This is the last in our series of the Smith County Master Gardeners tour. This will feature the Muxworthy garden. This garden was small, yet it was full of fun surprises around each turn. Enjoy!
You could tell this garden was much loved, and well used. And even though it was the smallest garden in the tour, it was divided into two areas.
These two sides were divided by the largest pittosporum I've ever seen. It was at least 6 ft tall! But that was the least of the surprises in this garden. Around the corner is the 'adult' garden. We will tour this side first.
Serene, peaceful, this side was a place to relax and enjoy conversation and refreshments.
A stone wall is softened by the vines covering it. A birdbath is filled with blue gazing balls. Doesn't it just make you want to kick up your feet and throw away the cares of the day? A small patio held a seating area and completed this side of the garden.
Do you want to see the other side of the garden? A swan topiary gives you a clue that you're in for a delight. A Mickey Mouse topiary around the corner confirms it! Yes, the other side of the garden was dedicated to the children.
This side of the garden was full of so many things to see, enjoy, and fuel the imagination.
This side was clearly meant for play and creativity.
If I were a child, I would want to come to this garden. I would want to play in this garden. I would want this garden to be my home.
Yes, I would want to stay here and play with this
entire gnome family!!! OK, I have to admit it, I was shocked to see this. I never expected garden gnomes and master gardeners to mix. But, if you were a child, can you imagine how much fun you could have here? Definitely a garden for the young, or the young-at-heart.
After getting over the shock, and then seeing how delighted children were to see these, this garden gave me a whole new perspective on these little garden guys. I've never been a lover of garden gnomes, but after seeing this, if I had children in my garden on a daily basis, I would definitely put gnomes in it (in their own little area). Of course, I don't have children in my garden daily. ;) But I might consider a hidden area just for when children come to visit. What about you? Do you have a place where children can learn to love being outdoors?
This completes our series from the 2011 Smith County Master Gardeners Home Garden Tour. I hope you liked it. Each gardener has put their heart, time, work, and personality into their gardens, and I appreciated them letting us into them. I really hope you got some ideas that you could use in your own garden.
If you missed the other garden tours in this series, please check them out! They are all different, loaded with personality and creativity.
Click
HERE to see the Kindig garden (#1 - So Peaceful)
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HERE to see the Holey garden (#2 - How Impressive)
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HERE to see the Diedrick garden (#3 - Just Incredible)
Click
HERE to see the Goforth garden (#4 - Quite Relaxing)
Holley, thanks for posting about all five gardens of the Smith County Master Gardeners Tour. I enjoyed the photos of each one of them. I really like the garden you are posting about today, because it is packed with ideas and I sense the love that the gardeners put into their yard. After all the grandness of the other gardens it is good to see that
ReplyDeletesmall scale gardens have at least one advantage: you can pay so much attention to the details!
Christina
I thought I was the only gardener that didn't have garden gnomes...guessing you don't either. Thanks for the tours of all of these gardens, I have enjoyed it very much.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this one (through your eyes!) :). What a great idea to create a little fantasy world for children--while keeping your own area for relaxing over wine and conversation.
ReplyDeleteChristina - yes, even though this was a small garden, it had a lot of attention to detail. It had the biggest variety of plants of any garden in the tour, and you could truly tell that a real gardener lived in, and loved, this garden.
ReplyDeleteDarla - No garden gnomes for me. Yet. :) I didn't realize they were so popular. I do, however, have a smiling turtle, sitting frogs, a concrete chicken - I guess I go for the animal type of yard art!
Stacy - It was apparent this gardener loved her garden, and children. I think it is a great idea to introduce children to gardening in a fun setting, and this definitely would make any child want to be outdoors.
Holley,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your tour of this garden. I look forward to catching up on the others... my computer was in the shop all week!
I have made some spaces in our small garden for the kids to enjoy playing, besides the obvious (lawn, sand box, swing). We have a big old lilac that I have cut all the small branches out of the middle of, and lined a little path with stones so they can play in this "club house". And similarly, I have cleared a spot behind one large maple tree by weaving the bushes into the fence at the back of the property. They pretend to keep house there.
They would love seeing these gnomes!! Kids just take whimsy right over the top. Good for us "serious" gardeners. :)
Julie
Colorful tour today.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely garden with many surprises. I so enjoyed the tour, all the gardens had their own special touches that made them unique. Children would love the last garden and it's a great idea to get them interested in gardening.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any gnomes either...and didn't realize how popular they were until I saw The Yard Art Game over at Along Life's Highway blog. There are some very 'different' styles of yard decorating going on.
Jennifer@threedogsinagarden
ReplyDeleteAnother great tour. I wouldn't choose gnomes myself, but do think they have a place in a garden meant to appeal to children. Enjoy the weekend!
Julie - I'm so glad you've included areas for your children. Sometimes I think we tend to want only 'pretty' when we should be including the people that could enjoy the garden the most.
ReplyDeleteGWGT - Indeed! :)
Karen - Oh, yes, theres yard art for everyone's taste! Though I think if it's planned, with a purpose (like this yard, specifically designed for children), even the oddest could be purposeful.
Jennifer - I agree. I have no gnomes, but a garden for children should definitely include something fun!
Isn't garden touring fun?? I docent for quite a few of these in the Charleston area, and I am always so appreciative that gardeners will allow people to come through.
ReplyDeleteps. if you should ever happen to visit here, we have pittosporum that are 20 feet tall :). Most are in the 6-10 ft range though. Most people keep them as very tall hedges, but some people have just limbed the bottoms and made trees out of them.
Jess - Yes, I had a blast! Nothing better (IMHO) than seeing gardens - and I was so thankful they let us trudge through theirs. I guess I shouldn't have been so amazed at the pittosporum, then. I have one, though, that is almost 10 years old and it's less than 3 ft. tall. :(
ReplyDeleteI just love seeing creative fencing ideas! Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteCat - Glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI am sure that you know which side of the garden I preferred. I loved the gnome wonderland.
ReplyDeleteCross posting on Facebook.
lifeshighway- I thought of you when I saw the gnomes. And, look closely - she had the blue queen from 'Gnomeo and Juliet'! (right side of clay pot) Thanks for the cross post.
ReplyDeleteBeen moving but had to catch up with the tour.
ReplyDeleteI love how some folks pack alot into an area. I guess that comes with time. I have wide open spaces now hopefully it will be packed with plants and patio things soon.
P.S. Pittosporum at our New Braunfels house had to be over 15 feet tall. Never watered that side of the house. It was protected from the cold though.
Tufa Girl - Hope your move goes well, and that nothing gets broken. I love the packed full look, too. I'm working on that in a couple of places, but like you say, it takes time. Well, I am disappointed in my pittosporum. With all these reports, I'm now wondering if it's a dwarf variety.
ReplyDelete