Troy B Marden Travel

Gardens & Treasures of Sicily
2019-05-08 - 2019-05-17
Sicily has been at the top of my list of destinations for several years and I’ve been waiting for just the right opportunity to present itself. When Dr. Charles Yurgalevitch, the Director of the School of Professional Horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden mentioned he would like to partner on a tour to Sicily, I didn’t hesitate! Being of Sicilian descent, Charles has amazing connections to family and friends across the island and this tour is going to be one-of-a-kind! We’ll eat traditional Sicilian food, drink wine from Sicilian vineyards, visit the ancient archaeological sites that are scattered across the island and, of course, visit amazing palazzos and see the very best public and private gardens that Sicily has to offer.
Gardens & Treasures of Sicily sites to include: Agrigento, the Temple at Segesta, Mount Etna, the Radicepura Garden Festival, the Walled Garden of Palazzo Pennisi, Il Giardino del Biviere (the garden of Princess Borghese, which was once a lake!), Giardino di San Giuliano, at least two Sicilian wineries, the cities of Catania, Siracusa, Palermo, and much more along the way!
Email me at troy@troybmarden.com for full details and to reserve your spot now!

Gardens & Treasures of Sicily
Date: May 8-17, 2019
Group Size: Maximum 20 participants
Price: $4,600 per person, double occupancy
Single Supplement: $650
Airfare: Not included
Deposit: $1,000 at time of booking + $650 Single Supplement, if traveling singly.
Payments: $1,800 each by January 8, 2019, and March 8, 2019

The Great Gardens of England
2019-07-01 - 2019-07-12
If the greatest gardens of England are on your bucket list, this is the tour for you!
Planned specifically at the request of some of my dearest gardening friends, we are going to spend 10 full days on the ground visiting some of the most beautiful private and public gardens that England has to offer. Arriving in London, we will be greeted by our private coach and head northeast to begin our tour at the world-famous Blooms of Bressingham and Beth Chatto Gardens. From there, we will make our way back to Oxford to visit Blenheim Palace, Rousham House, and others. Next, we’ll make our way through the Cotswolds, visiting some of the most outstanding private gardens the region has to offer before making our way around to the southeast of London, where we will stay at the spectacular Leeds Castle to visit Great Dixter, Sissinghurst, Iford Manor, Hever Castle, the RHS Garden at Wisley, and so many more!
The Great Gardens of England sites to include: Kew Gardens, Blooms of Bressingham, The Beth Chatto Gardens, Blenheim Palace, Rousham House, private gardens of the Cotswolds, Bourton House, Iford Manor, Leeds Castle, Great Dixter, Sissinghurst, Hever Castle, Penshurst Place, the RHS Garden at Wisley, and more!
Email me at troy@troybmarden.com for full details and to reserve your spot now!

The Great Gardens of England
Date: July 1-12, 2019
Price: $4,450 per person, double occupancy, ground only
Single Supplement: $900
Airfare: Not included
Deposit: $1,000 at time of booking + $900 Single Supplement, if traveling singly.
Payments: $1,725 each on February 1, 2019 and April 1, 2019

Bella Tuscany!
2019-09-10 - 2019-09-21
In all of my travels, there is no place that I love sharing more than I love sharing Italy. The food, the art, the architecture, history, people and, of course, the exceptional scenery and beautiful gardens. Italy has it all and September, in my opinion, is the very best time to be there—grape harvest wrapping up, winemaking in earnest, and olive harvest underway. Wild boar, truffles, and chestnuts are all in season with menus everywhere featuring these Tuscan delicacies. We’ll visit at least one very special winery in Chianti and hopefully a second in Montalcino. We’ll spend two nights in Rome at the beginning of the trip and see the highlights, 5 nights in the hill towns of Tuscany, and we’ll end the main part of the trip in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. From Florence, you may either fly home to the U.S. or extend with us for a few more days to take in the stunning beauty of Como and its surroundings.
Bella Tuscany! sites include: The Roman Forum, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and other highlights of Rome. The Tuscan hill towns of Cortona, San Gimignano, Assisi, Siena. Private palazzos and gardens across Tuscany. Michelangelo’s David, the Medici Tombs, Santa Maria del Fiore (with Brunelleschi’s dome) and Baptistry, Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace, at least two private Florentine gardens, and much, much more!
Email me at troy@troybmarden.com for full details and to reserve your spot now!

Bella Tuscany!
Date: September 10-21, 2019
Group Size: Maximum 20 participants
Price: $4,450 per person, double occupancy, ground only
Single Supplement: $1,050 per person
Airfare: Not included
Deposit: $1,000 at time of booking + $1,050 Single Supplement, if traveling singly.
Payments: $1,725 each by April 10, 2019 and June 10, 2019
Optional Como Extension: $1,350 per person, double occupancy. Single Supplement: $450

Philadelphia Flower Show--March 4-8, 2020
2020-03-04 - 2020-03-08
Welcome to the Philadelphia Flower Show, the largest flower show in the United States! A horticultural Who’s-Who with spectacular gardens, educational seminars, competitive classes filled with amazing specimens of unique plants, plenty of shopping and so much more, we’ll spend one full day of the trip browsing and enjoying the show! And our hotel is attached directly to the convention center, so we’ll get to enjoy the show no matter the weather.
In addition to the Flower Show, we will spend one day taking in Longwood Gardens, where the conservatory, spanning 4 acres under glass, will be in full springtime bloom and the orchid collection will be at spring peak, too! We will also visit nearby Winterthur, with its breathtaking collection of American antiques perfectly displayed in the grand mansion and its garden that is beautiful in any season. Finally, on Saturday, we’ll head to Downingtown for their annual “Galanthus Gala”, a day-long event featuring a “rare and unusual” plant sale, renowned garden speakers, and more.
Your daily breakfast at the hotel will be included, as will at least one other meal on each of our three tour days. We’ll arrive on Wednesday, immerse ourselves in gardening on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and return home Sunday, so join me for a perfect long weekend and a preview of spring in Philly!
Tour Cost: $1,495.00 per person Single Supplement: $450.00
Accommodation will be at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, immediately adjacent to the convention center where the Philadelphia Flower Show takes place.
For an itinerary and reservation form or TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE, please contact me directly at troy@troybmarden.com

SOLD OUT!!!--Gardens & Treasures of Sicily--March 28 - April 8, 2020
2020-03-28 - 2020-04-08
Explore the island of Sicily and all it has to offer! From spectacular gardens and beautiful palazzos to extraordinary archaeological and historic sites, we’ll leave nary a stone unturned. We’ll also immerse ourselves in the rich culture and mouthwatering cuisine found throughout one of Italy’s most unique regions.
Making a complete loop around the island, we will start and end in Palermo. In between, we’ll explore the towns of Erice, Marsala, Caltagirone, Siracusa, Catania, and Taormina, as well as the Palermo Botanic Garden, the Temple of Segesta, Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples, the island of Mozia, the Baroque city of Noto, Palazzo Pennisi, the garden of Biviere and many more.
Along the way, we will be treated to private lunches and dinners, wine tastings, and some of the most beautiful countryside in the world. Join us, as we delve deep into the cultural wonder that is Sicily!
THIS TOUR IS CURRENTLY SOLD OUT!!!

Brandywine Valley Premier Painting Workshop with Kyle Buckland--May 1-8, 2020
2020-05-01 - 2020-05-08
Artist Kyle Buckland began painting as a teenager. At age thirteen, after reading John Rewald’s The History of Impressionism, he began to take a keen interest in the French painters and the philosophies regarding plein air painting. Today, his style of painting, which is deeply rooted in the fundamental philosophies regarding Impressionism, is as unique as his subject matter is inviting.
Now, with this initial offering, artists of every skill level—from beginners to the more experienced—have the opportunity to learn from one of today’s most recognized plein air painters, learning his philosophies and techniques along the way! This hands-on painting workshop and tour to the Brandywine Valley, between Wilmington, Delaware, and Philadelphia, finds Kyle returning to his childhood home and focusing on the art and artists of the region, with a special focus on the Wyeths and the artists that influenced them.
I am so pleased to be partnering with Kyle on this unique collaboration. I will also be joining the group on tour to manage the day-to-day business of the trip in order for Kyle to remain firmly focused on the art, site visits, and his painting demonstrations and instruction. We hope this initial partnership will lead to many more opportunities to travel and paint, both at home and abroad!
Tour Cost: $2,850 per person, double occupancy Single Supplement: $750
Accommodation will be at the 5-star Hotel Dupont in Wilmington, DE
For a fully detailed itinerary and reservation form, or to RESERVE YOUR SPACE, please email me directly at troy@troybmarden.com We look forward to traveling and painting with you!

SOLD OUT!!!--Northern Wales & Scotland Adventure
2020-08-02 - 2020-08-16
Castles, gardens, art, architecture, food, and more, this tour will have something for everyone, including a bit of luxury in our 4-star or better hotels! Flying into Manchester, England, we will use Chester, an ancient Roman settlement complete with Roman architecture, walls, and even a Roman amphitheater as our home base to explore northern Wales. While in Wales, we will visit Bodnant Gardens, Powis Castle, the Dingle Garden and Nurseries, Caernarfon Castle, Portmeirion, and the Pant Du Winery & Orchard, to name but a few.
For the second half of the trip, we will fly (*flight included in the price) from Manchester to Glasgow, where we will explore the castles, gardens, and country estates of the west coast of Scotland before heading to Edinburgh. We will end the main portion of our tour in the region around Edinburgh and those not participating in the extension will fly home.
Optional Extenstion to Inverness, $1,250 per person: Join me on this optional extension as we drive north to Inverness, touring Falkland Palace, Branklyn Garden, and Blair Castle along the way. While in Inverness, we’ll spend a day exploring the Scottish Highlands and enjoy a wee dram at two of the region’s finest distilleries. A visit to Glamis Castle will complete the tour as we return to Edinburgh to fly home.
THIS TOUR IS CURRENTLY SOLD OUT!!!

Epic Ireland! with Jason Reeves--August 18 - September 1, 2020
2020-08-18 - 2020-09-01
Explore the captivating beauty and rich history of Ireland in this epic, 15-day journey that will find us exploring the island from North to South and East to West! Starting in Dublin, we’ll explore the private and public gardens of this beautiful and historic city before heading west across the center of the country, all the way to Limerick. Here, the coastal region of Ireland known as the “Wild Atlantic Way” beckons with some of Ireland’s most beautiful castles and gardens set against the dramatic backdrop of the west coast wilderness. As we drop south to Cork, we’ll visit an island garden in the sheltered harbor of Glengariff and a stunning, Italianate garden whose view across Bantry Bay will leave you breathless!
Making our way back east, we’ll travel across the southern coast of Ireland, including a stop in Waterford, where you’ll be able to shop for crystal from one of the world’s most famous makers and enjoy lunch in the historic city center. Mid-tour, we will return to Dublin, using the city as home base to explore County Wicklow, home to some of Ireland’s most famous gardens. From the National Botanical Garden at Kilmacurragh to the private gardens of brother and sister gardeners-extraordinaire (and neighbors), Jimi and June Blake, we’ll explore as much of this garden rich region of Ireland as we can in our allotted time. We will also include a visit to the astounding Powerscourt Estate & Garden.
Finally, we’ll head to Northern Ireland to explore the fascinating city of Belfast and the historic estates and gardens of the surrounding countryside. These will include the Victorian Botanic Garden, the Rowallane estate and garden, Mount Stewart, and others. On our last day in Northern Ireland, we’ll drive to the northernmost point in all of Ireland to explore what is, perhaps, its most famous feature—the Giant’s Causeway. This UNESCO World Heritage site is the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption that caused more than 40,000 interlocking, hexagonal basalt blocks to rise dramatically out of the sea. This is one of nature’s wonders that truly must be seen to be believed!
On the last day of our tour, we will make our way from Belfast back to Dublin before flying home the next day.
Tour Cost: $4,495.00 per person, double occupancy, ground only Single Supplement: $$850.00
4-star hotel accommodations throughout the tour
For a fully detailed itinerary and reservation form, or TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE, please email me directly at troy@troybmarden.com

Chelsea Flower Show--May 15-26, 2022
2022-05-15 - 2022-05-26
Join me May 15-26, 2022 as we tour southern England from Bath to Southampton, Chichester, and Maidstone before we arrive in London for three nights at tour’s end to take in the most famous flower show in the world—Chelsea!
We will fly roundtrip into and out of London and spend the first seven days exploring some of England’s most special public and private gardens from Bath, in Somerset, to Maidstone, in Kent. Garden visits will include Cliveden, Iford Manor, Longleat, Stourhead, Exbury Gardens, West Dean Gardens, Nymans, Gravetye Manor, Wakehurst, Great Dixter, Sissinghurst, and several more.
Cultural visits will include Avebury, a walking tour of Bath, a stay at Leeds Castle with a private dinner in the castle, and the grand finale of the Chelsea Flower Show in London, staying in London’s toney Covent Garden. Also included are one-year memberships to the Royal Horticulture Society and the National Trust.
Cost: $4,450.00 per person, double occupancy, ground only
Single Supplement: $950.00

Castles and Gardens of Northern Wales & Scotland--July 16-27, 2022
2022-07-16 - 2022-07-27
Rescheduled from 2020 to 2021, reservations are now open to fill the remaining spaces on what will be a spectacular tour of Northern Wales and the southern half of Scotland. We will explore the northern coast and part of the interior of Wales before turning our private coach north and driving first to Glasgow and finally to Edinburgh. Some highlights include: Arley Hall & Gardens, Powis Castle, Portmeirion, Bodnant Gardens, Threave Garden, Culzean Castle, Logan Botanic Garden, Abbotsford, and Carolside (a stunning private garden). An optional 3-day, 2-night extension to Inverness will include visits to at least two well-known Scotch distilleries.
Cost: $4,250 per person, double occupancy, ground only
Single Supplement: $850.00
Optional Extension to Inverness: $1,250.00 per person, double occupancy
For More Information or to make your reservations: troy@troybmarden.com

Epic Ireland! 15 Days of Castles, Gardens, and Natural Wonders--August 10-24, 2022
2022-08-10 - 2022-08-24
Join me, along with well-known horticulturist and garden guru, Jason Reeves, curator of the UT Garden at the University of Tennessee’s Jackson, TN research station for an EPIC adventure through the most beautiful gardens of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Beginning and ending in Dublin, we’ll make two complete loops through Ireland. The first, west across central Ireland to Limerick, south to Bantry Bay, and finally back east to County Wicklow. Then, we’ll head north to Belfast for three nights while we explore the wild and wonderful sights of the north country before heading back to Dublin for our return to the U.S.
Along the way, we’ll see sights like the National Botanic Garden Glasnevin, Heywood Gardens (part of which is an Edwin Lutyens/Gertrude Jekyll masterpiece), the city of Galway, the cliffs of Moher, Glin Castle and Gardens, Bantry House & Gardens, the private gardens of brother and sister gardeners Jimi and June Blake, and much, much more! On our journey north, we’ll visit Tyrrelstown House & Garden, Ardgillan Castle, the Giant’s Causeway, the Belfast Botanic Garden, Mount Stewart and several other gardens and awe-inspiring sites along the way.
Finally, we will return to Dublin, where you will have the opportunity to visit the Trinity College Library and the Book of Kells, the illuminated manuscript of the four gospels of the Christian New Testament created around 800 AD and housed at Trinity since 1661. We will leave nary a stone unturned on this tour of Epic Ireland!

Culinary Delights of the Italian Piedmont--September 4-15, 2022
2022-09-04 - 2022-09-15
Sold Out
A food-focused tour that will explore the delicacies of Italy’s northwestern Piedmont region. Here, traditional Italian cooking blends with the cuisine of its border countries, France and Switzerland. The tomato sauces of central and southern Italy give way to rich and hearty cream sauces and buttery delights. Cheese reigns supreme and truffles abound.
Beginning in Genoa and ending in the lakeside spa town of Stresa, this tour will include the Asti Food Festival in Asti (also home to the bubbly Asti Spumante), a visit to the village of Bra (the foundation of the “Slow Food” movement), the Barolo wine region, the Sacra di San Michelle, a cable car ride at Monte Bianco, a truffle hunt, and much, much more! We will also stay in the deeply historic city of Turin, with its famous shroud and a second-to-none culinary scene, and spend two nights in the heart of the ancient city of Aosta. As we relax in the spa town of Stresa at tour’s end, we will explore the garden islands, Isola Bella and Isola Madre, of Lago di Maggiore, as well as a nearby private garden.
Cost: $4,450.00 per person, double occupancy, ground only
Single Supplement: $750.00
For more information or to make reservations: troy@troybmarden.com

Gardens & Treasures of Sicily
2023-04-11 - 2023-04-22
Back by popular demand! Charles Yurgalevitch, the former Director of the New York Botanical Garden School of Professional Horticulture, and I will once again be sharing Sicily and all it has to offer with a lucky group of travelers. Our first two tours together in 2022 were a great success and more of you have asked to go, so we are obliging! We will fly round-trip into and out of Palermo and in between, we’ll circumnavigate the island seeing some of the world’s greatest archaeological sites, Sicilian hill towns, public and private gardens, and enjoy some of the best food and wine in all of Italy. Plus, you just won’t believe the hospitality provided by the people of this amazing island. Just a few of the sites we’ll include on this tour: Palermo’s Palazzo dei Normanni and Palazzo Cinese (and more!), a private tour of the Palermo Botanical Garden, the Temple of Segesta, the mountaintop town of Erice, Agrigento and the Valley of the Temples, the Villa Romana dei Casale, the cities and towns of Palermo, Marsala, Ortigia (Siracusa), Taormina, and Cefalu, and along the way, we’ll be treated to no fewer than a half dozen (and quite possibly more!) private and public gardens, nurseries and other horticultural hotspots.
Tour Price: SOLD OUT! ($4,450.00 per person, double occupancy, ground package only, airfare not included. Single Supplement: $850.00)
Maximum Group Size: 20 guests
For a complete itinerary or to register for this tour, please email me directly at troy@troybmarden.com

Chihuly at the Missouri Botanical Garden
2023-05-18 - 2023-05-20
Join Jason Reeves and me on a 3-day, 2-night bus tour from Jackson, Tennessee to St. Louis, Missouri to experience the world class artistry of Dale Chihuly in the magnificent surroundings of the Missouri Botanical Garden! One of the largest outdoor installations ever undertaken in a botanical garden, this showing of Chihuly’s one-of-a-kind glass art is sure to dazzle all who experience it. In addition to the Missouri Botanical Garden, where we will spend the better part of Friday and then return that evening to experience the exhibition at night, we will also visit the Shaw Nature Reserve, Bowood Farms and Gringo Jones for a little shopping, the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, a private garden or two, and you know we won’t miss out on the chance to buy plants at some local garden centers!
For complete details, please email Troy Marden directly at troy@troybmarden.com

Chateaux & Gardens of the Loire Valley
2023-06-06 - 2023-06-17
There is nothing quite like the beauty of France’s Loire Valley. From Julius Caesar in 52 B.C. to the Huns in the 5th century and the kings of France from the 16th century on, the Loire Valley has always been a highly revered and sought-after swath of land through central France for its fertile land, plentiful water, and desirable climate. Embraced by French royalty as a safe haven away from the political backstabbing of Paris, the Loire Valley became their playground and, on this tour, we’ll take a step back in time as we visit some of the valley’s most beautiful cities, villages, chateaux, and gardens including, but not limited to Chenonceau, Villandry, Azay-le-Rideau, Amboise, Chateau de Lude (still a family home), and many, many more! We’ll also visit historic towns and villages like Orleans, Tours, Amboise, Blois, and more. And of course, we can’t be in the Loire Valley and not take advantage of its rich culinary heritage and wine-making traditions! We would also be remiss to miss out on some gardens a little nearer to Paris, so on the way to and from the Loire Valley, we’ll also make stops at the Roseraie du Val-de-Marne where more than 3,000 roses will be at peak bloom, and the nearly indescribable gardens of Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte.
Tour Price: $4,450.00 per person, double occupancy, ground package only (Airfaire not included) Single Supplement: $850.00
Maximum Group Size: 20 guests
For more information or a complete itinerary and reservation form, please email me directly at troy@troybmarden.com

An African Adventure!
2023-08-08 - 2023-08-22
I am thrilled to announce our return to Africa–this time in a very small group format with a maximum of 10 guests! We will fly round trip into and out of Johannesburg, South Africa, and in between, we’ll spend time at Victoria Falls, in Cape Town, and at the 5-star Kapama River Lodge in Hoedspruit. From those destinations, we will explore Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, the Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain (including Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden), the wine country of South Africa, and much, much more! We’ll spend our final three nights at the 5-star Kapama River Lodge and Resort while finishing our quest to observe all of Africa’s “Big 5”–the lion, elephant, rhinoceros, leopard, and Cape buffalo. At Kapama, we will have the unique opportunity to participate in “bush walks” with highly trained guides who will escort us, on foot, across the African savannah to observe the wildlife in the most personal way possible.
Tour Cost: $7,250 per person, based on double occupancy, *ground package only. Single Supplement: $1,000 per person
*The “ground package” portion of this tour does include internal flights within Africa, between African cities. The price does not include round trip, international airfare from the U.S. to Johannesburg, SA, and back.
Maximum Group Size: 10 guests
For more information or a complete itinerary, please email me directly at troy@troybmarden.com

Wonders of the Italian Piedmont & French Riviera
2023-10-09 - 2023-10-23
Travel with Jason Reeves and Troy Marden as we explore the gardens, natural landscapes, art, food, and architecture of two of the world’s most beautiful destinations–the Italian Piedmont and the French Riviera! Starting in Milan, we will visit Lake Como and the surrounding area before moving on to the beautiful village of Stresa, nestled into the foothills of the Italian Alps on the shores of Lago di Maggiore. There, we will visit several gardens, including the “garden islands” of Isola Madre and Isola Bella, which occupy prominent positions in the center of the lake. Next, it’s on to the city of Turin, one of the most interesting cities in northern Italy with fabulous museums, a not-to-be-missed (and we won’t!) Royal Palace, and a food scene you must experience firsthand. Finally, we make our way across the border to Nice, France, one of the Riviera’s most stunning destinations. We will use Nice as our home base for the final four nights of this two week tour, exploring Monaco for a day, visiting the gardens of the city of Menton, experiencing the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Cap Ferrat, and much, much more!
$4,950 per person, based on double occupancy. For a private room, the single supplement is $1,350.
For complete details, please email troy@troybmarden.com

The Wonders of Winter--Snowdrops & Winter Gardens of England
2024-02-17 - 2024-02-25
Winter may seem an unusual time for a garden tour to England, but it is the only time to see one of the country’s greatest garden spectacles—the annual flowering of the snowdrops in woodlands, gardens, and estates throughout the countryside. For gardeners “in the know”, snowdrops are one of the most popular bulbs amongst collectors around the world, but the mania started with the collections in England, Scotland, and Ireland. While diminutive on their own, collections begun a century or more ago now have bulbs numbering in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands and the displays are some of the most impressive in the gardening world.

For one week, we’ll explore the best public and private collections of snowdrops from the Cotswolds to Yorkshire. For good measure, we’ll include some visits to gardens and nurseries with impressive displays of hellebores, witchhazel, crocus, and many other late winter and early spring flowering plants, as well. A friend who is one of the world’s foremost authorities on snowdrops is kindly helping me curate our stops on this tour, making it a truly unique and one-of-a-kind experience.

In the Cotswolds, we’ll use the beautiful town of Cheltenham as our home base, eventually making our way north to York. Near Birmingham, we’ll also include a visit to the world-renowned Ashwood Nurseries, some of the original breeders of modern-day hellebores. Estates and gardens on the tour will include Colesbourne Park, Kingston Bagpuize House & Garden, Biddulph Grange, Painswick Rococo Garden, Millichope Park, Castle Howard, and many more.
For complete details, please email: troy@troybmarden.com

Plant Delights Nursery & The Gardens of Raleigh-Durham with Jason Reeves & Troy Marden
2024-03-12 - 2024-03-17
Has Plant Delights Nursery been on your bucket list for a visit? Here’s your chance!
Jason Reeves and I will be your personal guides as we visit Plant Delights Nursery and its magnificent display garden known as the Juniper Level Botanic Garden. Early spring will find the hellebores (Lenten roses), early bulbs like crocus, narcissus, snowdrops, and others, as well as spring-flowering trees and shrubs on full display!
In addition to Plant Delights and Juniper Level, we will visit the J.C. Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University, Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University, Homewood Nursery & Garden Center, Big Bloomers Flower Farm, Camellia Forest Nursery, and more. We will also visit at least three private gardens as part of this itinerary, and there will be lunches included in at least two of our stops.
This will be a bus tour departing from Jackson, TN on March 12, making passenger pickups in Nashville, and Knoxville along the way.
We’ll stay overnight in North Carolina on the first night, arriving in Raleigh on the 13th. Raleigh will be home base for three nights as we explore the area and we’ll head back to Tennessee on the 16th, overnighting again along the way and arriving back home on March 17. (Bus driver’s restrictions require us to make an overnight stop each way for safety reasons.)
Tour cost is $1,500 per person, based on double occupancy. A supplement of $500 applies for a private room for single travelers.
For complete details, please email: troy@troybmarden.com

Beautiful Bulbs!--Spring Gardens of the Netherlands
2024-04-16 - 2024-04-24
Join me in Holland as we visit the world-famous bulb displays at Keukenhof, Het Loo Palace, the tulip fields, the Dutch Flower Auction, and much more! Few sights are more impressive than the gardens of Holland in spring when the bulbs are at their peak. We’ll leave no stone unturned in seeking out the very best this incredible country has to offer!
As we explore Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Apeldoorn and others, we’ll also take in the Dutch countryside, experience the local cuisine, enjoy the museums, and get to know the vibrant and cheerful Dutch people. One of the many highlights of this tour will be a visit to the “Hortus Bulborum”, a living museum filled with some of the rarest tulips, daffodils, and other bulbs in the world! With tulip varieties that go back to the 16th century, daffodils that pre-date the tulips by 200-300 years, and a wide-ranging mix of historic hyacinths, crocus, snowdrops and many more, it is one of the most unique and important collections of bulbs in existence.
This tour will be about more than just gardens, though! Throughout the tour, we’ll dine in local restaurants, we’ll visit the city of Gouda so famous for its cheese, and while in Amsterdam, we’ll take in both the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum to see two of the finest art collections anywhere in the world!
For complete details, please email: troy@troybmarden.com

The Beauty of Belgium
2024-06-11 - 2024-06-22
Price: Double Occupancy Room, $5,450 per person Private Room for Single Travelers, add $950 to the per person price
Join Joseph and Shannon Hillenmeyer, of Joseph Hillenmeyer Garden Design https://josephhillenmeyer.com/ along with Troy Marden, as we traverse the beautiful cities and countryside of Belgium, exploring gardens, art, architecture, cuisine, and more for 10 full days and nights! This top-of-the-line tour features 5-star accommodations throughout, as well as meals at some of the finest restaurants in Belgium.
Of particular interest to Joseph are the gardens and landscapes of Jacques Wirtz, founder of Wirtz International Landscape Architects, and there are several planned visits to gardens and landscapes featuring their work. Shannon’s interests include the world of fine arts and design, and she will offer a unique perspective on the aesthetics of many of the sites on our itinerary. We’ll explore the cities of Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, and Antwerp, and enjoy the hospitality of smaller towns and villages, as well, including the Botanical Garden Meise, the Kasteel van Ooidonk, the Chateau Alden Biesen, the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen in Antwerp, and many other gardens and points of interest along the way! We’ll also spend one day in the Flanders Fields region learning about the sacrifices made by men and women from around the world during some of the most intense battles of WW1.
No tour with Troy is complete without experiencing the local cuisine and this tour will be no exception! Chocolate, waffles, moules frites and, of course, beer! We’ll check out the local food scenes in as many of the cities and towns as we can. Depending on the final size of the group, we may even take a cooking class (or at least have a demo!), participate in a chocolate-making class, or learn to draft a perfect beer!
For complete details, please email: troy@troybmarden.com

Flora, Fauna, and Fire! The Beauty of Eastern Sicily
2024-09-24 - 2024-10-05
A brand new offering for us as we expand our offerings in Sicily! Join Charles Yurgalevitch and Troy Marden on this more thorough exploration of Sicily’s eastern end, where fiery Mount Etna meets the Ionian Sea. The rich, volcanic soils of this end of the island are home to excellent wineries, beautiful gardens, and many of Sicily’s largest nurseries, not to mention the history that has unfolded here over thousands of years.

This tour will feature the historic city of Catania, the quiet respite of Ortigia, the spectacular views and luxurious lifestyle of Taormina, and more!

Included in this itinerary will be visits to the Alcantara Gorges, the wineries of Mount Etna, a unique and beautiful cactus and succulent nursery, the towns of Noto and Ragusa, and, schedule permitting, the Villa Romana del Casale, and that just scratches the surface!

We hope you will join us for a new and more in-depth look at Sicily as we begin offering more of these regional tours in the future. We love our spring “Gardens & Treasures of Sicily” tours, which we will continue offering, but we are equally excited for these new opportunities to explore this beautiful island!

Email troy@troybmarden.com for more details.

Hill Towns of Tuscany
2024-10-09 00:00 - 2024-10-20 23:59 (America/Chicago)
For the first time since before the Covid pandemic, we are returning to Tuscany! Autumn is the most beautiful time of year to enjoy the hill towns, when crowds are smaller, wine is being made, olives are being harvested, and restaurant menus are overflowing with local delicacies like chestnuts, mushrooms (including the famous truffle!), and wild boar.

We’ll bookend this tour with visits to the beautiful cities of Rome and Florence, taking in a few of the highlights of each. In between, we’ll stay in Cortona and at least one other hill town (probably San Gimignano, but we are awaiting hotel confirmation), and visit several more.

Along the way, we’ll enjoy public and private villas, palazzos, and gardens, including the Villa d’Este at Tivoli, the Parco dei Mostri (Bomarzo), the Basilica of Assisi, at least two wineries, and an olive grove and press.

It is no secret that Italy, and Tuscany in particular, is my favorite place in the world. I look forward to sharing it with you!

Email troy@troybmarden.com for more information.

Spring Fling in Mobile
2025-03-03 00:00 - 2025-03-09 23:59
Jason Reeves and I are still figuring out the details, but—similar to our 2024 tour to the Raleigh, NC area—we are planning to offer a shorter “spring fling” sightseeing and shopping trip to the Mobile, AL area in early March. The centerpieces of this tour will be a visit to Bellingrath Gardens and attendance at Mobile’s spring “Festival of Flowers”.

We’ll also include visits to at least one, and probably two, native pitcher plant bogs, several nurseries and garden centers, and an excursion to the beautiful town of Fairhope where locally owned shops, antique stores, and restaurants line the streets. Of course, we’ll do our best through our friends and colleagues in the Mobile area to arrange visits to private gardens around Mobile Bay. Complete details and pricing for this tour will be available soon.

Gardens & Treasures of Sicily
2025-03-27 00:00 - 2025-04-07 23:59
Join Charles Yurgalevituch and me for our classic “Gardens & Treasures of Sicily” tour, circumnavigating the island to explore as many beautiful sites as we can cover in 10 days. Beginning and ending in Palermo, sightseeing will include the ancient temple and amphitheater at Segesta, the archaeological site and museum at Mozia, some of the island’s most spectacular temples at Agrigento, the botanical garden in Palermo, an excellent cactus and succulent nursery near Siracusa, one of the most complete Roman villas still left in the world—the Villa Romana del Casale, whose mosaics remain almost completely intact—plus private gardens, exceptional food, and much, much more!

After 2025, we will take a short break from Sicily since we have been multiple times since 2022 and Charles and I want to offer other destinations together. If you have been hoping to join us in Sicily, please consider doing so in 2025! Charles is the now-retired director of the New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture. He is of Sicilian heritage and his contacts throughout Sicily are part of what makes these tours so special!

For complete details, please email troy@troybmarden.com

Beautiful Bulbs!
2025-04-08 00:00 - 2025-04-17 23:59
We will use Amsterdam as our home base for the duration of this tour. In the city, we will enjoy a canal cruise, the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum. Around Holland, we will take in the Trompenburg Botanical Garden, enjoy a farm tour and cheese tasting in Gouda, visit the magnificent Het Loo Palace, the Hortus Bulborum, and the Dutch flower auction at Aalsmeer. Of course, no spring tour to Holland would be complete without taking in the spectacle of 7 MILLION flower bulbs at Keukenhof! These are but a few of the very special places we’ll visit on this tour and we’ll still get you home in time for Easter!

As with Sicily, I will take a short break from the Netherlands after offering it two years in a row, so if the magnificent tulip and other spring floral displays have been on your “To Do” list, please consider joining me in 2025!

For complete details, please email troy@troybmarden.com

The Chelsea Flower Show and Gardens of Cornwall & Devon
2025-05-10 00:00 - 2025-05-22 23:59
While I have led many tours to England over the past decade, the southwest part of the country—Devon and Cornwall—have eluded me. Well, no more! In May of 2025, we will spend 8 days making our way from Newquay, in the far southwest of the country, up through Exeter, Bath, and finally to London. This region of England is an almost subtropical climate and the plants that thrive here vary dramatically from any other part of England. Gardens may include Trewidden, Caerhays Castle, Buckland Abbey, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, The Eden Project, Forde Abbey, and Iford Manor, to mention but a few. There will be many more in the final itinerary! We will also take a short side trip to Stonehenge.

The tour will end with 3 nights in London and on Wednesday, May 21, as a grand finale to the tour, we will attend the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show on Member’s Day, prior to the show opening to the general public.

For complete details, please email troy@troybmarden.com

Jewels of the Emerald Isle
2025-07-17 00:00 - 2025-07-28 23:59
Complete details for this tour are now available! Join me along with friends and colleagues Joseph & Shannon Hillenmeyer, of Joseph Hillenmeyer Garden Design in Lexington, Kentucky for a 5-star tour of Ireland, the Emerald Isle! We will fly into and out of Dublin, exploring as much of the island as possible in the time we have, including sites like Kylemore Abbey, the Cliffs of Mohr, the garden of Ilnacullin (Garnish Island), Powerscourt (plus the Powerscourt waterfall), Mount Congreve, Ballynahinch Castle, the private gardens of extraordinary brother and sister gardeners Jimi and June Blake, and much, much more! Along the way, we will relax in the comfort of 5-star hotels in Killarney, Galway, and Dublin. We’ll dine in some of the finest restaurants and we’ll also experience the rustic pubs, the farmhouse cheese, and perhaps an Irish pint or two (or a little Irish whiskey)! Border collies rounding up sheep? Done! A one-of-a-kind birding experience at Ireland’s oldest school of falconry? Check! A visit to a private thoroughbred farm? We’re on it! If Ireland has been on your bucket list, this is going to be a bucket list kind of tour! Don’t miss out!

To be advised when complete details become available, please email troy@troybmarden.com

The Wonders of Africa--Tour #1!
2025-07-30 00:00 - 2025-08-14 23:59
These tours will explore ALL of the wonders of Africa—history, nature, art, food, wine, culture, and of course, gardens! From the roar of Victoria Falls to the roar of lions, and from the tip of the Cape of Good Hope to the top of Table Mountain, we’ll explore South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe through the eyes of the locals as they show us their lands, tell us their stories, tempt us with their cuisine, and treat us as friends. Included are your hotels, daily breakfast, transportation by private coach, local tour guides throughout the tour, all entry fees for sites and activities outlined in the final itinerary, meals as specified in the final itinerary, and all internal flights in the final tour itinerary (these are the flights within Africa, after your arrival from the U.S.–international airfare from the U.S. is not included). Hotels are 4- and 5-star accommodations throughout the tour and include all group safari activities in Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, and Kapama private reserve as noted in the final itinerary. These small group tours are limited to 10-12 participants each to ensure that we can provide each guest with the most personal experience possible.

Some of the activities on this tour include: Two nights in Johannesburg–Regina Mundi church, the Nelson Mandela House, Soweto township, the Apartheid Museum, and lunch and dinner at traditional South African restaurants. Three nights at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, including a visit to Victoria Falls, a sunset river cruise, a village tour, lunch at the Lookout Cafe, and a Boma Dinner including traditional music and dance. Our stay at Victoria Falls will also include a daytrip to the extraordinary Chobe National Park for a game drive in the park, lunch at the Chobe Lodge, and a river cruise. Our three nights in Cape Town will find us visiting Table Mountain, District Six Museum, the world-renowned Kirstenbosch Gardens, and more. We’ll also spend an incredible day out on the Cape of Good Hope, beginning with an unforgettable motorcycle ride as sidecar passengers on vintage, WW2 motorcycles. This excursion will take us along the seafront to Chapman’s Peak with a dropoff at Hout Bay for our Seal Island cruise. We will also visit the penguin colony at Boulders Beach and take the funicular to the summit of the Cape of Good Hope. Two nights in Franschhoek and wine country–Iconic wineries such as Babylonstoren, Haute Cabriere, and Bartinney will be part of our visit to this region of South Africa. We’ll also experience a top-of-the-line lunch at the Fairview Estate along with a master tasting of the estate’s wines. Stellenbosch will round out our visit to this area. We will end our tour with three nights at the extraordinary Kapama River Lodge, where we will experience 5-star African hospitality at its very finest. Included in our “grand finale” are 3 meals daily, morning and evening daily game drives/safaris, an opportunity to do an optional bush walk to experience African wildlife in the most up close and personal way possible, as well as some free time to enjoy the exceptional features of our spa resort.

Double Occupancy Price: $8,950 per person, ground package including internal flights within Africa. (International airfare from and returning to the U.S. is the responsibility of individual guests.)

Single Occupancy Price: $10,600 per person, ground package including internal flights within Africa. (International airfare from and returning to the U.S. is the responsibility of individual guests.)

For complete details about this once-in-a-lifetime tour to experience the Wonders of Africa, please email troy@troybmarden.com

The Wonders of Africa--Tour #2
2025-08-14 00:00 - 2025-08-30 23:59
These tours will explore ALL of the wonders of Africa—history, nature, art, food, wine, culture, and of course, gardens! From the roar of Victoria Falls to the roar of lions, and from the tip of the Cape of Good Hope to the top of Table Mountain, we’ll explore South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe through the eyes of the locals as they show us their lands, tell us their stories, tempt us with their cuisine, and treat us as friends. This tour is one day longer than Tour #1 and is a slightly different itinerary, including a 2-night stay at Chobe National Park (Chobe is included in Tour #1, but will be done as a daytrip from Victoria Falls). Included are your hotels, daily breakfast, transportation by private coach, local tour guides throughout the tour, all entry fees for sites and activities outlined in the final itinerary, meals as specified in the final itinerary, and all internal flights in the final tour itinerary (these are the flights within Africa, after your arrival from the U.S.–international airfare from the U.S. is not included). Hotels are 4- and 5-star accommodations throughout the tour and include all group safari activities in Victoria Falls, Chobe National Park, and Kapama private reserve as noted in the final itinerary. These small group tours are limited to 10-12 participants each to ensure that we can provide each guest with the most personal experience possible.

Some of the activities on this tour include: Two nights in Johannesburg–Regina Mundi church, the Nelson Mandela House, Soweto township, the Apartheid Museum, and lunch and dinner at traditional South African restaurants. Two nights in Chobe National Park, where we will enjoy the hospitality of the Chobe Marina Lodge and Resort. Our stay here will include daily safari activities, as well as a river cruise during our stay. Two nights at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, including a visit to Victoria Falls, a sunset river cruise, a village tour, lunch at the Lookout Cafe, and a Boma Dinner including traditional music and dance. Our three nights in Cape Town will find us visiting Table Mountain, District Six Museum, the world-renowned Kirstenbosch Gardens, and more. We’ll also spend an incredible day out on the Cape of Good Hope, beginning with an unforgettable motorcycle ride as sidecar passengers on vintage, WW2 motorcycles. This excursion will take us along the seafront to Chapman’s Peak with a dropoff at Hout Bay for our Seal Island cruise. We will also visit the penguin colony at Boulders Beach and take the funicular to the summit of the Cape of Good Hope. Two nights in Franschhoek and wine country–Iconic wineries such as Babylonstoren, Haute Cabriere, and Bartinney will be part of our visit to this region of South Africa. We’ll also experience a top-of-the-line lunch at the Fairview Estate along with a master tasting of the estate’s wines. Stellenbosch will round out our visit to this area. We will end our tour with three nights at the extraordinary Kapama Buffalo Camp, where we will experience 5-star African hospitality at its very finest. Included in our “grand finale” are 3 meals daily, morning and evening daily game drives/safaris, an opportunity to do an optional bush walk to experience African wildlife in the most up close and personal way possible, as well as some free time to enjoy the exceptional features of our spa resort.

Double Occupancy Price: $9,850 per person, ground package including internal flights within Africa. (International airfare from and returning to the U.S. is the responsibility of individual guests.)

Single Occupancy Price: $11,500 per person, ground package including internal flights within Africa. (International airfare from and returning to the U.S. is the responsibility of individual guests.)

For complete details about this once-in-a-lifetime tour to experience the Wonders of Africa, please email troy@troybmarden.com
