The one you've all been waiting for - Filoli!

I'd heard so much about Filoli before I went there that I wondered
whether it would live up to my expectations, especially after my recent visit to
Viscaya.But it did, because there's no doubt that it's a really beautiful garden.
From the moment you arrive and walk through the olive grove to access the main
gardens, you are aware that this property is different .... very different from
others! It has sweeping vistas across open countryside; wonderful planting and
you get caught up in a huge stage set.
Located just 30 miles of San Francisco, the
mansion that forms the central focus of Filoli was built for William Bowers
Bourn II and his wife in 1915. Bourn made his money from gold mining, and it is
his credo: "Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man;
Live for a
just cause", that gave the property its name FI-LO-LI. The estate covers some
650 acres, but it is the 16 acres of formal gardens surrounding the
Georgian-style mansion that visitors come to see.

When the Bourns died in 1936, Filoli was bought by another wealthy Californian magnate, William Roth, who owned the Matson
Navigation Company, and under the stewardship of his wife, Lurline (who is
commemorated on a plaque in the garden), the gardens were further developed, and
became recognised as one of the great formal gardens of America. In 1975,
Lurline Roth donated the house and 125 acres to the National
Trust for Historic Preservation, and they continue to maintain the
property today with the help of committed volunteers. Today, Filoli is classed
as one of the great gardens of the world, and deservedly so.

It doesn't matter where you look in Filoli, there is always a magnificent view, like the one above- looking up towards the High Place from the Walled Garden. The extensive formal gardens are divided into
terraces, a Sunken Garden, Walled Garden, Yew Walkway and swimming pool
pavilion, to name just a few, but what will strike you about this garden, is
that is immaculately maintained, glorious to walk in, and will lift your
spirits. I visited earlier this month, so the emphasis was on spring flowers - many coming into bloom - and acres of daffodils, blowing in the breeze, wonderful magnolias and camellias. But what is so clever about the planning and planting at Filoli, is that it won't matter what time of year
you visit - there will always be something in bloom. This is a garden that you
need to visit and re-visit, because it will never look the same. It goes
straight to the top of my US garden list, but perhaps that's because it reminds
me of England!

I'm leaving for North Carolina today (if the weather permits) and hope to see some gardens there, but Filoli is the garden that sticks in my mind right now!