Trips
Upcoming Tours 2026
Select the trip name below to expand the accordion and learn about what each tour has in store for participants.
Trips are co-sponsored by the Horticultural Society of Maryland and Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland—with landscape designer Claire Jones.
Cultivated Italy: Gardens, History & Vineyards October 2 – 15, 2026
Over 14 days, we’ll explore Italy from Rome to Venice, visiting an extraordinary range of gardens, villas, and cultural landmarks. The tour includes 6 lunches and 5 dinners, private coach transportation, expert guides, and all admissions to over twenty remarkable sites.
We’ll be staying exclusively in 4- and 5-star hotels, with upgraded rooms where possible—including superior rooms in Sestri Levante for extra comfort. I’ve chosen these accommodations carefully to ensure that every evening feels like part of the experience, not just a stop along the way. I believe the quality and inclusions make this a truly exceptional value.
Cost Includes
- 13 nights luxury hotel accommodation (4/5 star)
- Breakfast daily
- 6 x 2-course lunches, 5 x 3-course dinners
- Transfer by Vaporetto in Venice
- Truffle hunting in Mugello with lunch
- 1 hour private canal boat guided tour of Venice
- Evening concert of Vivaldi’s music in Venice
- Glasswork studio visit in Venice
- Entrances to Farnese Gardens in Rome, Villa D’Este, Villa Adriana, Garden of Ninfa, Deruta Ceramics, Siena Cathedral and Library, Piazza del Campo, Boboli Gardens and Pitti Palace,Villa Lante, Sacro Bosco, Villa Reale di Marlia e parco, Abbazia della Cervara, Giardinia Botaniico dii Villa Taranto, Palazzo Borromeo Isola Bella, Isola madre, Villa Carlotta, Villa de Balbaianello
- Wine tasting with appetizers at Tuscany
- Truffle Hunting in Mugello
- Pisa field of Miracles
- Florence and Venice guided tours
- Ferries to islands in Italian Lakes
- Services of local Italian tour manager throughout
- Whisper headsets included throughout
For complete itinerary, contact Claire Jones jonesb1@comcast.net or 443-927-6285 or clairejoneslandscapes.com.
Price – US $8,480.00 (USD) per person, double occupancy
Single Supplement $2,675.00 (USD) per person, single occupancy, additional
Past Trips & Tours
English Gardens of the Cotswolds & Wales Including Chelsea Flower Show - May 22- June 2, 2025
Breakfast daily, 3 lunches, 5 dinners (including Thames dinner cruise)
4- Star Hotel Accommodations for 11 nights, including London and Richmond
- All day visit to the Iconic Chelsea Flower Show
- Evening dinner cruise/tour on the Thames
- Tour some idyllic Cotswolds villages such as Bourton on the Water and Stow on the Wold
- Waterperry Gardens (one of my favorite gardens)
- Imaginative topiary garden at Bourton-on-the-Hill
- Day at Stratford Upon Avon to explore the gardens and Shakespeare’s home
- Highgrove- King Charles’s Home-(depending on availability)
- Arts & Crafts inspired Hidcote Manor and Kiftsgate Court with the world famous Kiftsgate rose
- Monmouthshire (Western Wales) gardens, such as High Glanau Manor, Wyndcliffe Court, Mounton House, Highfield Farm, and Laskett Gardens
- Stay in Abergavenny, Gateway to Wales
- Explore Bath with free time for independent visit to The Roman Baths, or the Jane Austen Center
- Limited to a small group, minimum 15-max 25
For complete itinerary, contact Claire Jones jonesb1@comcast.net or 443-927-6285 or visit https://thegardendiaries.blog/trips/
Price: $5,950.00 double, $1,800.00 add’l for single
An Andalusian Odyssey: Portugal and Southern Spain September 11 – September 24, 2025 Extension to Barcelona - Sept 24 – 27, 2025
Co-sponsored by the Horticultural Society of Maryland and Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland – with landscape designer Claire Jones. The trip runs from September 11 – September 24, 2025 with an extension to Barcelona running from September 24 – September 27, 2025.
Some highlights of the trip include:
- Tuk Tuk food tour of Lisbon, Portugal
- UNESCO World Heritage Town of Evora
- Visit to the palace and garden at La Casa de Pilatos, Seville, Spain
- Garden and Castle tour at The Alhambra in Granada, Spain
- Medieval Fortress and Garden tour of Alcazar de los Reyes Christianos in Cordoba, Spain
- Madrid’s Royal Castle
- Prado Museum
- Winery tour and tasting (Balcohoa winery)
- Flamenco evening
- Bodega Tio Pepe sherry tour and tasting
- Guided tours of Evora, Cordoba, Toledo
- Services of local Portuguese/Spanish tour manager throughout
Limited to a small group (minimum 15 – max 25 participants)
Price for the main tour: Per person sharing a twin room or double room: 6,106 Euros or $6,595.00
Single Individual Room: 1,666 Euros or $1,800.00.
Price for the Barcelona Extension:
The extension tour is set at a minimum of 10 people. Prices are in euros as follows:
Per person sharing a twin room or double room: 1,754 Euros $1,895.00
Single Individual Room: 450 Euros or $486.00
november 2024
Japan’s Magical Gardens, culture, and more
Participants spent 12 nights in Japan. Tour highlights included:
Visits to Hojo Garden, world famous Takashimaya Department Store, Kyoto Botanical Garden, Nijo-jo Castle and garden, special theater/dance performance, cascading gardens of Nunobiki, Wazuka, tea plantation tour, Edo-Tokyo Architectural Museum, gardens of the Imperial Palace, chrysanthemum displays, Himeji Castle, and temples and shrines in Kyoto, Nara, Tokyo, Himeji, and Kobe.
This tour was co-sponsored by the Horticultural Society of Maryland and Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland – with landscape designer Claire Jones.
May 2024
The Best Of Ireland
Participants spent 12 nights in verdant Ireland. Tour highlights included:
Visits to Cliffs of Moher, Burren, and Giant’s Causeway, the Ring of Kerry, National Botanic Gardens of Ireland, Blarney Castle, a Guided tour of historic city walls of Londonderry, a Jameson Whiskey tasting and tour, Mount Stewart (voted one of the top 10 gardens in the world) and so much more.
This tour was co-sponsored by the Horticultural Society of Maryland and Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland – with landscape designer Claire Jones.
May 2023
Cornwall, Bath, and the Chelsea Flower Show
Participants spent 12 nights in the UK. Tour highlights include: Medieval Bishop’s Palace of Wells complete with moat, Subtropical Lost Gardens of Heligan and Trewidden, Highgrove – the home of Charles and Camilla, Sir Howard Hillier Garden and Arboretum, Hestercombe Gardens, and the National Trust Knightshayes Garden just to name a few. Participants also visited the reknown Chelsea Flower Show
This tour was co-sponsored by the Horticultural Society of Maryland and Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland – with landscape designer Claire Jones.
June-July 2023
Splendors of Northern France
Participants spent 12 nights in France. Some highlights of the tour include: the award-winning kitchen gardens of Chateau de Mirosmesnil, the futuristic Les Jardins d’Eretat in Normandy, the UNESCO World Heritage Center Palace and Park of Versailles, Chateau Chenonceau the residence of Catherine de Medicim and much more…
March-April 2022
Spring In Portugal
Portuguese gardens are famous for their integration of Moorish, Renaissance and Baroque garden design motifs to create a style distinctly their own.
July 3 -15, 2022
Gardens, Islands and Castles of Scotland
Co-sponsored by the Horticultural Society of Maryland and Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland —with landscape designer Claire Jones.
July 2019
HAMPTON COURT FLOWER SHOW & EAST OF ENGLAND GARDEN TOUR
We traveled throughout the eastern and southern parts of England, home to some of the most fantastic gardens on the planet.
September 2018
SMITHSONIAN GARDENS TOUR
Guided walking tour of public gardens along the National Mall in Washington, DC.
June 2018
DELAWARE BOTANIC GARDENS AT PEPPER CREEK
Volunteer field trip to help plant the Piet Oudolf Meadow Garden at this new botanic garden on the Eastern Shore.
May – June 2018
CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW, WALES & NORTHERN ENGLAND
Another opportunity to visit the Chelsea Flower Show — with visits to great gardens in London, the Cotswolds, Wales and Northern England — and more!
October 2017
GARDENS OF JAPAN
For two weeks in early Autumn, travelers enjoyed the unique pleasures of Japan: its gardens, cuisine, arts and culture.
May 2017
CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW & COTSWOLDS GARDENS
Travelers will visit the famous Chelsea Flower Show and many historic and picturesque gardens in the Cotswolds. View photos from this trip on our Facebook page.
September 2016
SCOTTISH GARDENS, ISLES & GLENS
Members of HSM and Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland will enjoy beautiful gardens, castles, towns and the breathtaking natural scenery of Scotland.
June 2016
A TEMPTATION OF PLANTS
The trip included three splendid gardens in the Greater Philadelphia area, two private gardens plus Chanticleer Garden, and a stop at Mostardi Nursery.
May 2015
BRANDYWINE COTTAGE BUS TRIP
Brandywine Cottage, in Downingtown, Pa., is the garden of David Culp, author of The Layered Garden: Design Lessons for Year-Round Beauty from Brandywine Cottage.
June 2015
FRENCH GARDENS TOUR
HSM and Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland tour French gardens, including some of the most splendid and enchanting gardens along the Northwestern coast of France, including several days in Paris.