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CONNOISSEURS GARDEN TOUR 2
To continue the garden tour…
all were meticulously appointed…
lushly planted pots…
with a Belgian Fence as background, below…
a private putting green that can double as a Bocce Court!
The best treatment for a driveway and large parking court… antique cobbles in asphalt…
Beautiful side door… 
A Mediterranean style home deserves a Mediterranean style courtyard, below.
Then there was THE GARDENER….
I’m told he never stops working nor has he ever asked for a raise! Below, the no maintenance garden…
Interesting treatment for steps….
and finally one of my favorite gardens, below…
There is a marvelous screened porch….
overlooking a stunning English Knot garden.
Admittedly, I did not get to all the gardens. There were eleven gardens on the two-day tour and I saw only nine, in one day.
I strongly suggest this annual tour held on Mother’s Day weekend to benefit The Atlanta Botanical Garden. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
GARDENS FOR CONNOISSEURS TOUR
There is nothing like a garden tour for some inspiration and the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s “Gardens for connoisseurs Tour” is one of the best.
The gardens, all private, ranged from highly manicured to woodland all in the heart of the city.
Here are some photos I took…..
I liked the way formal elements were incorporated in to this woodland paradise….
as well as a formidable Bonsai collection.
Also, the groundplane changed to mark the transition from one garden room to another…..
Then there is the patio area around the house….
And opposite the French Doors……
I could go on and on about this garden, it is 2.75 acres with two creeks and boasts 300 different cultivars of Japanese Maples. I did not want to leave.
In stark contrast, the next garden was about as formal as Versailles! Well actually, Vaux le Vicomte , the predecessor to the gardens at Versailles.
The above garden in search of Edward Sissorshands and an assistant!
The tour will continue. I took over 250 photos!
GARDEN TOUR 2
I am tickled that the rambling rose Etain is blooming for the very first time,
I have envisioned it climbing 20 feet up the Oak tree.
On the other side I have planted ‘Rambling Rector’, another rose that could, under good cultivation reach to 30 feet. So I have hopes for this area to have real impact …..in time.
The Oakleaf Hydrangeas have formed their flower buds and are just starting to open, beyond them are the fig trees.
What I have long called the Viburnum Court should be refered to as the clematis court, since there are far more Clematis than Viburnum now.
Shame on me… those majestic shrubs are reduced to being supports for my Clem addiction!
Whenever I pass the Schiaparelli bench I congratulate myself on choosing the paint colour.
Here is a good example of either buying a plant while it’s in bloom or ordering from a reliable source.
The Clematis was supposed to be white…. oops, sorry, love it just the same , in fact this is a happy accident.
A quick peek at Clematis Josephine … So feminine!
And Clematis ‘Polish Spirit’ above.
I am just now getting around to pruning the dead flowers off the Hydrangea macrophylla. If one waits long enough there can be no mistakes, the new buds are obvious.
Earlier on I would have pruned more for shape than flowers; but now that I have the choice, I left some of the awkward branches for cutting.
When the Clematis are done… we will move on to rapsodising over the Hydrangeas!
GARDEN TOUR part 1
“You should have seen it last week!” The familiar phrase heard from gardeners, when showing visitors around. Well to avoid that I’m posting a time-lapse kind of garden tour. Photos from the garden over the last two weeks.
The Dogwoods in the meadow, like most other spring-flowering plants, cooked in the 80 degree temperatures. the blossoms did not last long. Above, in their moment of glory with the native Phlox (Phlox divericata).
Above, the view from a second floor window, Dogwoods, Lady Banks Rose (white selection) & Viburnums. Those ‘Snowballs’ (Viburnum macrocephalum) are trained into trees.
Love the tree right by the house.
Early clematis, blooming now for several weeks.
Along the North Border….Viburnum ‘Kern’s Pink’ & Baptisia…. (below)
followed by Viburnum opulus, Purple smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ ) & Styrax obassia ..heavenly fragrant bells.
Clematis ‘Carnaby’ & Cotinus ‘coggygria ‘Royal Purple’
Look at those knockout roses below.. not pruned this year, they are lush & voluptuous reaching almost 6 ‘ tall.
The rose,’ Madame Alfred Carrier’, burst out of her restraints..
so….the trellis is moving again… to paraphrase Margery Fish, “In time she will learn to walk!”
All leading up to the Shocking Pink Schiaparelli bench.
To be continued….
HGTV INTERVIEW
Read all about it, my interview with HGTV…. All about hedges and their usefulness.