The Glorious Giardino Botanico Fondazione André Heller

I call it the Heller Garden, and as it's full of British tourists (garden fanatics like me) this time of year, I'll continue to use the English name.

On my recent trip to Lago di Garda, Italy, I was accidentally sent to the most beautiful small garden I've ever seen. I'd been planning to visit the University of Milan's herbalist garden, because I'm an herbalist-in-training, so that made sense. My friends had no idea there even was such a garden so they took me to the garden they knew about, the Heller Garden, and left me there for the morning. Best mistake ever!

Heller Garden, Rodin Pond, MRobb, XPro, 2015

The Heller Garden was originally the house and garden of Napoleon's dentist, but was bought and completely revamped by Austrian artist Andre Heller in 1988. Mr. Heller brings in works by all sorts of artists, famous and not, and places their works throughout the garden, which is crisscrossed by walking paths, grottoes, bridges and ponds, and lots of other surprises. Here's the Poet's Pond:

Here's an inviting bench in the bamboo forest:

I was delighted to see that both orchids and Tillandsias are featured in the garden. Can you spot the Tillandsia xerographica, and the Spanish Moss?

And can you spot the blogger??

I'll be showing a few more scenes from this delightful place in the next few weeks. If you are ever at Lago di Garda, be sure to visit the garden. I'd recommend going right when it opens, as the light is perfect at that time, and it's not full of people yet!