Puzzles

[Diane Clement]

The Bookeroo is getting warm, Chief Croconut is warm geographically but not so botanically

[tonyg]

Are we looking at El Torcal?  Once again I've not been there but .....

[Diane Clement]

Are we looking at El Torcal?  Once again I've not been there but .....   

We are!  Well done, Tony.  I was sitting in a hot tub at the Hotel El Torcal in order to take the picture. 
It's February, so the blossom is almond and olive and the eponymous crocus is sadly not to be found at this season.  This picture is the wallpaper on my computer so I often have to tell people where it is. 

There's more on this area here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=275.16

[Giles]

Oh dear!
Just found this thread, and it's sooooo funny,
and it's way past my bed time - The Magic Roundabout must have finished  ..... 


How about this:
I've visited a few Botanic Gardens in my time.
In one country I think I visited every Botanic Garden they had.
I guess I could feed you Botanic Gardens,(from the same country), and you could try and guess the country (and city?)
I'll start with the most difficult one - probably the third or fourth largest city in this country.I'll give you successive new Botanic Gardens in this country
until it's too obvious. As this one is so obscure, I give the view looking the other way (!)
(Sorry, can't do Robin's sense of humour).

[Gunilla]

I think I know but have not visited the country I'm thinking of so I'm not sure. Am I right to think that this place has a connection with the Viking king Olav Trygvasson and was once the capital of this country?

[Giles]

I'm totally stunned with that!!!
I thought it would be impossible, but you are right - it's Trondheim Botanical Garden.
Norway has the dubious honour of being my No. 2 favourite country,(after Luxembourg).
For the others - here is Bergen and Oslo Botanic Garden....

[Ragged Robin]

Oh dear!
Just found this thread, and it's sooooo funny,
and it's way past my bed time - The Magic Roundabout must have finished  ..... 

Closer to the truth than you might imagine! 

How about this:
I've visited a few Botanic Gardens in my time.
In one country I think I visited every Botanic Garden they had.
I guess I could feed you Botanic Gardens,(from the same country), and you could try and guess the country (and city?)
I'll start with the most difficult one - probably the third or fourth largest city in this country.I'll give you successive new Botanic Gardens in this country
until it's too obvious. As this one is so obscure, I give the view looking the other way (!)
(Sorry, can't do Robin's sense of humour).

Giles, welcome to this elusive if not magical thread and thanks for your puzzle which I was thinking about when I discovered that Gunilla had neatly resolved it as Trondheim Botanical Gardens!
I visited Trondheim many times as my father was a great fisherman and we spent fishing holidays at Rissa (? spelling) Fabulous place! How long has the Botanical Gardens been in existence?

[Ragged Robin]

Are we looking at El Torcal?  Once again I've not been there but .....   

We are!  Well done, Tony.  I was sitting in a hot tub at the Hotel El Torcal in order to take the picture. 
It's February, so the blossom is almond and olive and the eponymous crocus is sadly not to be found at this season.  This picture is the wallpaper on my computer so I often have to tell people where it is. 

There's more on this area here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=275.16

Great puzzle Diane, makes me want to go there and have the hot tub experience with a view - after a hike in the mountain, of course.  Can we see a photo of the crocus in question?

[Gunilla]

I'm totally stunned with that!!!
I thought it would be impossible, but you are right - it's Trondheim Botanical Garden.
Norway has the dubious honour of being my No. 2 favourite country,(after Luxembourg).
For the others - here is Bergen and Oslo Botanic Garden....

Giles, it was your second photo that made me guess Norway and then your clue about the size of the city made me think of Trondheim. 

This thread is great and I have enjoyed it very much often laughing out loud 

[tonyg]

Are we looking at El Torcal?  Once again I've not been there but .....   

We are!  Well done, Tony.  I was sitting in a hot tub at the Hotel El Torcal in order to take the picture. 
It's February, so the blossom is almond and olive and the eponymous crocus is sadly not to be found at this season.  This picture is the wallpaper on my computer so I often have to tell people where it is. 

There's more on this area here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=275.16

Great puzzle Diane, makes me want to go there and have the hot tub experience with a view - after a hike in the mountain, of course.  Can we see a photo of the crocus in question?

Your wish is my command!
The name is applied to this white form collected in the area.  Likes a warm dry summer rest.  I have lost mine to virus

[Ragged Robin]

Thank you, thank you oh Chief Croconut genii-us .....it's a magical crocus.  I wish you could raise another one from your magical lamp!

[Ragged Robin]

In between the postings did someone post a gorgeous little grey leaved rock plant to find a name for or was it just my imagination....again!   Please repost as it's driving me crazy not having an answer to a puzzle!!!!

[Giles]

My last ditch chance, I guess.
3 islands, 1 kingdom.

[tonyg]

Giles in my list of countries only one has Kingdom in its given name.  Did you have to travel far for these ?

[Giles]

I realise I'm out of my depth in this thread.
(I still can't believe Gunilla got Trondheim when she has never been there!)
I guess what I was getting at was:
Japan  (Biddulph Grange, Staffordshire)
Italy    (Osborne House, Isle of Wight)
Desert  (Tresco, Scilly Isles)

More: 3 'countries' depicted on three islands, of one country (England).

Must sort through my collection of historical topiary!!!!!!