Wordless Wednesday - Up in the Highlands

Glen Villa - Pat and Norman Webster's remarkable Quebec garden opens its doors for the first time on 4 August

For the first time this week, garden enthusiasts will get the chance to see the remarkable garden created by Pat and Norman Webster at their stunning Canadian home overlooking the water, when the gardens open at 10.00 on 4 August. I was lucky enough to have a sneak preview when visiting Quebec in June with my son and highly recommend going for the open day if you're anywhere within a couple of hours drive. We drove out from Montreal in no time at all and really enjoyed our day.

Pat originates from West Virginia, but has spent the last 20 years creating the extraordinary garden around Glen Villa, near North Hatley in Quebec. She is already well-established as a popular garden personality who speaks all over Canada and the United States. But her garden at home is a personal tribute to her boundless energy and sparkling personality. She is a talented artist and has created many of the sculptures herself with the help of local artists and also invited other well-known sculptors to exhibit at the undulating 750-acre garden situated in the Quebec Eastern Townships.

This is a garden that has large tracts of forest and open meadow, huge areas of lawn and magnificent views, with a striking contemporary house at its heart (not open to the public on August 4, but a great backdrop to some of the pictures visitors will take) and the numerous sculptures sit happily their setting, despite their size and in some cases, starkness. Pat has repeatedly emphasised some of the architectural aspects of her home, and the large RSJ structures are particularly effective at mirroring interior elements of the house.

Pat and her husband Norman, have travelled the world throughout their lives, but have always returned home to Glen Villa, and it is very relaxed, family home, surrounded by a living landscape that invites you to explore every corner. Pat says of her home: "My aim is to make history visible in the garden, and at the same time to create an environment full of beauty. This is made easier because history is everywhere at Glen Villa, from the ruins of a grand resort hotel that burned down in 1909, to the foundation walls of old summer cottages ...".

There is certainly plenty of history at Glen Villa, once the site of a luxury hotel, which burned to the ground in the early 20th century; so Pat has made a memorial corner (above) where a huge table is laid for eternity (below), plus stairs leading nowhere, empty window casements and a grand entrance arch. Elsewhere the broken structure of a collapsed bridge (top) has been reconstructed; and a dead tree is commemorated with shining aluminium bands. 

Glen Villa is a unusual garden that truly reflects the personality of its owners; it is both inspiring and uplifting - and a rare find these days. Admission on 4 August  is $20 and all proceeds go to support public trails and land conservation projects of the Massawippi Foundation, a community foundation that in just four years has protected 780 acres of ecologically important woodlands in the area. Defintely worth a visit!

Pat Webster is featured here (centre left) with her sister and my son, Hamish (right) on the day we visited, so look out for her if you make it to Glen Villa on the open day. The gardens are open from 10.00 to 16.00. But make sure that you allow plenty of time to enjoy them.

They are pictured next to Webster's column, created by Pat to celebrate her husband Norman's 50-year career in journalism, latterly as editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail (Canada's largest national daily newspaper) and The Montreal Gazette. The column is filled with old copies of the papers he edited, mounted on a plaque.

Glen Villa is located at: 1020 Chemin de North Hatley, Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, QC J0B1WO.

Followers may also want to be interested in my son Hamish Macpherson's travels in the next month, as he leaves for the Burning Man Festival in Nevada to help construct an amazing project: Tangential Dreams. They reached their crowd-funding goal and leave in three weeks time to start construction. 

Steel beams reflecting the interior of the Webster's home, add to the interest of the garden at Glen Villa

Les Jardins de Metis, Canada - putting the glory back into public gardens - with the 2016 International Garden Festival

Cyclops, by US architect, Craig Chapple - a new installation for 2016 at Les Jardins de Metis, Quebec

Today is just a taster of what's to come because I'm lucky enough to be at Les Jardins de Metis in Quebec (also known as the Reford Gardens), exploring the gardens and the annual International Garden Festival that has really put the glory back into public gardens here in Canada. The Festival opened on 24 June and runs until 2 October this year.

Inside 'Le Caveau' - by Swiss landscape architect, Christian Poules - at Les Jardins des Metis, Quebec

A fantastic location on the banks of the St Lawrence River, combined with the boundless energy of Alexander Reford, have turned these long-established gardens into an exciting destination for both gardeners and art lovers, who will definitely appreciate what they find here.

'Tilt' by Sean Radford and Chris Weibe - another new exhibit at the International Garden Festival

The gardens have been revitalised over the last two decades by Alexander Reford, great grandson of Elsie, who spent her life creating the traditional gardens here. Both the plantsman's paradise on offer and the celebrated Jardins des Metis/Reford Gardens International Garden Festival, which invites proposals from architects and those involved with landscapes throughout the world. The combination of the two has definitely rocketed Les Jardins de Metis straight into my top gardens of the globe for interest and initiative.

Thoughtful Thursday - A taste of Italy

The gardens at Ninfa, near Rome

Villa d'Este, Tivoli

Castel Gandolfo, near Rome - the formal gardens at the Papal Palace

La Mortella, Ischia

Giardino Ravino, Ischia

A peak inside some of the gardens I've been visiting in Italy this past week, from the grandeur of Villa d'Este and the gardens at the Papal Palace of Castle Gandolfo outside Rome, to the fabled gardens at Ninfa and the extraordinary gardens in Ischia, including La Mortella and Giardino Ravino. I'll be taking readers on a tour of all these gardens in the next few weeks.

Peterhof - A "Great" Russian Garden created by Tzars

Peterhof is famous for its fountains and fine views over the Baltic Sea

Peterhof (Petrodvorets) - former summer palace of Peter the Great - is one of the most popular day-trip destinations for St Petersburg visitors. Although what you see today is mostly a reconstruction, since both palace and grounds were major casualties of WWII, firstly at the hands of the German army stationed here, who did considerable damage to the palace, but additionally and ironically by Stalin, who was determined Hitler wouldn't celebrate New Year's Eve there in 1941 and repeatedly bombed the site to prevent this happening.

The Cascade Fountain at Peterhof, with 200 gilded statues and ornamental features, overlooks the Baltic Sea

Today the reconstructed Peterhof is one of the most impressive gardens in Russia with its memorable collection of fountains and fine views over the Baltic Sea. The estate is actually a series of palaces and gardens, often described as the 'Russian Versailles'. The gardens are Baroque in style and were designed by a pupil of Le Notre - Jean-Baptiste Le Blond - for Peter the Great, who not only admired Versailles, but who, as creator of the Russian Navy, also loved to be near the sea. 

The landscape at Peterhof is mainly greenery, to overcome the harsh Russian winters

The Cascade Fountain (top) leads from the palace to the lower gardens, flanked at both sides by waterfall steps, features more than 200 gilded statues and ornaments. The Grand Cascade is modelled on one designed for Louis XIV at his Palace de Marly, which is also memorialised at Peterhof as a smaller palace at the far end of the Lower Gardens. Don't miss it if you visit, because this is where you will find the best restaurant and fewer crowds.

The Sun Fountain at Peterhof constantly rotates to catch the sun's rays

Perhaps the greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. And it's the elevation difference that creates the pressure to drive the fountains in the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade. These fountains range from the remarkable Sun Fountain (above) that rotates and catches the suns rays to give a dazzling rainbow, to a number of trick fountains that soak unsuspecting visitors who get too close to them.

Spring flowers are a feature of the gardens in May

It was Catherine the Great who oversaw the creation of the first landscape garden at Peterhof – and created both an English Palace and an English Park – designed jointly by Scottish landscaper, James Meaders, a disciple of Capability Brown, working with the Italian architect Giacomo Quarenghi, who oversaw the building of the once celebrated Palace, considered to be one of the great examples of Russian classicism, although sadly, this too was destroyed during WWII. But visit Peterhof today, and you will be amazed by the effort that has gone into rebuilding the complex.

What had to be considered here when designing and landscaping the gardens for Catherine, were the inclement conditions of the Russian climate, which means that for nearly half the year the ground is covered in snow and the temperatures are well below freezing. This is why the bulk of the landscape is greenery, but with displays of flowers throughout the spring and summer months.

The Marly Palace at Peterhof - well worth walking the extra distance to see

In springtime, the formal garden areas in the lower park are filled with daffodils and tulips, but these are replaced later in the season with other flowers and, although the planting is somewhat military with tulips placed in soldier-like lines and single blocks of colour, you can see why the gardens are so popular with both tourists and locals. The emphasis here is on the water, fountains and greenery because of the extremely harsh Russian climate in winter.

Peterhof is undoubtedly one of the most popular attractions on any tourist itinerary to St Petersburg, and is served by a hydrofoil service from the city, as well as numerous coach tours, so the secret is either to get there early ahead of the crowds, or linger late in the afternoon, when the hordes have departed. And definitely avoid weekends because it is also a favourite with locals. Check the official website before visiting as opening hours vary according to the time of year.

It is also worth remembering that you cannot buy a single ticket to visit the entire estate. The Upper Gardens are free, and admission to the Lower Gardens is just 500 Russian roubles, but each palace and building within the complex requires a separate entrance ticket - there is not a single pass system, so try and plan ahead and buy all tickets that you need at the main entrance gates to avoid queueing at each new attraction when you arrive there. In high summer, during the 'White Night' period the gardens are open until 20.00 and early evening is a good time to visit to avoid the crowds.

Click here to see the Summer Gardens in St Petersburg.

Wordless Wednesday - Gardens and green spaces in Russia

Spring flowers in bloom, glimpsed from a window in The Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

 St Petersburg's Botanical Garden

The palace at Pavlovsk near St Petersburg

Irena Phyzikova's garden near St Petersburg

Peterhof is famous for its fountains, but you must walk further afield to fully enjoy the gardens here

In the woods at Peterhof, outside St Petersburg

Sculpture in a private garden, designed by Alexey Skibin near St Petersburg

I've spent the last week in Russia, looking at gardens and green spaces and will be featuring some of them in the coming weeks. For the Summer Garden in St Petersburg, click here.

A walk in the park in St Petersburg, Russia

May is the perfect month to meander though the Summer Garden in St Petersburg, strolling first through the verdant park and ending up at the magnificent Cathedral of the Saviour of Spilled Blood.