It's Garden Tour Time!

"The Friendship Garden" by Nancy Jane Earnest

Aren't garden tours fun?

Last Saturday a good friend of mine,

Susan O. and I toured our local

Shady Oaks Garden Club's "Boundless Gardens."

This is a federated club,

existing in our area for decades.

It is a highly respected group,

with demanding membership and responsibilities.

When you see the pictures,

you'll understand why.

(These pictures, and much of the commentary

is from my friend Susan, who is a dedicated gardener,

daylily master and outstanding photographer.

Thank you Susan!)

The two pictures above are from our first stop.

This garden had extensive use of stone borders,

unusual conifers and shrubs,

and never ending daylilies,

which sadly were not yet in full bloom.

The next stop was  three neighboring gardens.

The first, above had a lovely woodsy feel.

A raised bed vegetable garden

was enclosed with fencing,

which we heard was to keep out a pesky fox.

The "Metamorphosis" Garden

was my personal favorite.

This home is very near mine

and I have probably driven by it

at least a thousand times,

never suspecting what was in the backyard--

 a real "secret garden!"

Here I am viewing the herb garden area

which was bordered with bricks and chimney pipes

filled with thriving herbs.

Bog plants grown in pots fill the deck.

Evidently, these are quite difficult to grow.

The owner said she only waters with

creek and rain water.

This garden has a creek running through

the backyard with a stone bridge over it.

It was breathtaking!

Healthy Pitcher Plants

This is the final picture, taken from the deck

 of the intensely planted backyard at the

Metamorphosis Garden.

A final stop was a "community garden."

This group of adjoining gardens was created

by three condo neighbors.

This front garden was planted as a

memory garden of the owner's sister.

The gated patios were open

and it was inspiring to see what

can be created in a tiny amount of space.

Here is a peek into another small patio garden.

Stacked raised beds for better accessibility.

What a great idea!

This is the area just behind the

neighboring condos' enclosed gardens.

These gardeners have made use of every inch of space.

Here is local artist, Nancy Jane Earnest, 

who started the painting above

using acrylic paint and knife,

at the beginning of the tour.

She was working in a pastorial setting,

adjoining the community gardens.

It was interesting and fun to see the painting

develop during the tour.

Take another look of the finished piece

at the beginning of this post.

If you have the opportunity to join a garden tour

this summer, don't miss out.

It's one of the pleasures of summer!