I was so excited to be going to Viscaya Museum and Gardens today, that I was ready and waiting at the gates when it opened! Former winter home of American industrialist, James Deering, this house was built in Italianate style during the First World War. There is no doubt that it occupies a fantastic plot overlooking Biscayne Bay and that the gardens are very different from others here in Florida, but ... it left me cold ... and what really struck me was that there were no flowers, save for a few orchids and some very "staged" begonias.
The statues are amazing (if you like that sort of thing) and the views over the bay are certainly impressive, but somehow the planting in this garden lacks character. It has the feel of a National Trust property in England, where the planting is done by rote and the management know that it's position on the tourist trail and reputation as a historical property will encourage people to visit.
So, you must be thinking ... if I didn't like it, why am I writing about it? I have always refrained from writing about gardens that I don't like, because I can't seen the point in writing bad reviews when there are so many gardens that are special and deserve praise. So... why my reticence about this garden? It's not that I didn't like it, but I was disappointed. Maybe my expectations were just too high after all I'd read about Viscaya. It's certainly unique and the formal gardens are very unusual here in southern Florida, but ...
I'm going back this evening because it's one of the rare occasions when the property is open for a moonlight visit (they happen about once a month), and I'll let you have an update later, but even now my heart is heavy because the gardens don't open until 6.30 and sunset is just after six .... so I'm not even sure I'm going to be able to catch Viscaya's finest feature - it's waterfront - at sunset .... but I'll let you know.
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