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Filoli Estate

Posted in: Diary
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On Friday of Mom and Dad's vacation we visited Filoli. (Yes, I know this is now almost two weeks ago. Give me a break, I'm slow).

Filoli Estate (pronounced FI-low-lee) is located 30 miles south of San Francisco and is one of the finest remaining examples of a country estate from the early 20th century. The first floor of the house is open for touring but really it's the gardens that steal the show.

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Map of the Estate

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The gate for which the gardens are named. Filoli. Supposedly from FIght LOve LIve. Located near Garden House on the northwest side of the walled garden in the center of the map.
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Filoli had both white and purple wisteria. They were just about done blooming.
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Structure in the garden store. Possibly not original. Lovely none-the-less.
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Pergola out by the tennis courts. Very very lovely.

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No idea about the identity of this flower.
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Hibiscus! Growing back in the woodland gardens.

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Tomato Cages. These are -so- going up in my back yard when I put in tomatoes. I have about 8 shots of this from different angles. They're just so much prettier than -normal- tomato cages.
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Another garden cage. Not sure for what exactly.

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By far, the coolest place in the whole garden was hidden back by the Wooded Area where it says "no visitors". If you edge around the back side of the tennis courts and take the back steps down to the southwest corner of the bowling green you'll find two of the most spectacular elm trees I have ever seen. These are well over a hundred feet tall and their lowest branch (at the body of the tree) is about 10 feet off the ground. These branches spread outwards and downwards until they touch the ground. It's a beautiful sheltered tree grotto where you're sheltered in the umbrella of a tree. I think it was the most magical place in the whole garden.

A picture may be worth 1000 words.. but I don't have the pictures or the words to describe how magical it is. Go there, visit it for yourself.


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Comments

I think your flower is Columbine.

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