world reviewer
Donna Dawson
As the owner/publisher of the Internet Web site, www.ICanGarden.com, Donna Dawson has received many awards and has been recognized in numerous publications. During its twelve year history, ICanGarden.com has grown to become Canada’s largest Internet gardening resource site visited by thousands of gardeners daily from all over the world. In 1998 Donna began organizing and hosting gardening tours to England and Europe. Her custom designed garden tours, which change yearly due to repeat guests, can be seen at www.gardeningtours.com
In 1995, Donna achieved her master gardener certificate through the University of Alberta Devonian Botanic Garden. She is a current member of the Royal Horticultural Society as well as the Garden Writers Association, Affiliate Member Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors and member North American Travel Journalists Association.
She has appeared in numerous gardening magazines including Homemaker's, Gardener for the Prairies, Gardens West, Canadian Gardening and Gardening Life, as well as local newspapers and Internet sites such as Familywave.com and iParenting.com where she is currently the expert on Home Style on gardening. She is part of the expert panel at www.WorldReviewer.com with her specialty in gardens. She has also had the opportunity to provide photographs to European Homes & Gardens, BCAA and Doctor's Review. She is the only outside writer for TaiPan Travel magazine featuring gardens and plants from around the world her articles are in both Cantonese and English and is a writer for Vivir Bien, a lifestyle magazine out of the Republic of Panama where she talks about plants in tropical areas in Spanish and English . One of the hobbies that she has is collecting photos of seating from around the world while on her travels. Those can be seen under the Pix area of www.icangarden.com
She has appeared in numerousgardening magazines including Homemaker's, Gardener for the Prairies, GardensWest, Canadian Gardening and Gardening Life, as well as local newspapers andInternet sites such as Familywave.com and iParenting.com where she is currentlythe expert on Home Style on gardening. She is part of the expert panel.
ICanGarden.com is her way of bringing gardeners together from all over the world, to share their trials and successes as well as learn from the thousands and thousands of garden articles by writers from all over the world. They can find out what is happening in the Events area, and if they need a garden club or supplier, they will find it. The tours only site brings gardeners together to share in the joy of seeing how others garden and to go home with both great memories and new found friends.
Donna Dawson's activity
- 25 Jun 2009
Donna Dawson commented on And the Web 2.0 Winner is:
Congrats Kat!! and held in Canada House...how wonderful. expat from Canada now living in the Republic of Panama and one of your writers :)"
- 19 Jan 2009
Donna Dawson reviewed Transiting the Panama Canal in Colón, Panama
This canal is really a marvel in engineering. Nothing has been changed since the original design. The locks have worked perfectly since day one. It is fascinating to be on a ship going through the locks. You wait your turn to enter and sometimes dep…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Panamonte in Panama
What could be more perfect for a gardener than to stay at a hotel with gardens when traveling. I know there are many such hotels here in Panama but we will focus on one such hotel in the beautiful town of Boquete. Located at the foot of Volcano Barú…"
- 16 Jan 2009
Donna Dawson reviewed Loma Del Mar Resort in Mexico
We had the pleasure of attending a wedding in Zihuatanejo, Mexico August 2008 and stayed at an exquisite resort called Loma Del Mar in Ixtapa. It was refreshing to get away just for a few days, be with friends and help celebrate a new marriage and life t…"
- 06 Jun 2008
Donna Dawson reviewed Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai, China
Yu Yuan Garden, Shanghai or as some have called it ‘the garden of peace and comfort’, is one of China’s most famous scholar gardens. Yu Yuan Garden with it's zig zag pathway. Built in 1559, a beautiful garden and as you can see, more in bloom because o…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Tiger Hill or Huqiu Garden in Suzhou, China
The Yunyan Pagoda was built in 961 and yes, it is slanted a bit more than two meters off its vertical axis. It has been leaning since before the Qing Dynasty. Today this pagoda has become a symbol of Suzhou. The gardens are for leisurely strolling and…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou, China
This is a beautiful garden…full of flowers and the most incredible man made mountains I had ever seen. These 14th century mountains and buildings surround an artificial lake. This garden is noted for its labyrinthine mountains with winding pathways and…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Luoyang Peony Festival in Luoyang, China
At the same time that the peony festival is held in April, there is a floral exhibit, where the feature flower of course is the peony. I am including some pictures of the floral arrangements so that you can see what floral design is like in China. 200…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Villa Torrigiani in Emilia-Romagna, Italy
It and the park date back to the beginning of the 16th century. The owners then were the powerful Buonvisi family. During the first half of the 17th Century Villa Torrigiani was purchased by Marquis Nicolao Santini, the ambassador of the Republic of Lucc…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Hanbury Botanic Gardens in Liguria, Italy
Hanbury Botanic Gardens, just on the France/Italian border. The gardens were created by Sir Thomas Hanbury, who when holidaying on the Cote D’Azur, was struck by the beauty of Cape Mortola and he began buying up the land in the area which eventually amou…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Les Cèdres in Nice, France
Villa Les Cèdres, housing one of the largest collections of tropical plants in Europe, is a private botanical garden and is famous for its rare collections of tropical and subtropical plants. Our private tour of the gardens and greenhouses were incredi…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Serre de la Modone Garden in Liguria, Italy
Serre de la Madone Garden, in Menton is one of the south of France's best gardens and contains an exceptional botanical collection from throughout the world, some of which are now the only remaining specimens. Beyond its botanic interests, Serre de la …"
Donna Dawson reviewed Japanese Garden, Monaco in Monaco
This enchanting garden, designed by the landscape architect Yasuo Beppu, covers 23,000 square feet right next to the Mediterranean Sea and a short distance from the casino. In an area that is kind of out of the way, it was indeed a gem waiting to be dis…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Petit Jardin Exotique, Eze in Nice, France
Eze’s ‘petit jardin exotique’ is located in the French Riviera. Suspended some 429 metres between sea and sky, this exotic garden offers the visitor the most breath-taking views of Eze and the surrounding area. The garden itself contains over 400 species…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Palazzo Pfanner in Tuscany, Italy
Lucca, Italy, built in 1667, has all the characteristics of a late 16th century building. There is a beautiful wide staircase that leads to the great elegant loggia overlooking the 18th century formal Italian style garden attributed to Filippo Juvarra (1…"
- 20 Feb 2008
Donna Dawson reviewed Ramoji Film City:Movies, Make Believe & Gardens in Hyderabad, India
I never get tired of visiting new places and have learned one of the most valuable lessons along the way – be flexible. Those two words will open up your world. Case in point… An hour outside the southern Indian metropolis of Hyderabad, the Ramoji Fi…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Cypress Gardens Adventure Park in US South East, United States
This famed landmark put Winter Haven on the map when in 1936 Dick and Julie Pope took a cypress swamp and turned it into one of the most wonderful gardens that appeared even before Disneyworld or Universal. After undergoing some welcome and necessary ch…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Historic Bok Sanctuary Garden in US South East, United States
The renowned Historic Bok Sanctuary, located in Lake Wales is one of Florida's original tourism venues. Located on the highest point on the Florida peninsula, Bok Tower Sanctuary is a national landmark on 128 acres of gardens designed by Frederick Law Ol…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Hollis Garden in Lakeland, United States
Neoclassical in design and featuring more than 10,000 flowers, water features and ornamental shrubs, Hollis Garden, a gift from the Hollis family, chronicles Florida history, from the beginning with an artesian well that brings forth life, through to fru…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Yunnan Stone Forest in South China, China
Have you ever seen something so awe-inspiring, that is just takes your breath away? Well, I had that experience when I visited the Yunnan Stone Forest, about 75 kms from Kunming. Arriving at the entrance, we got on one of the little golf cart type veh…"
- 21 Jan 2008
Donna Dawson reviewed The Panama Canal in Panama City, Panama
This canal is really a marvel in engineering. Nothing has been changed since the original design. The locks have worked perfectly since day one. It is fascinating to be on a ship going through the locks. You wait your turn to enter and sometimes depe…"
- 20 Nov 2007
Donna Dawson reviewed Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, China
Longmen Grottoes, located in the south of Luoyang City, China started around the year 493 after the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) moved the capital to Luoyang. Thousands of Buddhas were carved into the rock slopes and cliffs aside the Yi River, and were…"
- 13 Jun 2007
Donna Dawson reviewed Great Dixter Gardens in South East England, United Kingdom
A must see for gardeners, you will not forget the series of gardens nor will you forget the differences in gardening styles. Great Dixter is a charming 15th century timber-framed manor house set in one of the most beautiful gardens in England. Records f…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Monet's Gardens in North East France, France
I was not prepared for the beauty of Claude Monet’s gardens…they were truly inspiring and after a tour of the gardens go through the house and upstairs to his bedroom and look out the very same windows that he did, where he could see and reflect on the …"
- 11 May 2007
Donna Dawson reviewed Leonardslee Gardens in Crawley, United Kingdom
Leonardslee Gardens, a paradise in spring! Leonardslee Gardens were laid out by Sir Leonard Loder in 1889 and today they are still maintained by the Loder family. The gardens are world famous for acid-loving ornamental trees and shrubs. The collection …"
Donna Dawson reviewed Kuching Orchid Garden in Kuching, Malaysia
Go through the gates and be transported to a world of orchids. There are over 60,000 orchids here, comprising 120 species and hybrids of orchid. The setting is perfect as the garden sits on the edge of a river with a view to Kuching across the way. A …"
Donna Dawson reviewed Garden of the Master of the Nets in Suzhou, China
The Garden of the Master of the Nets is a garden of extreme harmony and tranquility and very evident as all seems to go quiet when you enter into it. Designed during the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) this garden is reputed to be the most well-preserved garde…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Sissinghurst Castle Gardens in South East England, United Kingdom
Sissinghurst Castle, was once home to the writers Harold Nicholson and Vita Sackville-West, and its stunning Gardens, are perhaps the country’s most famous. ‘Profusion, even extravagance and exuberance within the confines of the utmost linear severity’ w…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Villa Ephrussi in Nice, France
One of the most enchanting of the ‘dream residences in the south of France’, this is the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild. The gardens surrounding the villa evoke both European and exotic landscapes recapturing the characteristics of Italian and Spanish gard…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Chateau de Versailles Gardens in Paris, France
The sumptuous Hall of Mirrors is haunted by the ghosts of the royal family, from Louis XIII to Louis-Philippe: 250 years of tragedies and fêtes in which the brilliance of the Sun King, Louis XIV, dominated. The gardens are adorned with hundreds of statu…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Montreal Botanic Gardens in Montreal, Canada
The Montréal Botanic Gardens is stunning…. “With its collection of 22,000 plant species and cultivars, 10 exhibition greenhouses, some thirty thematic gardens, and teams of researchers and activities staff, the Montréal Botanical Garden ranks as one of t…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Minter Gardens in Chilliwack, Canada
I can see why so many people get married here and have their reception here as well. What could not be more perfect that this setting! A show garden in the truest sense of the word. The new conservatory, the rock water falls, and the gardens themselves..…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Annevoie Gardens in Namur, Belgium
Designed and laid out between 1758 and 1776 by Charles-Alexis de Montpellier, the gardens are an authentic historical record and above all a living work of art. The 17th century French-style pleasure gardens at Annevoie were alone in adopting the Italia…"
Donna Dawson reviewed Keukenhof Gardens in The Netherlands
I remember the first time I walked through the gates into Keukenhof ….it took my breath away! I felt like a child in a candy shop – which way would I go? - and then on the way turning because I saw something else that caught my eye. Keukenof is ‘the’…"
- 17 Apr 2007
Donna Dawson reviewed The Terracotta Army in Xi'an, China
Terra-Cotta Army of Qin Shihuangdi, one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in the world and awesome!! The Grand Mausoleum of Qin Emperor, the first emperor of China, is protected by more than 6000 life size Terra-Cotta Warriors and horses. The…"
