Friday, July 18, 2014

2014 Garden Walks

The garden walks are history now.  All that work is over for one more year, all the primping, pruning, welding, weeding and worrying.  It's sort of like planning a wedding, all that fuss for one day; you give it all you've got and more, and then, poof, in the matter of a few hours it's over. Well, this year, we did commit to three walks, so I guess the fuss was worth it.

On June 28 we were one of six gardens on the Midwest Hosta Society Convention tour.  I think around 190 people from five states toured that day and managed to find us even though our address was wrong on their maps.  Thank goodness for cell phones, people called each other and spread the word. 
See that plaque?  That there is proof we were a Tour Garden.  Didn't want you to think we were making this stuff up.

On July 11 we had a bus of people headed for a fun day up north stop in for a tour here at 7:30 AM.

And finally, last Saturday, July 12, we hosted the Emergency Shelter of Appleton garden walk.  I don't know the exact number of people who came, but it was very close to five hundred.  The day was overcast and extremely humid and the forecast called for a 75% chance of thunderstorms, but nary a drip fell during the walk.  Or after, come to think of it, we could really use some rain right about now.

This plaque is a little less specific but to the point.  In the Year 2014, a Garden Walk occurred here.
 For those of you who have never endured a garden walk hosted by us, I thought if might be fun to show you just what would be in store for you as an attendee.  When we give guided tours here, we stick to a route.   Some visitors are a little miffed by that tradition; they just want to run willy-nilly and look at what they please.  And that's ok, truly it is, but if you'd like to get the Full Garden Experience, please follow your tour guide.

Ok, here we go.  When you pull up on the road, this is what the place looks like.

Ok, rocks, a bunch of trees, yawn.
As you come up the driveway, there's a closer look of some petunias struggling to drape and cascade and generally frolic over the stone walls.  There isn't much frolicking going on yet.
Ok, these petunias planted in light shade pots and supported by scrap metal pedestals are a little more impressive than those out by the road.  Note the Select Crushed Limestone driveway aka gravel has been raked repeatedly for your visit.

Annoyingly, this is where the tour guides stop you.  We must go around the front of the house.  Follow along. 

Either Carl, Karen, Joel or David will answer questions as we go.

 Pine needle mulch?  Where do we get it?

We rake it up in the Back Eight and haul it up by the trailer load.

Do we worry about it causing too high of an acidity for the garden?

No.

Look out for Carl's rotating sculpture in the upper left hand corner, I swear that thing is going to put someone's eye out.
 Coming out of the front hosta bed, we are now in the creek bottom.  The red 'Fresh Look' celosias are just starting to bloom.

Looking to the north, you will see the Pachyberm, so named for the mythical elephant we didn't bury here.  In reality, our geothermal lines are buried under there.  And yes, we've had a lot of winter damage on the conifers, but we didn't saw all of them down.
Just rocks and random plants.  Nothing too terribly exciting.  Move on, Tour Guide.


Stella D'Oro and liatris, yep, seen it before.

Heading back east across the front of the house, more pine needles and pesky pine cones. 
The tour guide points out our favorite daylily named 'Joel'.  The substance of these petals is amazing, they feel like heavy plastic.
Looking back from where we came, ok, we're moving a little now.
Going past what used to be Dave's sedum garden when he was a youngster. Things have gotten out of hand in there. 

 Rounding the corner, we come to Carl's water feature made of granite balls powered by water pressure. 

And here we are back in the driveway again...
Lots of those pink petunias around this joint.
These old geraniums are in a planter by the back door; the owner (me) forgot to water them from October to March last year and there were only a few leaves left this spring that hadn't dried up and fallen off.  They surely bounced back well.
 We go through Grandma Lucille's fancy painted garden gate to the back yard.
The Riverbed flowing in Pepto Bismol pink.  The tour guide will be quiet (finally) and let you look around.

Magellan coral zinnias, datura and cosmos along with my favorite garden statue.
This favorite plaque was given to me by my friend, Nancy, and I feel the saying is true.
Petunias are off to a slow start this year, cold, wet weather has slowed them way down.
Hostas, trumpet vine, weeping white spruce and granite right behind the house.

The hose in the lower left corner is Not a Soaker Hose...I repeat, not a soaker hose.  We drag our hoses around here as we need to.  We don't need no fancy watering systems.  (Actually, wouldn't that be wonderful??)
Assorted goofy conifers and coneflowers.
Another view of the River Bed.
There were some Asiatic lilies open for the walks.
The most talked about garden feature here: the recycled lightshade Pan Fountain.
Random flower shots.
Finally, the Quarry.
The dome.
The lawn furniture.
Back to the dome and the Big Balls.  (Yes, we do have the Biggest Balls of Them All--sing along, it's a catchy little ditty.)
Carl welded the old propane tank ends together and they are great fun to roll around the yard.  More on that in another post.
 There's a third one hiding over there.

 More rocks, petunias, grasses, stuff.
The Escarpment



Ok, lots of waterlilies.  Lots and lots.



Forgot to plug in the waterfall, but we got it fixed for the walk!

 Moving along, going up the trail on top of the Quarry:
View from the hill:









Koi given to us by our friend Ellen


Ok, moving on from the Quarry, there's a Pyramid.
 And the back of the Quarry Hill.



What's that thing over there?  Is it a silo ruin?

No.  Say it with me, everyone....

It's Castle Aaargh.




Aaargh with a view.  What it looks like from the inside looking out.
Why does it have a stained glass window?  What is this supposed to be?  Why aren't you working on it?
Um, yeah.  About Aaargh......on second thought, let's not go there.  It's a Silly Place.

Let's go through the Egress gate and see the Holey Rock Collection.
And the hostas and planters and stuff.









Well, here we are back in the driveway again.  I hope you enjoyed your tour.  






This concludes your 2014 Quarry Garden tour. 

Thanks for coming and don't be a stranger.  

Everyone's Welcome!
(There, now we can mess this place up again.  Get me a chainsaw.)

17 comments:

Roslyn said...

Thanks for the tour Karen. Beautiful and very informative. Was that Ernie in front of the garage?

Rebecca said...

Honestly.....the scale & uniqueness of your grounds takes my breath away! Seeing it in person is on my imaginary bucket list!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

FANTASTIC!!!! No wonder you guys work like the dickens to get everything planted and ready for these walks. It's all beautiful. I love how the blue flowers bring out the blue trees.

You all inspire me to keep on with my little 1/4 acre.

Have a relaxing weekend ~ FlowerLady

Karen said...

Hi Missy, I can't believe it, but I left Ernie off this tour, and Willie the Willow. Some tour guide I am. Sheesh.

Rebecca, thank you, and if you're ever in the area, feel free to stop in. I love giving smaller tours. ;-)

Rainey, I adore your garden, it was built and tended with love and you have carried on now alone. Every day I'm reminded of how hard so many of your tasks must be as I work around here, and I say a prayer for you.

The blue flowers are 'Butterfly Blue' delphinium/larkspur and really stole the show last week, so many people wanted to know what they were. I planted the original seeds years ago and they self-sow wherever they feel the need. This year things are a little sparser due to our brutal winter, but wherever they pop up, we appreciate them.

Carol said...

Thanks so much for the tour! Everything is so lovely! Enjoy your weekend and blessing to you and yours

Stephen Andrew said...

I so enjoyed the tour! It is mind boggling to me how much work it all must take. It is just gorgeous. Every corner is so filled with attention and genuine creativity. You are all so talented and determined. And I think the best part is what a family affair it truly is. Congratulations on a successful tour season.

Alison said...

Thanks for the tour, Karen! You always put so much of your personality into your posts, I almost feel like I was actually there with you. Such a lovely garden, and so much work! I bet you're glad it's over now.

Larry said...

Looking very good... you obviously have been working very hard... and congratulations on your lamp features in the calendar... esp. the wisteria... excellent photo! L

g.a.s. art said...

Thank you for letting me walk threw your garden(PARK)beautiful and amazing.I can only wish the water lilies would grow like that here.I would like more info on the lamp water feature.I love it.Just beautiful. thanks g.a.s.

Anonymous said...

Very beautiful garden walk Karen. Your property always looks great but I can imagine the work you do in preparation. Garden walks are king in our area, Garden Walk Buffalo will get over 60,000 people through their gardens in two days. Can you imagine that? I am always so tired by the end of the garden walk season being on some of the organizing committees. So really, I do understand all that you do to put on your walks. Good job.

Junebug said...

Beautiful, beautiful!! Thanks for taking me along on the garden tour. Wish I could have been there in person!

Beth said...

Wow, Karen, looking fantastic! You and Carl have great imagination and apparently energy too. So beautiful!!!

Unknown said...

Hi Karen
Thanks for the garden tour, the pictures actually do not do your gardens justice. They are more breath taking walking through them and I am very fortunate to have walked through them. Glad you guys get a little break for the rest of the summer. Somehow I don't think you guys will rest though!!!!

Diana LaMarre said...

Thank you for the wonderful tour, Karen. Everything is amazing. I love the 'Butterfly Blue' delphinium/larkspur. I just bought and planted 4 of them a week ago.

Beth at PlantPostings said...

Jeepers! Now I really want to take a tour of your place. Love the stonework...and the pathways...and of course the quarry! Beautiful! And your wonderful sense of humor only adds to the fun experience. ;-)

Lona said...

I was so excited that I was getting a guided tour of your garden. LOL! Everything looks so beautiful. THe balls Carl created just look so wonderful on the grounds. That was such a great idea. I love the stained glass window in Aaarg. Along the tour I could see all the hard work you all have done over the years and how wonderful it all is. I love the holey rock collection and those along the driveway. They must have a tale to tell. The blue Larkspur really catches my eye in the quarry ledges. Thanks so much for the guided tour Karen.... and I did stay on the path. LOL! Have a lovely weekend.

Toni said...

Hi Karen,
I saw your garden in the Our Wisconsin magazine this month! Congrats!!! How fun :-) Your garden looks lovely, as usual. Have not been blogging too much lately and was excited to see the progress on Aargh when I checked in today. I am visiting my folks this month and enjoying some of this wonderful cool weather! I hope you've recovered from the garden walks. I know it is a lot of work to prepare for them, but it is so rewarding in the end. Take care... Toni