Tivoli: a few too many snapshots...

To be honest, I've done this rather ludicrous post for a friend who happens to be doing the horticulture for Denver's Tivoli equivalent. And why not share it with you too? The idea of horticulture at an amusement park isn't everyone's cup of tea: when I shared a few pictures from Tivoli on Facebook, I was met with a little tsunami of...shall we say...dubiousness? I generally find amusement parks in America to be pretty grotesque and crass: two adjectives that I don't think one can fairly apply to Tivoli...but then you be the judge!

OK. There was a little grotesquerie and crassness here and there..

I haven't seen many monuments to clowns, but this has to be the best of class in that department...and the green wall behind is pretty cool..

 I watched a pantomime and a ballet at this pavilion. If you ask nicely, perhaps I'll even post the link so you can see them on my Youtube channel (I'll have to upload them first, however)...

I'm a sucker for Orientalia. I understand using the world "Orient" is tabu [insert accent on "u"] --is Orientalia likewise banned? 

I have three large Plumbagos rather like this in pots in my garden. Must be the thing to do!

I must warn you: there are a lot of pictures in this post. And none of them have been photoshopped ...you see what I snapped. I could drone on and on (and will doubtless chime in from time to time), but really, they're just a lot of flowers of all kinds. Enjoy!

Oh yes, and some garden sculptures too!

And lots of plants in pots!

You'll occasionally catch glimpses of the rides--which mercifully don't dominate the scene as they so often do at amusement parks. The gardens are what dominate the scene!

Stylized edelweiss? anemone?

Oh yes, and fountains!

The dahlia time of year..

One must have potted Brugmansias. I do myself.

And roses. And elegant barriers to keep you away from the workers who are grooming things for you.

Gardens everywhere...

I like the dark dahlia and helichrysum together. But as Chris Woods says, I'm easy to please (you can tell he's never lived with me).

Did I mention dahlias?

One can never have enough Tropaeolums in my book. Nor enough ancient olives.

And they have chickens.

Wonder what's destined for the troughs?

Life is incomplete without a fig tree. We have two (or maybe three?)...

A little herb garden...

And veggies in pots...

I wouldn't want to be the one to lug these monstrous Monsteras...demonsterably.

Or the many cycads and palms in containers...

Love this bonsaied Hydrangea...

One must have a weeping  willow...

And a moor hen I mistook for a duck (thanks, Alys, for the correction!)

And more ducks...these were the most trusting ducks. I walked right next to them and they didn't stir. The Danes are so damn civilized. In America I'm sure they'd be more cautious.

Never even went into the Orangerie. I did listen to the jazz band tuning up for a while..

I love this hedge of Cleome.

The distant clock tower was so....European!

The rides seemed to be designed to admire from a distance as well as terrorize up close.

Cacti are so popular they named a bistro (with Mexican food!) after them.

Mostly just succulents and not cacti in KACTUS...

Love this Lavatera...

And a whole frickin' border on the pond margin!

I have a thing about Japanese anemones--I like them...

Not just any amusement park has a resident heron...I was very taken with him (her?)...

Wonderful woodsy patches...

More ducks!

The first hint of fall in the Euphorbia...

I love this Sedum. (OK, Hylotelephium in case Stephen Jankalski gets this far)...

I hadn't had dinner yet and was tempted by this ice cream concoction...

Where they got all those scoops in the picture before...

There were many restaurants. I picked this one...

The view from my chair..

The entre course (I haven't inflicted the whole meal on you). Lamb. It was delicious...do notice the woman above...

She resembles mightily the younger of my two sisters. I miss them both terribly. You can imagine my thoughts through dinner as I looked up and kept jolting in my chair as my re-incarnated sister ate her dinner. I confess, I did have some wine and it did color things up a bit. Things like this are difficult to convey in anything less than nostalgic, heart throbbing verse (which I don't do--very often anyway). I should have that night.

Replete, complete and slightly tipsy I headed home through the evening lights...

ANOTHER performance in the Pavilion...I watched the whole thing.

So the Alhambra must have looked to the moor as he sighed his last. I kept sighing though...

And so I danced back to my hotel, glad that I had taken so many pictures. And you've seen practically every one (I did mercifully weed out a few duplicates here and there..)