Filoli Garden

 We visited Filoli on our way home from that long road trip we took to Southern California.  We toured several universities and for a break we decided to treat ourselves to something different.  The tour of Filoli includes a house and a garden tour but we stayed in the gardens during the whole time.  We skipped the part of the tour that focused on the opulence of the people who lived in that magnificent house.  It is interesting and relaxing to appreciate the verdant gardens; the delight of discovering a new garden room at every gate; the various horticultural techniques that shaped the different trees and shrubs; and the brilliance behind the choice of the different colors and shapes of plants in every corner of the garden.

 

Filoli Center is located in Woodside near San Francisco.   The place is bay-influenced and thus the weather is mild.  The good thing about the place is that it is so close to the city and yet when you are there is the feeling of being so detached from the busyness of the urban life.

There is a great history behind the house and the garden but a tiny glimpse of that history can be extrapolated from the origin of the name of the property Fi-Lo-Li.   The original owner had this for a credo:  "Fight for a cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life." The name was derived by combining the first two letters of the key words of the phrase. 

If you happen to be near San Francisco and wondering where to go...I strongly recommend Filoli.