Posts
Okay, so I've gotten behind on blogging (again) but really wanted to share some photos from the Placer County Master Gardener's Annual Mother's Day Garden Tour. This is the second year my mom and I have attended and the local MG's really do a good job organizing this event. This year's theme was Country Gardens which I was very excited about. Although I don't live in the country, I grew up there and my parents still live on 12 acres northeast of Lincoln. Plus, I love to see what people can do with a little bit of shoulder room in their gardens.
We managed to make it to all of the gardens this year and although we got rained on a bit, it was better than last year's hot day where we gave up early to go drink wine instead of hiking around in the heat! So - here are some of the highlights that I captured on my state of the art iPhone camera :-)
This was so cute - a little track with a cart on it sitting on a granite outcropping, planted with succulents.
I covet this - a Hakuro Nishiki Willow. I've really been wanting one and was excited to see this one. Hmmm...where to fit it into my yard.
This was so impressive in person - a little difficult to capture with my high tech photographic equipment though. Just below their back deck, mixed beneath the oak trees, a huge flower bed filled with annual and perennials. I can only imagine how beautiful it looks as the summer continues.
Using rose bushes for clematis to grow on - brilliant! I went straight to Eisley's Nursery after the tour and bought a clematis to experiment with in my own yard.
The next place we stopped was created by two Master Gardener's and was truly a "gardener's garden". I can't believe I only took two pictures here - I think I was just so enjoying looking around, I didn't pull the phone...excuse me, camera out of my pocket.
Our last stop was truly the best stop. This place was staggeringly beautiful and had surprises at every turn. It was nestled into a small valley at the site of a small cottage that had been built about 100 years ago. There were plants the owner thinks had been there for just as long which was really impressive. When you first enter the garden, there is a small shaded courtyard that leads you to the front of the cottage.
In the photo above, we have just reached the corner of the cottage where you look down on a beautiful pond. After climing down a fairly steep slope, you arrive at this peaceful pond area.
After enjoying the pond, we realized there was a small walkway that led to acres of additional gardens! The photo below is from the opposite corner of the property, looking back towards the house. There was a fairly formal lawn area, a terraced rose garden, a greenhouse surrounded by veggie beds, and a bog garden that followed a natural stream. It just went on and on....
This snowball viburnum was one of the plants estimated to be 100 years old. To give you some perspective, I could stand underneath it - it was that big!
Finally, after the tour was done, we headed straight to Eisley's with lots of great ideas fresh in our minds. In addition to my new clematis, I picked up this new book, hot off the presses. The authors spent one year going to the Saturday Farmer's Market at the Auburn Courthouse and then hosted a meal every Monday for friends. The result is all of their recipes, organized by the week with lots of great information about buying local seasonal food. 
