The wonders of London: Day 1

Sleep deprived and weary from an overnight flight I led a group of gardeners into the lobby of the Grange Wellington Hotel in London. Since it was nine in the morning the rooms weren’t ready, which was no surprise. So we took off to explore the city on foot.

This stunning camelia greeted us outside the hotel entrance as we started our unplanned journey through the streets of London. Photos by Doug Oster

We only walked out the front door of the hotel when we saw a 20 foot tall camelia in full bloom towering over us. The climate here is perfect for growing just about everything and camelias thrive here. This is a gardener’s paradise and that’s just kicking around the back streets. Each flat, house or business has planters filled with wonderful surprises. Then there is the artistic side of the city.

“Love” by Lorenzo Quinn.

The sculpture “Love” by Lorenzo Quinn captivated us as we strolled along the Thames River. A giant polished, shaped boulder with intricate designs was placed outside a building near the stairs down to the river. A dancer struck a dramatic pose with the city skyline in the background.

Exploring a city with no guide or plan is a great way to discover what place is all about. Like most big cities there’s lots of hurried walking, beeping horns and screaming sirens, but interspersed between city sights and sounds of London are all the plantings. Each apartment building teases from behind courtyard gates with glorious gardens just out of reach. The parks are filled with unknown culitvars, aromatic roses, sculpture and even more surprises. St. Mary’s Garden and the Archbishop’s Garden offered all of that and more. The former was discovered when taking a wrong turn an stumbling into a little seen park. Not knowing where you are going can reveal the best a city has to offer.

We haven’t even started touring the “real” gardens yet and already were spellbound by the colors, textures and style of everything we’ve seen in London so far.