Garden Tour!

Saturday was the annual garden tour in our valley. I haven't been able to go for the last several years so I was determined to make it out this time despite the fact that I had two weddings to deliver desserts to that afternoon. I stayed up late the night before to prepare the wedding cake so that I could spend the next morning strolling through immaculately primped gardens.

It was worth the extra effort.

I am always so inspired by the gardens I visit on garden tours. There are so many styles of gardening, there are always ideas to glean and apply in my own.

I love the use of colors and textures in these rock gardens.

Such a perfect color combination!

The plants are so lush and happy.

The gardens that appeal to me especially are the ones with whimsy and surprise in the details. A garden should be more than plants and shrubs and trees. The little extras and creative imaginings make them fun.

I love the stick fence around the herb garden, the fire hydrant and the old bicycle.

Hhmmm.....I could do this.

Creative!

A fountain repurposed with plantings of succulents- I could definitely do this with all the bird bath parts I have around here.

Boy do I love this combination of Lewisia and Thyme!

Now there's a whimsical scarecrow!

This chicken coop knocks my socks off. I love the crooked windows, the water pump, the screen door entrance to the chicken yard and the chicken little picket fence.

I've planted stacked pots like this before myself, but I have to say, I like the crookedness here!

But this takes the cake for garden whimsy and creative use of redneck hardware.

We've got several rusty old pick-up trucks on our green acres...

.....but none as cute as this one.