Hamilton Gardens

Our marvelous host and hostess in Hamilton, Arthur and Margaret, treated us to a tour of the city highlighted by a leisurely stroll through the magnificent Hamilton Gardens. A visit to their website is well worth it Hamilton Gardens.

The Asian-inspired gardens were serene with bamboo groves, statuary, and reflecting pools. Arthur and Margaret's son, Brad, and daughter-in-law, Sam, were married in one of the pavilions in the Japanese section of these gardens.

The English gardens were next and featured cottage style border perennials and annuals. Inviting benches and charming archways were around every corner.

The American Modernist gardens had desert succulents and lots of specimen greenery and featured a large screenprint of Marilyn Monroe. My impression was that the Americans are defined by California!

The Indian Char Bagh Garden (traditional enclosed four part garden) spreads out from a chalk-colored pavilion. This type of garden is also known as the Universalist Garden because of its widespread use and symbolism of the universe itself.

The Italian Renaissance Gardens were breathtaking in their vivid color, mythological imagery, and elegant water features. The four of us unanimously voted these gardens our favorite of the day and decided that the table overlooking the gardens would be a most wonderful spot for a romantic picnic dinner.

The above gardens all belong to the "Paradise Collection" and from there we moved on to the "Productive Collection" which featured sustainable, kitchen, herb and medicinal gardens. The most interesting of these was the Te Parapara, a Maori garden that tells a story, highlights the culture, and demonstrates the traditions of Maori gardening within a cultural setting.

At the end of the tour, we all agreed that it would not be hard to spend an entire day in these gardens!