Brief Garden in Sri Lanka

Bevis Bawa, a landscape architect and the proprietor of Brief Garden, the brother of renowned architect Jeffrey Bawa, built the landscape garden and previous residence in Beruwala, Sri Lanka. The third-largest park in Sri Lanka, also known as the Lost Lover's Flower Garden, spans 20 acres. This lovely garden is located 10 kilometers from Bentota.

When Bevis went run the family rubber estate in 1929, he also started the garden. He cut down the cash crop tree to make room for his home and then for the array of exquisitely manicured areas that were connected by vibrant, thickly planted walkways. In 1969, when the garden first welcomed visitors, it was already well-known.

The garden rooms that encircle the cottage are decorated with urns, sculptures, outdoor baths, and ironwork. The bat lily, or Tacca chantieri, resides in one of these areas. Two areas—the water terrace and the bin pol basin—are formed by mass planting, evoking European grand design. Bevis was a gifted gardener who was much ahead of his time. He was a pioneer in the development of outdoor areas employing a single species that was intensively planted. Bamboo's fluttering leaves frame the water terrace, and the "bin pol basin" is a genuine amphitheater of plants that sway in a little breeze. Curculigo Capitulatum, the plant is a native of tropical Australia.

He allegedly fell in love with a stunning young woman he met one day and even left the army out of sadness at her untimely separation from him. As a result, it goes by the name given above. He subsequently made the decision to fund his lonely existence by his artistic endeavors and constructed a home and a lovely garden on property owned by his family in Beruwala's Kalawila hamlet. He has constructed several pieces of art in the park and created art in isolation. This devastated guy created every artwork and sculpture in the home and yard. Her mother is the only female figure seen in the garden.

His mother, Bertha Marianne née Schrader, left the family rubber plantation to Bawa in 1929. (1876–1946). The estate's distinctive moniker came from the fact that his father, Benjamin, bought it with money from a winning legal brief. Bawa concentrated instead on improving the estate's garden after realizing he lacked the discipline to run and maintain a profitable plantation. The estate's original size was around 81 hectares (200 acres), but Bawa sold off some of it to make it more manageable. He never stopped tending the garden; he died in 1992. His workers took over management of the estate after his death, with Doohlan de Silva doing so at the moment.

The garden's entry is through elaborate gateposts that are topped with male and female statues. The gateposts were made by Bawa and an Australian artist named Donald Friend and showcase a synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas. The next two entrances are reached by following the trail. The first opens to a circular staircase that takes you to the home. It is black and white and is built into a mustard-colored wall. The second one conceals any sight of the house while leading down into the garden.

Visit to Brief Garden

Since 1972, the public has been able to visit Brief Garden. Normally, ringing a bell grants access to Brief Garden. A caretaker will lead tourists in and around the central residence as he or she explains the architectural features and antiques. Visitors are free to roam the garden area on their own.

A tropical forest with a jungle-book vibe coexists with an Italian villa garden, an English landscape garden, and garden architecture, which spans around two hectares. However, the majority of the vegetation is the product of gardening operations; in Brief Garden, numerous tropical ornamental plants are planted.

Several orchid species, Torch Ginger (Etlingera elatior), Madagascar Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), and Sexy Pink are among the plant species that may be found in the garden (Heliconia chartacea). The likelihood of seeing the endangered Sri Lankan hanging parrot is not bad (Loriculus beryllinus). There are several statues strewn about that include animals, Sri Lankan monster faces, Chinese miniature pagodas, and nudists dressed in the traditional Roman manner.

The villa is located at the highest point on the property and at the top of two distinct visual axes, one of which is a water garden with flat greens on various levels that are symmetrically organized along a lengthy cascade. A little Chinese water garden is located next to their property just outside the villa.

Bawa's home, which combines salons, verandahs, and patios, is painted a gentle apricot and has terra cotta tiles. This design enables a seamless transition between building and nature. In addition to paintings, portraits, and decorations, the villa has a private library with an assortment of Asian sculptures. Some of the ornaments are extremely innovative, such a double-grown coconut shaped like a vagina.

Vivien Leigh was guest of Bevis Bawa in Brief Garden

Bevis Bawa, who had first met Vivien Leigh at Galle Face Green, hosted her throughout her stay here. Leigh had traveled to Ceylon to take part in the Elephant Walk movie shoot. She only had a brief visit from her husband Laurence Olivier during her time in Ceylon, who was also there in 1953 to meet Bevis Bawa. Laurence Olivier was initially going to star alongside her in Elephant Walk. The 1954 Paramount Pictures picture Elephant Walk, directed by German-born William Dieterle, stars Elizabeth Taylor and Peter Finch rather than Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier. How is this possible? Because of his commitment to the theater production of "The Beggar's Opera," Laurence Olivier was unable to travel to Ceylon with his wife. As a result, his protégé Peter Finch, who was Vivien Leigh's boyfriend and knew it, took his position as his film partner.

The well-known Australian actor Peter Finch spent a significant portion of his formative years in Ceylon. Vivien Leigh, who was born in Darjeeling, India, and he both had a soft spot for South India. Vivien Leigh took the lead role in the parts filmed in Ceylon; however, Elisabeth Taylor portrayed the role in the Hollywood scenes since Leigh had to be replaced because of a worsening of the chronic mental illness bipolar disorder. Long shots of Vivien Leigh at the original location that could not be reshot in the studios when Elizabeth Taylor took her place are still visible.

Donald Friend stayed years with the Bawas

Brief Garden was a popular gathering place for Colombo's elite society during Bevis Bawa's lifetime. Numerous artists spent time at his residence throughout the course of the decades. The Australian artist and diarist Donald Stuart Leslie Friend (1914–89), who lived abroad for the most of his life—for example, in Nigeria, Britain, Italy, and subsequently in Bali—had planned to visit Ceylon for a week in 1957 to meet the Bawa brothers. However, he ended up staying until 1962. The property's interior design included significant help from a friend. Donald Friend in particular painted a sizable painting in the living room depicting Sri Lankan life with touches of Marc Chagall. There are also homosexually explicit drawings of Donald Friend on display throughout the villa. The majority of Friend's works were eroticized studies of young males in their underwear.

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