In a gardener's life, there are a few must-do/must-sees. Seeing the Chelsea Flower Show in London, for instance, is one thing every keen gardener should do once in their life.
The Floriade, a mega horticultural world's fair held only once every 10 years in the Netherlands, is another world-class event every garden lover should experience once.
Sissinghurst, Great Dixter, Kew, the Keukenhof, Hampton Court Palace are all world-class gardens worthy of inclusion on any must-see list.
Few people get to see all these wonders in one trip.
But that's precisely what my next European garden tour is all about - taking 15 days in May to see it all.
This includes the magnificent Floriade, amazing Chelsea Flower Show, breathtaking Keukenhof and ethereal Sissinghurst along with Kew, Hampton Court and Great Dixter, plus a grand selection of exceptional private gardens and outstanding destinations in Holland, Belgium and England.
Gardens, gardens and more gardens can be a little overwhelming. I can't get enough of them.
But I agree that life needs more to find satisfaction and make a day complete, especially on vacation. So this European tour will also include plenty of time to take in cultural attractions, such as the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the theatre scene and exciting razzle-dazzle of London, and much more.
The adventure will start in Amsterdam with an orientating canal tour of the city followed the next day by a visit to the world-famous Keukenhof flower garden, mammoth Aalsmeer Flower Auction, where more than 17 million flowers are sold each day, and exclusive visit to the private garden of Holland's queen of landscaping, Jacqueline van der Kloet.
There will be time, of course, to enjoy the historic parts of downtown Amsterdam, including time at the quaint flower market.
From Amsterdam, we will visit the extraordinary garden complexes of Appeltern and Kijktuinen.
Appeltern is a one-of-a-kind centre (I've seen nothing like it anywhere else in Europe and nothing to compare it with in North America) that features 150 model gardens, closely linked, so that you are able to walk through dozens of completely different styles of garden in no time at all.
Each unique garden is separated artistically. You just won't find a collection of model gardens of this scope and quality anywhere in North America.
Kijktuinen is similar and also unique: a destination known only to top Dutch horticulturalists and landscape architects looking for innovative garden ideas.
The next day we will tackle what is the horticultural equivalent of a world's fair - the famous Floriade, a magnificent event covering more than 66 hectares and which is billed as a "global spectacle" and "spectacular theatre of nature" with five unique themed garden "worlds" separated by a wooded area.
The Floriade is such a gigantic undertaking that it can only be put on once every 10 years.
And it's no wonder that it takes a decade to put together. The site is so big that a 30-metre-high cable car system is being built to convey people from one end of the site to the other and also giving a bird's-eye view of the hundreds of special exhibits.
Dozens of countries from around the globe contribute top-notch sustainable, pioneering architectural landscape features to the Floriade, which is considered a "melting pot of cultures."
From Holland, we will move into Belgium, dropping into exquisite private gardens en route - gardens that have caught the attention of garden journalists from all over Europe, if not beyond and that yet these sites remarkably still remain private, quiet, beautifully serene retreats.
We will be entertained in these gardens by the owners before we continue on our way, winding up in one of Europe's most picturesque and charming old-world cities - Bruges, famous for its heritage architecture, some of which dates as far back to the Middle Ages.
The city of Bruges has been designated a World Heritage site because of the unparalleled beauty and historic nature of its extraordinary buildings, some of which appear in paintings by Flemish old-masters in the town's art gallery.
From Bruges, we will skip across the English Channel, taking the Eurostar express through the Chunnel to St. Pancras Station in London.
From there, we will head down to Kent to visit the iconic gardens of Sissinghurst and Great Dixter, two gardens that have thrilled and inspired gardeners for decades.
Built around the ruin of an Elizabethan house and set in the middle of its own woods with views of Kentish countryside on all sides, Sissinghurst was home to the writer and diplomat Harold Nicolson and Vita Sackville-West, celebrated writer and gardener in the 1930s.
We will also see Great Dixter, the famous 20th century Arts and Crafts garden restored in the early 1900s by Edwin Lutyens but most famous for the work of author and gardener Christopher Lloyd, who was born at Great Dixter and left the estate to The Great Dixter Trust on his death in 2006.
Heading back into London, we will pop into see the 121-hectare (299acre) Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew followed by a quiet day out to Hampton Court where among other things we will see the longest herbaceous border in the world as well as one of the world's oldest and possibly biggest grapevine plus some amazing gardens and garden structures, such as a gigantic Victorian garden tunnel.
The Chelsea Show, of course, is an event that is worth attending all on its own. If you went to Europe only to see Chelsea, you would not be disappointed and it would be time well spent.
You will see outstanding gardens, immaculately designed and constructed, plus floral displays of incomparable beauty and botanical perfection.
Without doubt, this is a memory that you will carry for life.
For more details about this exclusive tour call Lyle Truden at Flight Centre in Vancouver at 604-682-5621 or email lyle.truden@flightcentre.ca.
swhysall@vancouversun.com
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