This coming July, I will be taking garden lovers to visit some of the most spectacular gardens and castles in the world.  From the extraordinary gardens on the Island of Mainau in southern Germany to the fairyland castle of Neuschwanstein, our trip spans hundreds of years and several periods of art and architecture history.

We will be spending two weeks in Germany, starting in the Black Forest, moving south to the foot of the Alps, up to the capital of Bavaria, Munich, and finishing in the capital city of Germany itself--Berlin.

Having spent my early years in Germany, this trip is one that I have wanted to take for a long time.  I've been to most of the places we'll visit several times--some when I was just seven years old. 

The dates of the trip are July 9-22, 2009. The the cost per person is $3,950 (double occupancy). We will be seeing beautiful gardens, extraordinary cities, and scenery that will take your breath away. And as usual on our trips around the world, you will get a full dose of the German culture.

Our accommodations are first class with center city locations.  We will be flying out of and returning to Washington's Dulles International Airport.

My wife Nancy and I are the hosts for this fantastic journey. As a landscape architect and associate professor of horticulture at Virginia Tech, I have been teaching landscape design and lecturing on garden history for 30 years. I’ve planned every detail of this trip to make certain that it will be more than memorable.  I would like to personally invite you to join me on this exciting study tour.

We have limited space, so you are encouraged to register early. Check out the itinerary and details about the trip and please contact me if you have any questions.

This study tour is sponsored by the Department of Horticulture at Virginia Tech.

Robert F. McDuffie
Landscape Architect and Associate Professor
Virginia Tech