Virtual visits

Gardeners can find plenty of inspiration through a few choice online searches

This time last year, I turned into a garden grinch, insisting that after 35 years of keeping the backyard plucked and pruned, I wanted nothing more to do with outdoor work.

Perspective is everything. Now, feeling trapped by circumstance, I’m often in the garden by 8 a.m. for a few calming hours of clearing weeds and

debris, sewing seeds, and finding spots for summer herbs.

In a twist, these daily excursions have taken the place of planned visits to several exceptional historical gardens and landscapes, for what I hoped would be a series of articles that combined inspiration and useful information. While I’m not able to do that now, I can share some wonderful online resources about these destinations.

In the Northern Virginia town of Upperville, for example, I was to visit the famous gardens at Oak Spring Farm, once the estate of Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, an American horticulturalist, gardener, philanthropist and art collector born in 1910. Mellon’s landscaping work includes the design of both the White House Rose Garden, and John F. Kennedy’s Arlington Cemetery gravesite.

The 700-acre site is run by a non-profit foundation that promotes education and research on plants, gardens, landscapes, and the environment. It also houses

Mellon’s collection of 9,000 rare horticultural books, manuscripts, and works of art dating back to the 14th century.

Tours were going to be available through the now-cancelled Virginia Historic Garden Week. You can explore these charming gardens virtually atosgf.org, with videos that include breathtaking views, and commentary by several of the experts responsible for this beautiful site.

In Charlottesville, I would have visited Monticello, the plantation built in 1772 and owned by U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Monticello has been maintained and kept open to the public by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, founded in 1923 to preserve it. The foundation continues to educate visitors about Jefferson’s world and ideas, which included a deep interest in plants, landscaping, varieties of food crops, and agricultural techniques.

Normally, garden tours run daily from April to October. In

their place, there are several terrific videos at monticello.org, showing various elements of the site, including the 1,000-foot long garden that still employs some of the species and methods Jefferson favoured.

For historical context, I also visited Virginia’s Black History Museum, blackhistorymuseum.org, which tells the stories of six enslaved families who built and maintained Monticello across generations.

Oak Spring and Monticello are just two of many splendid gardens in Virginia. Go to Virginia. org/canada for more.

A voyage to some of England’s fabled gardens was also on the books this year. While that idea is down the drain, I can still see some of Britain’s most enchanting gardens online, thanks to the National Garden Scheme.

In past years, this group has raised funds through a program that opens private gardens to the public, with admission fees going to health charities. This year, it’s all moved online, with a wonderful series of videos that focus not just on the beauty of the landscapes, but on the benefits of gardens to health and well-being.

There, you’ll see spots like Bolwick Hall in Norfolk, an excellent example of the symmetry and restrained ornamentation found in Georgian architecture. Its magnificent garden plan is attributed to Humphry Repton, an 18th century landscape designer who advanced the popularity of naturalistic gardens and park settings.

For more on the English gardens, and the visit to Savannah, Georgia (visitsavannah.com) I missed, go to aroundthehouse.ca.

While I do regret not seeing these lovely sites, I realize that I’m lucky to be getting fresh air and exercise in my own little garden that will — with a little luck — also produce tomatoes, lettuce and fresh herbs later in the season.

From where I sit this year, it’s well worth the work.