Wednesday, July 07, 2010

A Collectors Garden

I took a little field trip today to my sister-in-law's garden, not leaving my brother out, but it is her garden!  She is a collector as long as I have known her which is about forty years.  Her garden is not only a personal reflection of who she is but a creative endeavor that displays all of her interests and talents.

This is an example of a completely renovated garden over a period of a quarter of a century.  The home was built in 1925, and many improvements have been made on the house and the garden.  The pond was original and made of cement, not a preformed plastic.  It is stocked with goldfish, lilies, water hyacinths and some pond grasses. 

There are rememberance gardens for our family members who are no longer in our lives, one for her mother, father and my mother.  They are genuine with my mother's favorite saying on a plaque, her fathers work boots planted with flowers and plants that have her mother's name, her mom's birdhouses and fountain.

Please enjoy the photos of Barb's wonderful garden!

19 comments:

Roses and Lilacs said...

Good morning. I love all her whimsical additions to the garden. The old rake, the mailbox and that chair are all cute and unusual. They add that extra little touch that makes a garden very interesting. Since I love antiques, I should adopt some of you sister's ideas and add a few to my garden.
Marnie

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

It's beautiful! I love all of the garden art and antiques mixed in. I think those types of things add a lot of personality. That rake is really a great idea and of course I love the pond.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Roses and Lilacs,

She even picked up a terra cotta planter curbside on her way home from our party on the 4th. She is a real collector, much better than I am!

Eileen

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Catherine, the pond reminds me of yours. It is larger than it looks in the picture with lots of pond lilies that have not bloomed yet.

Eileen

Lona said...

Oh Eileen what a beautiful garden. I just love all of it. The decor is so marvelous and the blues. Wow!

Gatsbys Gardens said...

She spends a lot of time out there all summer. I think you are right blue is a very predominant color.

Eileen

Shaheen said...

Your garden looks fantastic. I especially love the tiled window box. Very inspirational.

BernieH said...

Such a lovely garden ... those extra little additions such as the mailbox, the soup tureen and the old wringer really add so much interest. Thanks for sharing your sister-in-law's garden ... I love the idea of the rememberance garden spots ... such a wonderful gesture.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

She's another teacher Bernie. She teaches home economics to middle school children, so she gets to use all her craftiness in the garden.

Eileen

garden girl said...

What a lovely garden Eileen! I really enjoyed the artistic use of sentimental objects.

The 'weed' looks like feverfew - a long-blooming European native, with herbal/medicinal uses, particularly for headaches, including migraines.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

I thought it was Feverfew also, but my sister-in-law thought it was a weed. It is lovely. She will be glad to hear it is an herbal, medicinal plant.

Eileen

Rose said...

What a beautiful garden! Your sister-in-law has such an artistic eye, knowing just where to place some of these objects for maximum visual appeal. I love the garden rake holding up the pole beans and all of the blue ornaments, my favorite color. I have no artistic vision like this, so I just copy other people's ideas when I can:) Thanks so much for sharing these photos--this was almost like going on an actual garden tour!

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Thanks Rose, I am sure she will love hearing your compliments.

Eileen

Unknown said...

Your first picture of the garden just blew me away. I LOVE IT with all of the cobalt accent planters here and there. They just pop!
The antiques everywhere through the garden are just fantastic! What a beautiful job you have done of putting just the right thing in the right place! You are definitely one talented gardener.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Hi Raingardener, I wish I could take credit but the garden in the pictures is my sister-in-law's. She has many more objects that are not in the garden yet.

Eileen

Anonymous said...

Hi Eileen, forgive me for not making it over to your blog on a more regular basis. Your sis-in-law's garden is very, very cool. I would love a close up and personal look. I've got one small area that needs a a bit of work. I'm hesitating because the inspiration hasn't gabbed and pulled yet. But your sis's garden is getting me closer. Thanks.

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Grace, thank you, I knew when I saw your post that it would be just what my sisgter-in-law would love. I will make a blogger out of her yet!

Eileen

Larry said...

Hi Eileen... First off thank you for sharing this lovely and most interesting garden... I've very much enjoyed your post.
You seemed a bit discouraged with critters, etc. in the garden this year as I read your comment on my post... I think most gardeners can probably relate. It's been a terrible year for rabbits, insects, and fungal diseases. I think the problem for me becomes one of focusing on what's wrong rather than what's right in the garden. After all, this is nature and nature is far from perfect, at least according to the standards we gardeners set.
I'm thinking of last year when my wife and I, and our gardens, were on the Northeastern Wisconsin Hosta Association tour of gardens. We had a cool season which suddenly turned very hot and hostas everywhere burned in situations where they normally wouldn't. I about had nervous prostrations over the whole incident... living up to my normal perfectionism that promises to greatly shorten my life on the planet. My pragmatic wife on the other hand kept asking if I'd let her do a bit of grooming on the hostas. I was amazed... I really couldn't tell they had been damaged once she completed the task... and not a single gardener on the tour counted the leaves on each hosta!
I really don't know what the answer for you is regarding the rabbits... word has apparently gotten out amongst the local rabbit population that it is wisest to stay out of this yard, as I haven't seen one in several weeks. The terro product is doing it's job and the annuals are fast coming back to their rightful appearance, and for now the crabs are simply showing their structure (a tribute to my pruning? ... ha) and certainly will bloom well once again next season and look great until the whole process starts over... such is the life of a gardener.
I had to laugh when one of the people touring here earlier today, asked me how I dealt with the birch leaf miner... as I assured them that we hadn't seen that problem in probably ten or more years, I happened to look up... guess what ... what's the line from the movie?... "they're ba-ack!!"
I have a very close gardening friend who doesn't worry about weeds, or disease, or critters... he simply dwells on the amazing things of the plant kingdom and appreciates everything that happens in his garden... I often have to think of him and his wonderful attitude as I try to not get so concerned over what happens in my own gardens. Your yard is beautiful... and if nothing else... there's always next year! At least that's what I try to tell myself on an almost daily basis!! Larry

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Thanks Larry, I needed a pep talk to see beyond the critters. I know it is the great amount of rain we have had - everything is so juicy!

I am going out to fertilize today.

Eileen