A Feng Shui Vacation

It's vacation picture time again!  Last year I traveled to New Mexico.  This year I went a little farther north - all the way to Colorado.  And instead of flying, I drove.  When I returned, I realized it had all the elements of traditional Feng Shui:

Metal:

These giant wind turbines were standing tall and proud in the panhandle of Texas.  They are an impressive sight to see.

According to Wikipedia, in the U.S., Texas leads in megawatt capacity (over 10,000 MWs!), followed by Iowa and then California.  Of course, nothing is without controversy, and some are concerned about birds, noise, and warming of the soil.

Earth:

Federal Helium Reserve near Amarillo, Texas.  There are signs stating that trespassers will be prosecuted, so I decided not to pull out my camera!  The Federal Helium Reserve has been making big news lately.  You see, helium is not only used for balloons, but also by NASA and in MRI machines.  In 1996, Congress passed a bill stating that all the helium out of this reserve should be sold by 2015.  After that, we may have to get most of our helium from overseas.  You can read more about it HERE.

Wood:

The aspen trees in Colorado are splendid.  The white bark is gorgeous.  And the aspen is a wonder of nature.  The trees form from root sprouts, and are connected underground by a root system.  There is a grove of aspens in Utah that are all connected, forming the largest organism in the world.

Water:

It rained, sleeted, and snowed on our trip.  We experienced temperatures from the low 30's to the high 90's.  The cold was a surprise.  I had to stop and purchase a hoodie!  

Fire:

Capulin volcano in New Mexico.  What a thrill it was to finally go to the top of this volcano!  I have passed by this national monument several times in past years, and this time I was determined to stop.  Unfortunately, the rain, sleet, and snow mentioned above was coming down when it was time to see this magnificent cinder cone.  Thank goodness for my hoodie!  Although I didn't take my camera, I did hike down to the center of the volcano, and the plant life was beautiful and amazing.  Click HERE for more information on this natural wonder, and HERE for a list of exotic plants on the mountain.  It's on my "want-to-go-again" wish list (when the weather is better).

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So, that was my Feng Shui vacation.  Did I bring home any souvenirs?  Of course!

A pure white columbine called my name outside of a shopping center, and of course, I grabbed it as my souvenir.  (The state flower of Colorado is the Rocky Mountain Columbine, which is lavender and white.)  Plant shopping knows no bounds!

Azalea Trail Photos!

Want to see some color?  Want to see spring?  It's here!!!

Yes, it's almost time for the annual Tyler Azalea and Spring Flower Trails!  So, I goofed off today and drove around, enjoying the colorful display of azaleas, tulips, daffodils, violas, camellias, Lady Banks roses, wisterias, dogwoods and Japanese maples all in their spring finery.  Enjoy the show!

Azaleas line the streets - they're everywhere!

Orange tulips were HUGE - and gorgeous!  I saw them in several gardens.

This Japanese maple was green, instead of the usual red.

Click HERE for more info on the yellow azalea.  

A private garden.  Isn't it beautiful?  

Click HERE to see more of this garden from last year.

You can see some wonderful views by walking around.

In fact, some of the gardens are right on the street.

Or you can just drive around and see the show.

This garden was along the street, too.  A perfect place to take family photos.

Hope you enjoyed seeing the colors of spring!

First Monday on Sunday

The weather here has been perfect.  Sunny, warm, not too hot.  Beautiful.  But I have not been in the garden.  Instead, we decided to go to First Monday Trade Days in Canton.  

Treasures await behind these gates!

First Monday has evolved over its 150 year history.  New items, homemade items, and used items of all kinds are now offered for sale.   You can find clothing, furniture, tools, junk, jewelry, antiques, collectables, garden decor and even - plants!!!!  Yes! 

I have purchased several different types of plants here over the years.  Most of the time (I ask a lot of questions), the plant vendors are wholesalers that offer plants at good prices.  The majority of the plants here are offered for around 1/2 the price that I've seen at box box stores.  I've never had a problem (yet) with any plant I've purchased there.  Still, "Buyer Beware" applies to anything purchased at Canton's Trade Days.  

We walked for about 3 hours - a short day for most Trade Days visitors.  Trade Days covers more than 100 acres of land, and has about 6,000 vendors.  If you want it, they probably have it - somewhere!

Yes, that's my cart!  And yes, I have a cart just for going to Canton's Trade Days!

In addition to plants, I also purchased some items for my home, a few things for the pets, and stocked up on goatskin gloves (my favorite kind of gardening gloves).  We decided to go home early just because the cart was full! 

I wish I had worn a pedometer.  With miles and miles of rows and aisles, you can seemingly walk forever and never see it all.  I'm joining Carolyn at This Grandmother's Garden for her Walk in the Gardens Challenge.

Albuquerque Botanic Garden

If you ever get to Albuquerque, be certain you have time to go to the Albuquerque Botanic Garden.  You will be impressed.  I'm not certain I have ever seen any botanical garden as wonderful as this one.  Read on to find out why.

The Japanese garden was beautiful.  The waterfall made it special.

The farm garden was lovely.  It's my garden dream.  If only my vegetable garden looked like this!

The rose garden was blooming.  They had planted climbing roses in the most unusual way.

Fabulous planters.

Gorgeous pavilions.

Lovely walkways.

The butterfly habitat was thrilling.  There were so many butterflies, it was hard to not step on them!

And the garden railroad, complete with its own town, was fascinating.

Now, all of those areas were lovely, beautiful, nice, and enjoyable.  But, don't you kind of expect that from a public garden?  No, those areas, as pretty as they were, was not what made this garden unforgettable, unique, exciting, wonderful, creative, and imaginative.

What made this botanical garden stand out was the children's area.

In the children's area, you suddenly seemed to be the size of an ant.  It was if you actually became an ant!

Vegetables were huge.  Tracks were embedded in the ground, and it was fun to figure out what would have made them (rabbit, people, earthworm, etc.).

Here we are inside of a pumpkin!

This bee, giant size to us ants, made a buzzing noise when you passed under it.  I didn't realize it was above my head, and I kept looking for some giant killer bee hive!  hahaha  It was finally pointed out to me that the bee was above my head!  Makes you think of the sounds ants hear!

And there were ant tunnels.  Lots of ant tunnels.  Inside, outside, around and back.  A maze of tunnels, leading to different areas.

So much fun!
So much laughter!
So much delight!
And I bet children would like it just as much as I did!

In fact, Albuquerque Botanic Garden was all about experiencing and learning.  With discovery stations located all throughout the garden areas, children of all ages were encouraged to touch, feel, learn, experience, and discover gardening.  Isn't that as it should be?  Shouldn't we be teaching our love of gardens to all generations?  Albuquerque Botanic Garden has succeeded, exceptionally.

Definitely put this one on your list.  And bring your kids.  That way you'll have a good excuse to run through the ant tunnels over and over again!

Vacation Pictures!

I'm back from vacation and it was a great one!  Oh, my gosh, I have so much to tell!

Never having been to Albuquerque, New Mexico, before, I've never thought of it as a vacation hot spot.  (hot spot - get it?)  However, after being there for a week, I'm amazed at all Albuquerque has to offer to the casual visitor, or a permanent resident.

Briefly, I'll fill you in on where we went and my thoughts about each experience:

1)  The Sandia Peak Tramway:

What:  The world's longest passenger tramway.

Thoughts:  Beautiful, crowded, amazing, stomach churning.

Conclusion:  Definitely on the recommended list, and the restaurant at the top was a special treat.

2)  The National Museum of Nuclear Science and History:

What:  Covers everything from theory, tests, completion, use, consequences, history, social impact, economic impact, a children's discovery area, an artistic area, and developments.

Thoughts: Interesting, intriguing, educational, humorous, sad, shocking, concerning, amazing.

Conclusion:  A must see for everyone of any age.

3) Petroglyph National Monument:

What: Rock carvings

Thoughts:  Interesting, hot, curious, puzzling, sandy.

Conclusion:  Everyone should see this - once.  But, we only traveled 3/4 of the trail, and that was enough to satisfy our curiosity.

4) Old Town:

What:  Shopping - pottery, jewelry, clothing, souvenirs.

Thoughts:  Nice, expensive, quality, inexpensive, junk, fun.

Conclusion:  Nice place to get souvenirs or unusual gifts.  Don't miss the Turquoise Museum that is located nearby.

5) The Food:

The food must have it's own mention, because it was so delicious!

What:  Our favorite places to eat were Sadie's (loved the salsa!), Cecilia's (get the chili relleno!), Frontier for lunch, and the Owl for their green chili cheeseburger.

Thoughts:  Yum, yum, yum, and yum, love, heaven, can't get enough, tantalizing, mouth-watering, satisfying.  Yes, I want to put green chilies on everything now!

Conclusion:  Worth the trip just for the food!  Just make sure your pants have elastic!

6) Botanical Gardens:

You didn't think I'd miss the Gardens, did you?  I took lots of pictures, and was so very impressed with their botanical gardens that I'm going to highlight it in a separate post!

Albuquerque was surprising, delightful, fun, interesting, intriguing, beautiful, delicious and very enjoyable.   I recommend going!

Garden Tour #5 - Such Fun!

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)
Click HERE to see the Holey garden (#2 - How Impressive)
Click HERE to see the Diedrick garden (#3 - Just Incredible)
Click HERE to see the Goforth garden (#4 - Quite Relaxing)

Garden Tour #4 - Quite Relaxing!

This is number four in our series of the Smith County Master Gardeners tour.  This tour is of the Goforth garden.

The home was built in 1932 and the original owner lined the garden with bricks.  The result makes for a simple yet beautiful, relaxing, and lovely garden area.  The current owner restored this garden to its original timeless splendor.  As the brochure put it, "the original hardscape was covered up with the ravages of time and tangled vines."  A simple garden, but I'm certain getting it that way was hard work.  Enjoy!

The bricks give interest to the lawn, as well as the planting beds.  I loved that it was done with curves, instead of straight lines.  A great mowing strip as well!

Certain areas have focal points - again, done in brick.  I overheard people wondering if they could do this in their yard.  I think that's when you know you have a successful garden - when you inspire others.

Some areas of the brick work are large enough for seating.

The brick unifies the garden, and subconsciously ties everything together.

Even the front is tied together with the brick.  Loved this simple focal point!

A simply designed garden, yes.  And more than meets the eye.  You see, the brick has special meaning.

At one time almost all of Tyler's streets were made of brick.  Most of these quaint brick streets were slowly asphalted over.  But there is still a 'Brick Street District' - one of the largest areas of brick streets in Texas (29 blocks - about 14 miles).  This hand-crafted brick-lined garden is a tribute to a time long ago, a nod to tradition and community heritage.

Here'a a little video about Tyler's brick streets:
brick street video (1 min. long)

I hope you enjoyed the tour!  Stay tuned!  The next garden may surprise you!

And if you are just now joining us, we have toured the Kindig garden HERE, the Holey garden HERE and the Diedrick garden HERE.

Garden Tour #3 - Just Incredible!

This is the third in a series of garden tours put on by the Smith County Master Gardeners.  This tour will highlight the Diedrick garden.  This house was situated on a steep sloping lot.  You will see how they met this challenge and created an awe-inspiring garden.

A planting strip between the street and the front lawn brings some privacy as well as helps soften the sound of cars driving by.

In this planting strip, a fountain, almost hidden from view, also helps deflect any sounds of traffic.

The side yard was also planted on both sides, with a small rock pathway leading you to the back.  From here, you can't tell that the house is situated on a slope.

I loved their varied and interesting foundation plants.

We are still on the side of the house, coming up on the back, and as you can see, the slope starts to become quite steep.  Azaleas are planted up and down the sloped areas.  Honeysuckle grows up the trees.

Suddenly, you arrive at the back, and notice the incredible view.  You can see for miles here.  Plantings are lush, full, and low maintenance.  It must be breathtaking when the azaleas are in bloom!

An adorable water feature greets you at the back of the property.  Doesn't she look happy?

You can see here how steep the slope is.  This is directly off the back of the house.  The fountain is just to the left.

At the bottom, you have the feeling of a secret hideaway.  It's very quiet here, with a luscious sense of seclusion.

Then, incredibly, the secret hideaway opens up to another garden room with more amazing views.  This space was almost round, surrounded by azaleas and hydrangeas.  I could think of a million things to do down here.  This would be my own private getaway to read.  A fabulous place to set a table for a romantic dinner or picnic.  A wonderful spot for hosting a neighborhood hamburger grill.  The perfect backdrop for taking pictures on special occasions.

Have a slope?  Find a way to get to the bottom, then put something incredible there.  I would definitely go down those steps (and back up again) every day to enjoy this secret spot.

A winding walkway with sturdy rock steps brings you back up the hill.  Again, there are plantings on either side, making a feast for the eyes.  You forget you're climbing a hill!

I hope you enjoyed the tour!

If you missed the earlier posts in this series,
you can see the Kindig garden (#1 on the tour) HERE and
you can see the Holey garden (#2 on the tour) HERE