Filoli Gardens

We arrived at Filoli Gardens shortly after it opened and finally left as it was ready to close. We "sandwiched" lunch in the Filoli Garden Cafe between our ramblings in the garden and mansion.

Caroline from bygone Sierra Club Photo Club days joined us for the day. She now lives in the Bay Area, so it was a real treat to spend the day with her.

We started in the garden because that was our main interest. The first glimpse of the gardens was the Sunken Garden through the gate by the gift shop, and it was striking! A narrow wooden doorway opened into a formal garden with a fountain and rows of brightly colored foxgloves in the back. Forested hills provided the backdrop for the entire scene. The doorway provided the perfect framing, and the foxgloves painted the scene with color.

Doorways and arches led to other "secret" gardens off the main formal garden area. Roses, columbines, iris, rhododendrons, azaleas, and annuals all had their own sections of the garden. One of the most amazing sights was the dogwood tree in full bloom near the swimming pool. I have never seen so many flowers on a dogwood. Each branch was covered in waves of flowers. And yes, I did say "by the swimming pool." That is a reminder that a family actually lived on this estate. It's hard to fathom that anyone could have so much money that they could afford such gardens and the required staff to care for it.

After lunch, we toured the 36,000 square-foot, 43-room mansion. That's when it really sank in how wealthy these people were. The ballroom had paintings that were 15 feet tall covering half a wall. They looked like giant murals, but we were assured by the docents that they had been painted in New York and shipped to the mansion where they were installed. But the huge ballroom and giant paintings weren't enough. The owner had gold leaf added to the ballroom trim. The "kitchen" had a butler's pantry complete with a safe for storing the silver, a cooking room, and a dessert preparation room. Each of these kitchen rooms was as large as many apartments. The formal dining room was nearly as big as the bottom floor of our house. Everything about the mansion was huge. Living that large is beyond my comprehension.

We had a fabulous day at the Filoli. The weather was perfect and the gardens were uncrowded. We wandered around at our own speed and had a very relaxing day. Spending the day with Caroline added to a great day.

Filoli Gallery


Sunken Garden	Sunken Garden	View into the Sunken Garden

Sunken Garden	Gateway to Side Garden	Garden House

Clock Tower	Columbines	Carol & Caroline

Living Room	Dining Room	Dining Room