Garden visit

Plans for a garden tour in Grand Island yesterday were canceled by the event's organizer. There were to be a few private gardens open to the public, complete with hors d'oeuvres provided by local restaurants. Tickets were to cost $15, which would entitle the ticket holder to view lovely flowerbeds (like the one shown above) and to eat delicious appetizers.

Adele and Dennis had spent a good deal of time preparing their gardens for visitors. They decided to hold open house at their gardens. My friend Amy and I chose to enjoy the beautiful summer day by visiting this garden.

A variety of discarded objects, as well as objects still in good condition, have new lives as garden ornaments. These objects add interesting visual appeal to the garden, because of their shapes and because they are unexpected.

Some plants are left in pots and are interspersed into the garden areas.

This garden is a delight because of the variety of colors and shapes, not to mention the large plant collection.

Meditative corner.

As you can see, I was practicing with different settings with my new camera, from a distance and close up.

Colorful arrangement in a large basket.

The sign describes one way to relax in a well-designed garden.

This is one of the discarded and rusty objects that has been successfully repurposed. Many old objects, even old gardening boots, can become lovely planters.

Yellow and purple are complimentary colors and they can often be seen together in gardens and in nature.

This plant is completely unfamiliar to me.

Adele and Dennis have a large hosta garden, filled with many varieties of hostas.

This was fun and mesmerizing. Watch the bucket fill with water and then...

... it pours out! I am easily amused so I can watch this over and over and over and over!!!

The whole area is wooded and quiet, a peaceful oasis.

Vivid color abounds.

Clematis. This is a member of the buttercup (ranunculaceae) family and it is a flowering vine. The flowers tend to be very showy and come in a variety of colors, including purple, white, red, and blue.

Coneflowers (echinacea) come in a wide variety of colors. They belong to the daisy family. They are perennial plants, and they attract pollinators with their honeylike scent. They are also considered medicinal plants and are used to boost people's immune systems and to alleviate symptoms of colds and flu.

Another great use for something old that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill.

Adele is also a quilter. Here are some examples of her creative work, both with needle and thread, and with plants.

Amy and I spent an enjoyable amount of time exploring the garden. Thank you, Adele and Dennis, for sharing your beautiful, peaceful place with us.