Last Garden Walk of the Season

This past weekend was spent in other people's gardens which was a nice change of pace for us.  We were invited to a garden walk and picnic of a wonderful group of gardeners who've included us in their fun activities and tours.  Through them we've seen fantastic gardens we'd normally never know about since most of their members live about 45 miles south of here.  I know, that's not very far, but we're always stuck here with our heads in the sand throwing rocks around, so someone took pity on us and showed us there's a whole world of gardens beyond our rock pile. 

Sunday was their group's last garden walk for the season, and the Picnic.  Yum.  Just as the gardens we toured were exciting, so was the food; everyone brought a dish to pass.  Not just your basic picnic fare by any means and the dessert table looked like something out of a magazine.  Yum, again. And they had wine, and not just one kind, but several.  So elegant, to be strolling around a garden with a glass of wine.  I poured one for myself and hoped that Carl would take my picture for once when I was looking classy.  (No such luck.)  Great picture of my backside again, and no elegant Wine Glass.  Sigh.

Visitors to my garden may be offered a glass of water or, if I'm on my game, perhaps a glass of lemonade (Kool Aid, lol) or Carl's favorite all-time beverage, milk.  That's how we roll around here.  We do have two kinds of milk for the discerning palate....2% or skim? 

So Sunday was spent eating too much again, a recurrent theme in my life, since we also had Carl's family reunion to attend earlier in the day.  I was to bring a dessert to pass for each event, so I whipped up two pans of my trademark heart-attack inducing Peanut butter and chocolate sugar frosted there's nothing healthy in here so don't even think there is just because of the oatmeal you can see sticking out Bars.  At each event, exactly half of a pan of bars was leftover, so when we got home that night, Joel asked if he could take one pan of them to work with him.  Please do.  I don't need any more calories tempting me to my doom. 

But anyway, back to the garden tours, here we are in Linda's garden:

I'm not sure of the cultivar here, but I think it's a weeping larch on a stick....(there I go again, gotta love them trees on a stick) but I could be wrong.  I love the form of this one, though.  I need to find out the best way to prune weeping trees.  I have a few around here I'm starting to wonder about and you all know when Carl and I prune things, it's not always a pretty sight.  (Thinking back to the white pine we butchered this spring.)

This was the cutest little water feature.  It made such a pleasant sound.

The pond was gorgeous, the water clarity was crystalline and the koi were huge.  The stream started at the waterfall and meandered through the yard.

This is a floating basket of water plants, I loved the reflections in the water.

Their gazebo was amazing.  I loved the stonework surrounding it, too.  The entire structure is screened-in and though I didn't get a picture of the inside it is wonderful, very roomy and airy and just perfect.  That's why Carl and I need to finish our stone house fiasco; we need a place like this where people can gather out of the weather when they come for garden walks and weddings, etc. 

Several years ago a group of Master Gardeners from Green Bay came out to our place for a tour.  They  requested a building to set up some food in and a place to hold their meeting and the only building we had available was our garage, which is not a pretty sight. Some people have gorgeous garages, with painted walls and Orderly Everything.  We do not.  Ours is bare studs and concrete floors stained with oil from years of oil changes with the pleasant aroma of unleaded gasoline wafting through the air.  We did try to make it as presentable as possible, but that took time away from making the garden as presentable as possible, too, and where to go with all the stuff in there??  So yes, we do need to finish our goofy stone house and soon. 

Their yard was scattered with very large deciduous trees and so was very shady.  This berm looks newly planted but I really liked the height difference in the garden. 

I loved the stained glass in the garden.

Not sure, maybe you can tell me: Is this a Japanese Garden Anemone?

Isn't this amazing?  Dried flowers and moss framed with a little fence. 

All too soon it was time to leave Linda's beautiful garden and stroll over to our next destination.  The two gardens were right across the street from each other.... this is the entrance to Betty's garden.  Roses on both sides.

And ornamental grasses catching the late afternoon sunlight.

Another amazing water feature. 

Perfect placement of statues and plants.

Speaking of plants, ever see a begonia like this one before?  I don't know what it is, but the foliage was amazing.

It flowered, too, but those leaves...wow.

The plant looks like it's frosted.  Very pretty.

This was also a new begonia for me.......love the polka dots.

Such clear water again....look at those koi enjoying a snack.

Hosta Wonderland!  Betty's garden is wooded and there are inviting trails to follow. 

How do you work this thing?  (The camera, not Carl.)

Apparently he figured it out.  I loved this bench surrounded by hostas and trees.  So serene.

Except for the sneaky photographers.

 I loved the idea of the birdsnest spruce as a border...it really is pretty.

Much better picture of the bench.  Like I said, serene and cool and just lovely.

Rocks!  Love them.

All too soon our lovely afternoon was at an end.  The sun was going down.  What a wonderful way to spend a day surrounded by beautiful gardens and wonderful friends.

Time to head back to our rock pile.  Our thanks to our hosts for a perfect time!