Monroe County Master Gardener Association

story and photos by Gail K.

For our August tour; we had members invite us to visit their gardens.Below are pictures from the day we dropped in on Michelle.

Even before pulling into the driveway, Michelle’s artistic talent is visible. A flower bed, in a serpentine pattern winds its way across the front yard;

as if to wave a greeting to anyone passing by or to visitors walking to the front entry of the home.

… a warm welcome

Hearing voices, I turn & hop back down the red brick walkway; to find where everyone else must be.

around the side of the house, the backyard comes into view. What??? a vineyard….intriguing-can hardly wait to see what’s next. 

Entering into the yard proper; on my right is a mass planting of Limelight hydrangeas.

the group off to my left- listen as Michelle talks about the plants in her garden;  Caryopteris x clandonensis-“Bluebeard”

Seeing the grapevines, remind me of picking grapes in the small vineyard at my uncle’s farm.  Boy is it HOT today.

Before the rest get here, let’s take a closer look & catch a bit of shade at the same time.

The vines are loaded with clusters of grapes in various stages of ripeness.  I am going to try this one-

not bad: as I turn to find another I discover  the vines behind me are not grapes….oh goodie another favorite treat!!

Did I tell you I missed breakfast????  Better hurry before the rest get here….I’m hoping Michelle won’t miss these-

Yup!!!   I ate ’em and the search is on to find more.
               Yum Yum.
       Yikes here they come…..

don’t want to get caught with my hand in the cookie jar-

One tree caught the eye of many: the Dawn Redwood-Standing in the shade it provided, we discussed the uniqueness

of this particular species.  A member of the fir family, it will lose its needles come fall.  It’s a great tree for the west side of your home, Michelle’s large yard provides an ideal habitat
below:   the cones

This grouping of conifers provides a background for the

POND—adjacent to the patio & kitchen; allows those ineither area to be able to enjoy the sounds of the waterfall.

There are several features within the pond area. The KOI, a waterfall, the stream, a herb garden and the walkway.

Sitting on a bench on the backside of the pond I review the photos I have already taken; as I enjoy 

hearing the jingle jangle of wind chimes which hang nearby.

A large yard allows Michelle to have a wide variety of plantings. Vineyards, flowers, shrubs & conifers; along with

fruit trees (peach, apple) and vegetables (tomatoes, pumpkins)

She has literally divided her yard into “rooms.” Departing from the bench seat; let’s follow the path and see where it leads.

Thru the gateway & entering into the next realm-I see a slide which has been built into a hillside:

a play area for children (or adults??) who visit here. The path fully opening to expose an expanse of grass with scattered areas of defined groupings and outlined by a raised, mulched bed

which runs along the entire length on one side.

Today, even the native plants droop in the excessive heat.

The group decides to retreat from the sun, to the shade under the tents which are alongside the pond.

 AAHHH

Here, we can cool off while enjoying some light refreshments

along with sharing gardening secrets, before we head home. It was a hot but enjoyable day. We learned a lot of new things.

Michelle, Thank you for opening your garden and allowing us to visit.You & your husband should be proud of your yard.   

In closing, although I was not able to do all 3 tours that day; we would like to post any photos taken by those who did….
gk