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Notebook Gardeners just love to travel G


ardeners and lovers of gardens love to travel, says Donna Dawson, mas- ter gardener and owner of the very


popular garden tours website, www.garden- ingtours.com. Donna founded the company out of her Edmonton home back in 1998, just after she started ICanGarden.com. Donna is well known to Canadian gardeners in every province for this domestic website, which did so much to enlighten gardeners in Canada in the early days of the Internet. Donna is also a member of the Garden


Writers Association and an affiliate member of the Canadian Institute of Travel Counsel- ors. She is an avid gardener herself. Donna says there is a real demand for gar-


den tour opportunities, and she is thrilled to have been able to fill part of that need. “People like to see what grows in other countries. Although, of course, they want to see other things, too! They want to travel with like-minded people, be taken care of and be able to experience the culture, food and sights that country offers,” Donna points out. She says she has seen significant growth in this niche market since starting her company. It’s little wonder. A tour with Donna is a royal treat. She knows all the hid- den garden secrets that you would never find on your own, and she looks after her guests, creating a fun and positive atmosphere that makes all the difference to the traveler’s en- joyment of the trip. For the last few years www.gardening- tours.com has sold out all its tours. The tours attract many new travelers but there are also many repeat guests. Now when a tour goes out, you need to rush to get your reserva- tion before it fills up, which is just how Don- na likes it. Having the tours sell out frees up her time to source out gardens of delight in other countries. One of Donna’s most pop- ular tours includes the Chelsea Flower Show in London, which she conducts every year, but there are always new offerings depend- ing on what she has discovered. 2012 features tours to India, Floriade, Mo-


rocco, London, Chelsea, Italy and South Af- rica with very few spaces left on them already. 2013 Featured Tours


Ecuador’s Flowering Plants: Blooming


Beauty Beyond Belief. This tour includes a behind-the-scenes visit to three growers’ oper- ations, which are otherwise closed to tourists. China: Flower Blossoms & Peony Festi-


val Tour. You will visit some of China’s most incredible gardens. Cities including Beijing, Xian, Luoyang, Suzhou and Shanghai. Paris/Chelsea: Always a sellout, this tour


will not only include Chelsea in London but the Courson Flower Show in France.


www.localgardener.net


Donna (taking a photo in the background) with some of her travellers on a tour of Thailand. If you are interested in booking a tour


Argentina: Gardens and Grapes Tour.


The land of beef, barbecue, wine and music. This tour includes a cookery class. Malaysia and Bali: Let the beauty and


magic of these two countries envelop you in wonder.


or just finding out more information, you can visit www.gardeningtours.com or send Donna an email at donna@icangarden. com letting her know which tours you are interested in. `


Foodie 2012 • 5


A British garden featuring topiaried yews.


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