Widely known in Europe, the Isle of Mainau is unsung internationally, yet may well be the Ultimate Garden.

In the realms of the imagination, there is a perfect garden. The Bible describes Eden before the Fall. Archaeologists translate hieroglyphics describing the emerald banks of the Nile and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Sir Thomas More describes an island Utopia (whose social and political balance must have created plenty of leisure for gardening). From what Kay Tiller tells me, the Isle of Mainau may be, at the very least, a modern heaven on earth.

A floral island in Lake Constance, in the southern part of Germany, the Isle of Mainau owes its development as a horticultural haven to Grand Duke Friedrich I of Baden who found a purpose for his boundless travels and interest in horticulture upon acquiring the property in 1853. To this day, 600,000 bulbs are planted every autumn, set off by 200,000 pansies and primroses. There is sure to be more than one 'Easter Surprise' among the tulips at Mainau. In the summer, roses steal the scene, showy competition for the three-dimensional floral plant sculptures that delight young and old in "children land." But, there are other gardens that specialize in seasonal "events."

The Isle of Mainau owes its reputation to the island environment that supports the size of its exotic trees and orchid collection, begun by the Grand Duke, but maintained by his descendents, Queen Victoria of Sweden and Count Lennart Bernadotte (German Garden Society president, 1955-1983). Though the lake acts as a thermal reservoir, creating a tropical climate almost yearround, palm, banana, and citrus trees as well as orchids are enclosed in a "winterhouse." Some orchids fairly drape the trees, camouflaging parrots and and other tropical birds in their cascades. And, because this greenhouse is erected annually to protect the tropical collection until the threat of cold weather passes, the orchid garden is home to some of the largest orchids on earth.

Speaking of some of the largest specimens on earth, even huge moss-covered Giant California Redwoods can't dwarf their companions from around the world in this almost unbelievable paradise.