After a detailed viewing of each area and plant in Tom and Judy’s garden, Ann brought her garden club four doors east to walk through our garden. We began with everyone smelling the peanut butter foliage fragrance of Melianthus major (South African honey bush) by the sidewalk fence. (Some have dared to say it smells like old socks, but I tell you, it smells just like peanut butter!)
Melianthus major
The tour of fragrance continued with the low, lemony smelling Santolina (lavender cotton) next to the driveway. I realize that in many cases I will grow a quiet little plant specifically for its fragrance (although I also do love the look of Santolina’s silver, green or chartreuse foliage).
sniffing santolina
along the front path
in the front garden
Foreground, above: a tall Eryngium (sea holly) in blue, another Eryngium in silver-blue, and chartreuse Nicotiana langsdorfii.
Between house and shed…
several club members took photos of this scene.
“As I gaze upon the garden, my heart grows peaceful, still.
From its colour comes my being, from its spirit comes my will.”
I love putting that quotation by Ryan Gainey in my garden because his video called Creating the Romantic Garden was enormously influential in my choice to buy a garden of my own down here. (Note: I need to write about that sometime.)
At left corner of photo above, you can see a gardener pausing to examine a “before” photo of the garden.
into the back garden
in the back garden
looking south at the river of hardy Geranium ‘Rozanne’
My Rozanne river, inspired by a photograph in a lecture by Adrian Bloom at the Hardy Plant Society study weekend 2010, has been a big success in my garden, blooming from early June through October. The slide showing Adrian’s own blue Rozanne river might have been why I decided I had to move from my old shady garden to this sunny one.
at the south end of the big flower beds
Everyone had to go past the fire circle to the bogsy woods and look at the fairy doors.
steps to a fairy door
fire circle and bogsy woods
back to the driveway
photography
As we lingered in the front driveway, one of the club members photographed a frog on a flower…
Frog on Cosmos in front garden
Finally, Tom Hornbuckle took two photos of me and Judy; I had remembered them as being taken on post tour day (which is where I posted the other one), but now I realize that they were on this happy garden day.
gardening neighbours
It is a real bond being on the garden tour (a bond we also share with Ann of today’s garden club, whose garden was also on the Peninsula tour). We worried about weeding, new plants, had we spent too much? (no doubt!) and what refreshments to serve, but it was all very worthwhile.
Tangly Cottage Gardening 