Life seems to have become more hectic around here lately. Optional garden maintenance has gone by the wayside as I dash around madly after work struggling to make the most of the rapidly vanishing daylight hours. Fall is in the air. For mid September we've had too many nights below 55. I'm starting to sense an earlier end to garden season than usual. Does anybody else feel this way?
Busy weekends haven't helped but you won't hear me complaining about too many events on the social calendar. One social event I never miss is a gathering at my friends Monique and Les's garden. Not only is it a delight to tour their garden but both Monique and Les are gourmet cooks and
they always serve fabulous food!
I'm skipping the food banter for this post though. Take my word for it that everything was delicious and perfectly prepared and served. Today it's all about the garden.
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| A mature border anchored by the best specimen of Cornus kousa 'Wolf Eyes' I've ever seen. |
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| View of another mature border from the deck. Notice the masterfully woven foliage color and texture. |
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| The same deck view a little more to the left |
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| A deck vignette using a specimen of Euphorbia cotinifolia as a focal point |
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| The Fragrance Garden |
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| An exuberant Lespedeza |
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| Garden art and whimsy abound in this garden |
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| A Tyson Weiss fish |
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| The always well coordinated front entry |
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| Yes we can grow Crepe Myrtle in CT |
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| I love the way the sun back lit this container of Colocasias |
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| I can only wish my Hydrangea quercifolia 'Little Honey' looked this good |
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| Every garden needs a dog (and a Colocasia 'Thai Giant') |
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| Every dog needs a garden |
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| Oliver patiently waits |
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| No dogs were harmed for the shooting of this scene. |
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OK so I lied about the food. Get a gander at this flour less macadamia torte Monique created for the occasion. Like most of her desserts, this is my favorite.
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I feel very fortunate to have such great friends who are also talented gardeners. Every gathering is an endless source of fun and inspiration and leaves me looking forward to the next one. Speaking of which, I think it's my turn....
I'm smiling so hard I'm going to split my face.. Great post with great memories of a wonderful day. Ditto what you said, "I feel very fortunate to have such great friends who are also talented gardeners".
ReplyDeleteNothing beats the axe murderer and serial killer friends you meet on line! :)
Delete:-)
DeleteI love to see a really mature garden with such bold structure. No overgrown blowziness in this established garden, it has all been edited to keep the big plants and large groupings in scale and in harmony. Very nice. You have great friends : )
ReplyDeleteLaurrie, like your garden this one was created on a new residential subdivision lot-previously farm land so on a blank slate. I believe Monique and Les purchased the house in the late 80s and started gardening a few years later.
DeleteIt is amazing. How do you find friends who are gardeners as passionate as you are? (LOVE that torte!)
ReplyDeleteCan you email me sometime?
On the internet, Jack. You can read a brief history of how we all met here:
Deletehttp://idyllhaven.blogspot.com/2012/07/another-idyllunion-for-history-books.html
How I love Les and Moniques garden, but that deck level view of Ollie is great !I must say 55 degree nights is why the tropicals don't do well here in spite of the zone 9 designation. We have those temps at night all summer long off and on. Even worse in SF as you know !
ReplyDeleteGreat post and great photos of a GREAT Garden! I love to see the long shots that really give you the feel of how everything has matured and been edited along the way. Thanks for taking the time to show another perspective of this amazing and fun get-together. Glad Oliver made a Special Guest Appearance and permitted you in his Territory. -- Cindy H.
ReplyDeleteAn evening of eating well and viewing such a garden -- bliss! Thanks for the tour, Sue.
ReplyDelete"How do you find friends who are gardeners as passionate as you are"
ReplyDeleteI think it was a very fortunate stroke of luck. I still remember that each of us had been warned about "the axe murderer and serial killer friends" we were so casually meeting. None of us doubted that it would be anything but a great meet-up!
Life has interfered with some of the recent gatherings, but I do hope to make it to #10!
Another interesting feature is that we all are at least gourmets, if not gourmands!
Amazing garden! I would love to come and see it for myself! Thanks for posting pictures!
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