Gardens Abroad
By Liz Olson, Editorial Assistant
I just got back from vacation in England and Scotland. I lucked out and had beautiful weather during my stay. I was able to visit several gardens outside of London and around Glasgow. Two of my favorites were Hampton Court Palace Gardens and Glasgow Botanic Gardens. It was my fourth time visiting Hampton Court. I went back because it is one of my favorite spots in the area. Every inch of the park had something beautiful in bloom. The Glasgow Botanic Gardens were lovely as well. I had never been, and I had a wonderful time strolling from one garden or greenhouse to the next. They have a great vegetable garden outside and an impressive tropical plant display inside. Here are two images from the Glasgow Botanic Garden. One is a view of a vegetable patch, and the other is of giant Gunnera, which I had never seen and I am fascinated by. It looks like it belongs in prehistoric times like one of its common names, Dinasour Food, implies.  
Gunnera manicata is native to Brazil and Columbia. It grows best in a very moist climate and long growing season. Although Glasgow is not a tropical location it has both those requirements.
Here are a few links to find out more about giant Gunnera.
Desert Tropicals
Cool Exotics
Wikipedia
Tuesday, September 04, 2007 8:15:37 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00) 
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