Aug 9, 2011

Ornamental Gardens Sunday


Having far too many veggies already in the fridge, and more in the garden, I didn't make my weekly trek to the farmers market on Saturday.  Instead, on Sunday, my friend EcoDiva and her lovely girls took me to the ornamental gardens a few towns over.  Set on acres of land atop a hill, this gorgeous area is carved out of a forest of pine and fir trees and planted with flowers, shrubs and even herbs & veggies!

When we arrived, just after 9am on Sunday, we saw a group doing Tai Chi.  A nice way to start the day! (Clicking on the photos will give you a somewhat larger view if you want to see more detail.)


Lush planting beneath old growth trees:


A charming building on the grounds:


A stunning, multi-petal sunflower that I am coveting:


Arbors abound:



It was nice to see so many happy bumblebees on the flowers here.  In an area that is so highly agricultural (we were known for our orchards, but now mostly for our grapes) it's so important for us to have healthy, happy bees!


An amazing, feathery shrub filters sunlight through it's pink clouds of foliage:


Here is a close up of that shrub:


This massive pine had it's own stone circle around it, and has a place of honour at the entrance to the gardens.  The pictures I took don't do it justice - it was enormous!


It was a wonderful day spent with sweet friends! 

7 comments:

Jennifer said...

Beautiful pictures! I especially like the sunflower!!

Magaly Guerrero said...

Mm, I feel lush!

Chris 'Frog Queen' Davis said...

Absolutely fantastic pictures. Thanks for sharing with all of us!

Cheers!

Robin Larkspur said...

glorious and grand photos. What a perfect place to get inspired and refreshed. Thanks for sharing this!

Anonymous said...

Great pictures !!! I love al the flowers. Beautiful gardens !!
Have a magical day.

the wild magnolia said...

Tremendous sharing, wonderful photos. The big tree looks as if it could speak, I love it.

Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Your posting pictures is so cool. It's like touring the garden, while you never leave the living room.