Gardens

In London, the exhibit “Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse,” exploring how the evolution of the city’s gardens influenced Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Avant-Garde artists at the turn of the 19th century, runs Jan. 30-April 20, 2016, at the  Royal Academy of Arts (Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, England; phone +44 20 7300 8027, www.royalacademy.org.uk).

A ticket costs £16 or, with donation, £17.60 (near $26) and can be bought online. 

Having enjoyed many of the world’s great gardens and floral events, I found the Chiang Mai Thailand Flower Festival via the Internet and discovered that Go See Touring (4/99 Racecourse Rd., Ascot, Queensland 4007, Australia; phone +61 1300 551 997, www.goseetouring.com) had been offering tours to Thailand and the festival for nine years. 

From my first email to GiGi Huxley (gigi@goseetouring) until the fabulous farewell dinner our group had in Chiang Mai, our tour and the staff of Go See Touring exceeded all of our expectations.

On the Eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent, the oldest botanical gardens in the Western Hemisphere, the Botanical Gardens (New Montrose, Kingstown, St. Vincent & the Grenadines; phone +1 784/533-1657, http://botanical gardens.gov.vc), are celebrating their 250th anniversary in 2015. Special events include a floral competition on Oct. 27 and a nightly light show, held in rotating locations in the park, Dec. 16-24.

It is not the most northerly botanic garden in the world but one of the most northerly gardens, sharing that distinction with those hardy plants shivering on the edge of the Arctic in Norway and Russia.