was spectacular.
But I agree with you that one’s own gardens are best … unique in their reflection of our gardening style, colour choices, and effort. Since I am limited in the amount of the latter than I can expend, I tend to choose plants that don’t need a lot of care! Mostly shrubs and perennials with a seasonal splash of a few annuals. But I’m a great armchair gardener, enjoying the multitude of photos in gardening magazines, and daydreaming over seed catalogues. Winter planning is the best!
January 5, 2026 at 1:52 pm
I looked up all of those gardens. Oh, so beautiful! All worthy of a visit, but unfortunately, all out of my geographical range. Of course, my range is no longer the whole of continental USA, but just a few miles from my house. I’ve lost my wanderlust, which is another reason for keeping a garden — it makes it seem as if I am on an adventure. Still, I did very much enjoy a glimpse of gardens near you.