My Visit to Sparoza
By Helen Grubner. Filed in Uncategorized |
Some 20 years ago, my sister gifted me a copy of the book “Making a Garden on a Greek Hillside” by Mary Jaqueline Tyrwhitt. I treasure that book and thought that one day it may be useful as a guide to planning my own garden in Greece but sadly, that is very unlikely to ever happen.
Jacky, as she liked to be known, wrote about the garden she created and the house she built, a property known as “Sparoza”, located outside Athens in Paiania. Jacky died in 1983 and now the Mediterranean Garden Society runs Sparoza’s experimental garden. The MGS, a non-profit making association founded in Greece, has members in 38 countries, including me.
Today I visited Sparoza and had the privilege of meeting Sally Razelou, the current custodian, as well as Christina Lambert, head of the Greek branch of the MGS and Sue Vlassis. All three ladies made me feel so welcome and I was able to enjoy a walk through the delightful garden, open only to members by appointment.
Joining us at Sparoza today were a family from the States… Walt a botanist/horticulturist, his wife Dona, their son Will and Katie. Had it not been for their offer to drop me at the motorway exit to the nearest Metro station, I would have had lunch at Sparoza but, never mind, there will be another time.
Yesterday’s weather was cloudy with a little rain, the latter not forecast. However, I managed a walk to the top of Mount Lycabettus and down again. If you are in Athens, it is the best location to view all of the city, surrounding hills and sea and it really puts into perspective the Acropolis and other monumental sites.
