Gardens of Paradise: Summertime
New Zealand’s North Island
February 6-19, 2012. 14 days, 11 nights
Land Price: $4995; Single Supplement: $995
A Limited Edition Tour. Maximum 18 members members

NEW ZEALAND’S NORTH ISLAND HAS BEEN BLESSED WITH A MILD CLIMATE that allows for an incredibly wide range of flora. Extended stays in three dramatically different parts of the island, all of them rich in gardens and picture postcard beauty, give us in-depth views of each. We start out in Wellington, New Zealand’s photogenic, urbane, and visitor-friendly capital. Wellington’s Botanic Garden, begun in 1869, occupying over 60 acres on a hillside overlooking the city, is among the loveliest and most interesting of its kind in either hemisphere. From there we venture north to Devonport, a charming Victorian seaside town that looks as though it could still be in the 19th Century, yet which is only minutes by ferry from the bustle of downtown Auckland. The tour concludes in Northland with four nights in the idyllic Bay of Islands, where we enjoy an exhilarating dolphin-watching cruise, stroll through an ancient kauri forest, and delve into the complex history of this captivating country. [Tour price does not include airfare from Wellington to Auckland, or Auckland to Kerikeri. These fares normally run $50-$100 per flight.]

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Springtime in the Cotswolds
A Garden Lover’s Delight
May 5-13, 2012. 9 days, 7 nights
Land Price: $3895; Single Supplement: $495
An Encore Performance Tour. Maximum 18 members

SEVEN DAYS BASKING IN THE TIMELESS BEAUTY OF SPRING GARDENS, while based at an award-winning country house hotel: such is the setting for this unpack-only-once tour. Corse Lawn House, located in the picturesque, historic region of southern England known as the Cotswolds, was named “Country Hotel of the Year” by the prestigious Good Hotel Guide in 2005, and consistently receives rave reviews from our clients and on TripAdvisor.com. It will be our home for the duration. The itinerary features a wide variety of public and private gardens and manor houses—among them Lawrence Johnson's iconic Hidcote Manor, Major Wills' lovely Misarden Park, Helena Gerrish's heavenly High Glanau Manor, and Barbara and Ian Pollards' dazzling Abbey House Gardens. A day at the Malvern Spring Gardening Show, the Royal Horticultural Society's first event of the season, celebrated for its spectacular floral displays, puts the finishing touches on a glorious week.

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Belgium & Holland
Gardens, Museums & the Floriade
May 13-22, 2012. 10 days, 8 nights
Land Price: $5995; Single Supplement: $995
A Limited Edition Tour. Maximum 20 members

THIS PEAK OF SPRINGTIME TOUR, AN ART AND FLOWER LOVER’S DREAM, includes two- and three-night stays in three wonderfully preserved old cities: Maastricht, Amsterdam and Bruges. Featured are visits to the Floriade, Holland’s spectacular once-a-decade horticultural and agricultural extravaganza, and Keukenhof, where approximately 5 million tulips burst into glorious bloom each spring. The tour begins at the five-star Château St. Gerlach, a 12th-century country estate that has played host to countless luminaries over the years; continues at the delightful, canal-side Adornes Hotel in Bruges; and ends at the Bilderberg Jan Luyken, a four-star boutique hotel in the cultural heart of Amsterdam. We’ll savor gourmet meals, be the exclusive guests at nearly a dozen private gardens that rarely open to the public, visit the incomparable Van Gogh & Rijks museums, and enjoy a canal boat ride through ancient Bruges. As an end-of-tour option, members may choose to travel to London to attend the fabulous Chelsea Flower Show.

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Scottish Highlands & Islands
& the Chelsea Flower Show
May 13-25, 2012. 13 days, 11 nights
Land Price: $5595; Single Supplement: $895
Scotland only (9 nights)
Land Price: $4795; Single Supplement $495
A Limited Edition Tour. Maximum 18 members

SCOTLAND IS A LAND OF HIGH DRAMA: rainbows arching over craggy mountains whose peaks seem forever blanketed in moody clouds; fairy tale-like castles punctuating the shores of sky blue lochs; centuries-old towns and cities fashioned from granite and crafted to last forever. We'll acquaint ourselves with some of northern and western Scotland's most noteworthy gardens and castles, while traveling at a leisurely pace through an awe-inspiring landscape that seems custom-made for artists and photographers. We begin in Glasgow, one of Europe's most up-and-coming cultural centers; enjoy six days in the western Highlands and Inner Hebrides; and conclude with a day at London's inimitable Chelsea Flower Show, the Wimbledon of horticultural events, where the world's top garden designers come to show off their latest work. [Tour members wanting to forgo the flower show may end their tour in Glasgow.]

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Gardens & Castles of Southwest Wales
& A Very Special Country House Hotel
May 22-30, 2012. 9 days, 7 nights
Land Price: $4595; Single Supplement: $495
A Luxury Edition Tour. Maximum 16 members

A COUNTRY WITHIN A COUNTRY, WALES OFFERS GORGEOUS SCENERY, enchanting singsong accents, a long and complex history, and a number of Great Britain’s most beautiful gardens. Ty Mawr Mansion—situated in the country’s far southwest corner, where many locals still speak the ancient Welsh language—was given the prestigious “Guest Accommodation of the Year” award by the Automobile Association (UK) in 2007-2008. It will be our exclusive home for an entire week. We’ll tour half-a-dozen noteworthy private gardens that rarely open to the public; watch bottlenose dolphins while cruising Cardigan Bay; explore photogenic medieval castles; and ride a Victorian narrow-gauge steam railway through luxuriant countryside. The Chelsea Flower Show—showcasing the most avant-garde creations by the world’s foremost garden designers—occurs just before the tour begins. And Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations takes place shortly after it ends. Extension packages are available for both pre- and post-tour options.

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West Country Gardens
Stately Homes & Manor House Hotels
June 10-21, 2012. 12 days, 10 nights
Land Price: $6495*; Single Supplement: $995
A Limited Edition Tour. Maximum 20 members

THIS LEISURELY JOURNEY THROUGH ENGLAND’S ENCHANTING WEST COUNTRY takes in the best that verdant region has to offer. The itinerary includes a number of world-class public and private gardens, among them the mysterious Lost Gardens of Heligan, rediscovered and restored in the 1990’s after many decades of neglect; the Eden Project, an internationally acclaimed “theme park” of botany and ecology; Hestercombe, Edwin Lutyens’ and Gertrude Jekyll’s collaborative masterpiece; Keith Wiley’s Garden House in Buckland Monachorum, known as the most innovative garden in England; and Agatha Christie’s Greenway. Two one-of-a-kind, family-owned manor house hotels ensure a warm welcome and a memorable stay: 17th-century Plumber Manor, located in the heart of Thomas Hardy Country, far from the madding crowd; and 18th-century Boscundle Manor, a haven of peace and tranquility in St. Austell, Cornwall, that consistently receives over-the-moon reviews on TripAdvisor.com. [Tour price includes airfare from Newquay, Cornwall, to London Gatwick.]

**Tour price includes a $250/person tax-deductible donation to Parkinson’s UK, to be matched by a $250/person donation from COOPERSMITH’S. Parkinson’s UK is a major support and research charity dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by Parkinson’s Disease.

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Gardens, Castles & Stately Homes
of Durham & Northumberland
June 24-July 3, 2012. 10 days, 8 nights
Land Price: $4895; Single Supplement: $695
An Encore Performance Tour. Maximum 18 members

ONE OF BRITAIN'S FINEST CASTLE HOTELS—Langley Castle, in England’s sparsely populated, ruggedly beautiful northeastern-most county of Northumberland—and the highly acclaimed Clow Beck House, in rural County Durham, will be our memorable homes-away-from-home on this all-new Limited Edition Tour. Both hotels are celebrated for their large, strikingly decorated and individually themed rooms, luxuriant landscaping, and gourmet cuisine. We’ll savor exclusive, owner-led tours of private gardens, several of which seldom open to the public; visit historic castles and manor houses, among them Alnwick, site of postwar Europe’s most exciting new public garden; explore portions of 1,900-year-old Hadrian's Wall; and revel in the majesty of Durham Cathedral, an 11th-century architectural marvel. Other highlights include Whalton Manor, where Edwin Lutyens collaborated with Gertrude Jekyll on the walled gardens, and the Bowes Museum, with its world-class collections of paintings, furniture, porcelain, silver, and jewelry. Tour members may wish to return to London at the tour’s end to attend the spectacular Hampton Court Flower Show, Britain’s largest horticultural exhibition.

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Gardens, Villas & Fine Arts
of the Italian & French Rivieras
September 5-14, 2012. 10 days, 8 nights
Land Price: $6795; Single Supplement: $1295
A Luxury Edition Tour. Maximum 16 members

THE LUSH NORTHERN COAST OF THE MEDITERRANEAN, from La Spezia in the east, to Nice in the west, is our focus on this Luxury Edition Tour. We’ll enjoy four nights each at two of the region’s finest hotels, both overlooking the Mediterranean; savor gourmet meals and fine wine; luxuriate in a number of world-class gardens, palaces, villas, and museums; visit a renowned perfume factory; and have time to stroll the quaint streets and cobblestone alleys of ancient town and cities. The Italian Riviera, in the region known as Liguria, is home to such storied places as Portofino—arguably the most photographed village in the world—and the Cinque Terre, a community of five fishing villages perched on bluffs above the sea, and accessible only by boat, train, or on foot. The French Riviera, or Cote d'Azure, has long been the playground of the rich, the famous, and the artistic. With its near-tropical climate, azure waters, indigo skies, and balustraded white villas embellished with jasmine and bougainvillea, it’s easy to see why artists such as Matisse, Chagall, Renoir, and Picasso flocked here, creating some of their finest work.

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