Garden Tours 2001
I'm pleased to once again serve as Vermont and horticultural host for several garden tours this upcoming season by Jeff Sainsbury of Sainsbury Group Tours Ltd. I wanted to give you advance notice of the not one, not two, but three tours being offered for 2001 due to popular request from various persons and groups. Thinking of our upcoming long winter, or of the upcoming holidays? Treat yourself to...
The Bulbs and Gardens of Holland and Belgium, April 20-30
The most seen, and famous, photos of bulb gardens are usually taken at Keukenhof-- the 60 acres of bulb displays in Holland open each spring, and a high point of this tour. We'll start in Amsterdam, where we'll take a canal tour of the city, visit famous museums such as the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum, experience the floating flower market and the largest flower auction in the world at Aalsmeer, and more. We'll then begin our travels south, seeing more bulb production fields, several famous gardens, the home of Delft pottery and Gouda cheese, the famous gardens at the Palais Het Loo, and others. We'll end with a few days in Belgium and Brussels, with time for sights, shopping for chocolates, touring one of the famous Belgian breweries, and of course a couple more gardens there.
Gardens of the Emerald Isle, June 15-25
Ireland contains some incredible scenery as most know, some of the world's famous gardens, and some well-kept secret gardens seldom seen on tours-- all of which we'll experience on this tour. With lodging mainly in the southwest near Killarney, and around Dublin, we'll foray out to see gardens such as Ilnacullin--the Harold Peto-designed garden on Garinish Island; Muckross House and Gardens set amid the scenery of Killarney National Park; Powerscourt--the grand garden with Italian and Japanese themes; Butterstream-- described by House and Garden magazine as the most imaginative garden in Ireland, composed of integrated compartments of different plant designs; Mount Stewart--with rare and unusual plants, considered by many the best garden in Ireland; and others including famous plantswoman Hellen Dillon's garden. As with other tours we'll experience the life and culture of the country as well, such as pubs with traditional Irish music, a distillery, picturesque villages, lively Dublin, and the monastic ruins of Glendolough.
Trains and Gardens of Northern England, July 20-31
This tour will focus on northern England, including the spectacular and well-known scenery of the Yorkshire Moors and the Lakes District, York, the Isle of Man, the famous and beautiful medieval walled city of Chester, and nearby Wales. Although gardens of this area will be visited, such as Harlow Car botanic gardens near Harrogate, Castle Howard in Yorkshire, and in Cumbria such as Levens Hall and Holehird Gardens, another focus will be on the steam trains of the region for rail enthusiasts to ride and photograph. We'll ride 6 to 8 or more in this region, including on the Isle of Man and Wales, and including a dinner train excursion. Of course as usual there will be time to experience the culture and history of the region--filming sites in Herriot country, the home of the Bronte sisters in Haworth, and the history of York (with its national Railway Museum) and Chester to name a few (with great shopping as well in the latter cities particularly!)
More details...
If you received this mailing directly, you are on the list to receive the details of these trips as they are finalized. If you do not wish to receive these or future tour mailings, just let me know. Or, if you saw this announcement elsewhere, let me know if you'd like to be added to our mail list for tours only. These final mailings will have complete details, including prices (previous similar tours have run between $2500 and $3000, although South Africa will likely be more due to the distances involved).
Due to popular request, we are once again offering what some previous tour goers have referred to as "Perry dollars". Pay $100 now (payable to Leonard Perry) toward a tour, per person, and this will: 1) guarantee your place on this tour (as on previous ones, these will be limited to only about 12 places) and 2) be worth $125 off your tour price. If at any time prior to booking you find you can't go, your $100 will be refunded.
To hold a seat now with the above deposit, or add or remove your name on the mailing lists, contact: Dr. Leonard Perry, Dept Plant and Soil Science, Hills Bldg, UVM, Burlington VT 05405 (802-656-0479, FAX 802-656-4656, email leonard.perry@uvm.edu). I hope you can join Jeff Sainsbury and myself on one or more of these culturally and horticulturally enriching and educational tours!
Return to Perry's Perennial Pages
http://www.uvm.edu/~pass/perry/