November 2007 Newsletter Feature Article

Garden Tourism and a Peony Festival Tour
by Donna Dawson

I am the owner of Canada’s Largest Internet Gardening web site  www.icangarden.com, a journalist, a master gardener and an organizer of tours to showcase some of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

I took my first “group tour” in 1996 and I have to admit I was a bit nervous about it…would I like being with a group the whole time we were on tour? Would I have to be together the whole time and not have any ‘space’ to myself?  What are these other people going to be like?   

On the flight home from that tour, I decided that this was something I could do! Not only could I put specialty garden tours together, but I could also plan them the way I would like them to be. I started hosting my own garden tours in 1998 with a visit to England.

Chelsea Flower Show 2005

If you have never traveled in a group before, it can be quite a pleasant surprise for you indeed.  Firstly, all the planning is done and you can see first hand on the itinerary exactly what you will be doing on a certain day.  I always tell my tour groups to be flexible, because things do happen along the way…traffic can increase travel time for instance.  But when you don’t have to drive, it can also make for an enjoyable visit with your travel companions, or it can give you some extra time to snooze.  Trust me, only the strong of mind would want to drive on the opposite side of the road in the opposite side of the vehicle and try and figure out a map of England on their own.  I applaud them if they can, but I would much rather just sit back and have someone who is familiar with the area get us there.  After all, this is your holiday and what I have always tried to do is make it as comfortable as possible so you bring home wonderful memories of new friends, new gardens and a new found love of the place you are visiting. 

Group travel is great for those of you who want to travel but don’t have anyone to travel with.  You have the comfort of being in a group yet you are free to explore on your own if you choose.   My tours often offer what I call Leisure Days so you have the time to do something other than visit gardens if you want…do a bit of shopping, visit a gallery or museum or just eat a leisurely breakfast and go walking.  It is amazing what you can discover by just going with the day. 

Who will you see on a garden tour?  Well, you will see yourself…another gardener who just wants to see beauty in another country…couples, singles, males, females, mother/daughter, sister/sister, and good friends have all been on my tours over the years…
 
Group travel is a great place to start if you have not been to a certain country yet…it gives you a grounding, so that you can come back if you wish and do further exploration on your own.  If you are visiting foreign countries where English is not spoken, then group travel is the way to go…you will have English guides who can tell you what you are seeing and even what you are eating!
 
When you go on a garden tour, it is a specialty tour usually and that means that you are seeing the best of the best in that particular area at that time of year…now I say that time of year, but as gardeners we all know that we are at the whim of the weather…regardless, even if you have to carry an umbrella around with you, you will see gardens that will lift your spirits and I guarantee that you will have forgotten about the weather and only have remembered those beautiful gardens you have seen at the end of the tour.
 

Côte d'Azur and Tuscany 2006

Bear in mind too that some times you have to stay in groups on particular tours…some countries are like that and the tours are planned for everyone to see as much as possible within each day.  Don’t forget that strangers are just friends we haven’t met yet and I can tell you that on each tour I have put together there has not been a farewell dinner that did not include exchanging email addresses…a perfect way to end a group tour I would say!
 

We have four tours planned in 2008 including a spring tour to China. We begin in Beijing and say bye in Shanghai.  In between those days we have so much packed into the tour, well, I can hardly wait to see it all.  From the Terra Cotta Warriors, to the Great Wall, to the International Peony Festival in Luoyang, you are in for a treat.  The timing is perfect to see millions of peonies in bloom – in all their glorious colours of red, pink, purple, lavender and white to green, yellow, maroon and even black.

Luoyang has a history of over 1,000 years in the cultivation of peony trees.  We will also enjoy a cruise along the canals in the Venice of the East – Suzhou, visit gardens and temples and shop in Shanghai.  We have visits to a jade and silk factory as well as museums and pagodas to interest all, and if time permits may even get in a botanical garden or two. I have included many extras in the tour including accommodations in four star hotels and all meals so I hope you find it as exciting a trip as I know it will be.  I have traveled to many countries in the world with groups and the fun of being with a group of like minded people just adds to the overall experience, plus there is that wonderful sense of security in a group and of course not having to worry about anything is the icing on the cake – you can just sit back and enjoy making memories! Having been to China a couple of times now, I look so forward to going back.  It is a country full of wonder and history…perhaps you might come along with me and discover that for yourself!   For a complete day by day itinerary, as well as reservation form and China Visa, please visit our garden tours only site at www.gardeningtours.com

Photo credits: Wendy Downing (top picture), Julie D'Aoust (Pagoda), Donna Dawson (all others)

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