5 O’Clock Gardening; Plants Optional

Remember when I went to the Southern Spring Show a couple of months ago and insisted that you come along?

A photo I don’t think I included was this one of a very large piece of garden art–children playing on a fallen tree trunk.   I wasn’t expecting to ever see it again.  However, at one of the larger homes on the Mother’s Day garden tour there sat the piece, front and center, just off the patio.

The homeowner had, indeed, purchased the piece at the Spring Show.  She said she’d had a pond in that spot, but always worried about someone falling into it, so when she saw this work, she decided to buy it and have the pond filled in to house it.  She had to be single.  Who can imagine explaining an impulse purchase delivered by tractor-trailer to a husband?

One of my favorite pieces on the garden tour last week was this unusual urn.  It was quite thin and looked as if it had fallen from the pages of Alice in Wonderland.  Perhaps the Queen of Hearts dislodged it with an errant croquet shot.

This vase 'urned' my admiration.

I love Indian Pink.   It’s one of my favorite shade plants because of its bright red flowers with yellow tips.

Why would a red flower named be named Indian Pink?  Why is a tree with pink/purple blossoms named Redbud?   And why call Dianthus “pinks” when they’re often red?  Don’t name a plant after a color.  It confuses me.

Indian Pink is really red.

I loved the ferns, hostas, and hydrangea prominent in the shade gardens, but a few unfamiliar varieties of flowers caught my eye.

This is probably an iris, but doesn’t it look like an orchid?  I couldn’t find the identification marker for it, although most of the plants here had been tagged.  The late Elizabeth Lawrence, whose gardening books are considered classics, lived here and started this garden.  The house and land belong to the Wing Haven Foundation, ten houses up the street.

One garden, professionally landscaped in the 90’s, looked too high maintenance for me, but it was delightful to walk the paths that wound through the beds of roses.  One  brilliant white beauty with a delightful citrusy fragrance was especially appealing.  It’s called Pope John Paul II.  I confessed to wanting one.

The rose bed homeowners had these large bright red tree roses at each corner of the house.  I didn’t check the name; I’d call it  No Way, Jose because of the work that must be involved in keeping it looking good.

Red does add a pop to a garden, however.  This red swing is one I’d like to pop into my own garden.

I knew right away that I would like this garden as soon as I saw the sign over the back door.  Now THAT’S hospitality!

Beside the porch, the patio table was already set for 5 o’clock.

A local blogger has more photos of this WingHaven Garden Tour 2011 on her site.  I’d show you more of my pictures, but I was so inspired by one of the trees at the home above that I want to get busy on a similar project for our garden.

Look back at that picture.  See the shadow on the bench?   Here’s a look at the tree that cast it.

The ultimate bottle tree… and no fireflies were harmed in the lighting.  What better way for the gardener and the garden to get lit?!

Oh look, it’s after 5!

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