Proven Winners Garden

When you see these pictures, you're going to see why I had to go feed my containers yesterday.

 This Proven Winners Display garden at Four Star Greenhouse in Carleton, Michigan is close to PJ. 

 

I wanna know their secret rabbit repellant, cause we didn't see one sign of a rabbit anywhere.  Unlike my garden, where alyssum is considered the perfect midnight snack by the neighborhood bunnies.

It's too late to have big daisies blooming on the driveway, but maybe a few  flagstone leaves for the patio one day . . .

These black & white petunias are really cute--I couldn't find any when I got back home, so they're going on next year's list.

Every mixed container was like a work of art. 

I could look at this foliage container all day

 So much for that old one-spike-in-the-middle design . . .

I think this was my favorite bed--a swath of orange & red that seemed to go on forever.  If we  had the time, I'd be talking to Mark about traveling all over Michigan in August for their state-wide greenhouse tour.    In the meantime, feed those containers!  :)

Feeding Morning

Lots of pictures to come from this fabulous Proven Winners display garden, but right now I have to go feed my containers :)

Orange

I came back from Michigan with hundreds of pictures!  I'm working my way through them--but in the meantime, this went to my boss who turned in his resignation last week and is heading out on a new adventure.

Michigan Trip

For the past few years, I've been going to see my mama on her birthday.  She looks beautiful here with her Monroe bakery birthday cake!  We always have a great time.

These are a few pictures from PJ's garden, where she has a fab new shed, built by Jeff.

Jeff fashioned the blue garden light from a garage sale find.  I want one of these too!

And I always mean to bring back some hens and chickens, but I forgot again!  Oh, well, there's always next year.  Looking forward to it already :)

Garden Tour

And The Little Gardens

Aren't these little fairy herb gardens sweet?!?  It was so nice to meet Rhonda of Growing Herbs for Beginners.

The Big Garden

This topiary garden was next door to one of the gardens we toured this weekend.  We couldn't help but peek over the fence at the incredible sculptures.

This last one was my very favorite.  Wonder if he has a name.  And at first I thought maybe it would be really fun to have him greet me everytime I drove up into the driveway. . .  But then maybe he talks to his gardeners like my plants talks to me all the time--mine say things like "weed me" or "water me" or "feed me".  I bet this big guy has a booming voice that tells his gardeners "PPRRRUUNNNE MMEEE" every time they look at him.

Check out this post on The Farm's blog of the Rochester Woman's Club garden tour yesterday.  V and I had a great time this weekend being garden tourists.   Watch for more pictures of the gardens we saw.  And just for PJ, there's a video coming soon :)

Touring

This is a weekend of garden tours.  Today was the Artist's Studio & Garden tour to benefit the Prairie Art Alliance.  

 It was such a beautiful day.  Seventies, nice breeze, low humidity--couldn't have asked for nicer weather.

 This lake home features a bonsai garden, a greenhouse, a potting shed, a ceramic studio with three kilns, a woodworking shop, and a painter's studio.   Whew! 

This is a piece by Ed Martin.  He's a well-known glass artist here in Springfield.  Several of his pieces were featured, but this one in Wanda's garden was our favorite.

This is what you can do if you garden on a corner.

Such a cute paint job!

Tomorrow is the Rochester Garden Club's tour.  And it's garden walk time here at Canada Garden too.  Jordan & Ruta stopped by today, Phyllis is coming tomorrow, and Gail will be here on Monday.

Book Review

Seems lately the only way I get to read is when we travel.  Mark drives, I read :)  We haven't been fishing on the boat this summer, but that's really good reading time too.

So Much for That:  A Novel by Lionel Shriver.  Be sure to put this one on your reading list.  Lots of bad stuff happened in it--getting cancer, going broke, working at a job just to keep health insurance. . . I won't tell you the rest, but it was full of characters that I liked and it kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next.

Unbroken:  A story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand  An inspiring story of a World War II survivor who went through the hell of being captured and held prisoner by the Japanese.  I never read war stories, but this one was definitely worth it.

And I Shall Have Some Peace There:  Trading in the Fast Lane for My Own Dirt Road by Margaret Roach.  If you follow Margaret's A Way to Garden blog, you know she used to work for Martha Stewart Living.  When you read the book, you find out she really really really wanted to quit her job and move to her country home.  So she did.  She retired from her job and went to live with her garden.  Which is what I hope to do in three years, eleven months, and 25 days :)  My favorite quote from the book:  "Be grateful to everyone.  Those on your favorites list, and those on your s**t list."  It's posted on my desk at work.

So Mark is not driving me to the airport week after next, but I'll have some good reading time while flying to see my mama and my sis.  On the reading list is The Postmistress--about a woman who works at the post office during the war.  For some reason, she doesn't deliver some of the mail and causes all sorts of problems.   I'll let you know if it's on my favorites list :)

Old Friends

 

Every year I show you this lily-clematis combination and I tell you the same story about how it feels like seeing an old friend again after a long time apart.  I don't feel that way about every flower in the garden, but these are a couple that make my heart sing.

Orchids

 These went to two lucky friends who made it to retirement.  We had cake & punch & I tried to be really happy for them and not too jealous!  The being happy for them was easy, but the not being jealous a little more challenging :)  It's thundering and raining this morning, so the driveway is on hold for now.