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The good garden blog is about sharing garden inspiration and ideas from historic gardens around the world and some right next door.  Garden stories explore garden history, design, and the garden people behind famous and not-so-famous gardens.  My garden photographs span dozens of places across 5 continents.  Please join me in celebrating good garden design.

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Chinese garden signs

David June 22, 2016

I love Chinese garden signs!  Actually, I love their wonderful sub-titles.  I realized when I traveled alone that not speaking the local language felt disorienting and isolating.  So  the occasional garden sign that featured English felt welcoming.   Best of all, Chinese translations are poetic, provocative, and fun.... 

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In Chinese Tags Suzhou, China, Garden sayings
2 Comments
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Another world

David June 9, 2016

Visiting Innisfree in Millbrook, New York, is like stepping into another world.  Actually many different worlds.  This amazing landscape uses Chinese garden techniques in a very modern American context. Innisfree has been on my garden visit list for some time.  I was intrigued by people’s description of the garden.  It is considered one of the “world’s ten best gardens”...

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In Chinese, Picturesque, Modernist Tags Innisfree, Millbrook, New York, Kate Kerin, Walter Beck, Marion Burt Beck, Lester Collins
2 Comments
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Garden bling

David June 2, 2016

The use of ornament in the garden can have a big impact. Ornaments provide focal points, reinforce the style of the garden, make us pause and think.  They offer a delightful way to introduce personality into the garden.  One of my favorite gardens uses flying pigs...

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In Chinese, French formal, Arts and crafts Tags Versailles, Filoli, Taliesin, Chicago Botanical Garden, Villa di Castello
10 Comments
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the good garden

garden history, design inspiration

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