An ENJOY post from my archives
Garden Walk, Garden Design, Garden Adventure, Travel
I just came back from my first trip to Door County. Although we did not go there for any garden walks or shows, my friend Danelle and I could not help but notice the beautiful gardens we saw as we antiqued our way through several towns. Everywhere we looked, there were colorful flowers blooming!
Oo, look at THAT! This garden in particular stood out as we drove by, so we made a mental note to stop and look for it on the way back to take some pictures. Despite its many colors and different plants, this roadside garden is very pleasing to the eye. I think the repeated pattern and its undulating shape is the key. The dark leafy plants keep the bright blooms from getting too busy, and they give the eye a place to rest.
Here you can see how the pattern changed further down the road and away from that gray fence.
Above is a closer shot of one of the sections back by the gray fence. You could play Name That Plant if you like. I see some Persian Shield, some pink zinnias, some Angel Wing begonias—but what are the bright yellow flowers with yellow centers? Danelle said they were Black Eyed Susan, a variety without the familiar black or brown centers. I looked them up, and sure enough there is a variety of rudbeckia hirta called “Irish Eyes” or “Green Eyes”—who knew!
The discovery of this plant variety that I was not aware of before is my favorite takeaway from this unofficial garden walk. I had already been planning to move one of the clumps of Brown Eyed Susan in my back yard bed because it is covering up the pretty rose behind it. I like the brighter yellow of Irish Eyes, too, so I will start using it instead.
See the two clumps of Black Eyed Susan here in my garden. Can you see the rose behind the one on the right? No. That’s why that rudbeckia must be moved.
Below is part of the pretty garden we found by The Shoreline Restaurant, where we ate dinner. I was pleased to see white daturas, which seed themselves in one or two of my containers, and pansies, which I always try to grow from seed as edible flowers, both blooming very nicely. Now I want to find a good spot in my garden for growing a nice clump of daturas!
There were many other beautiful gardens in Door County. It seemed like pink hydrangeas were blooming everywhere. The towns by the bay, with their cute shops, cottages, and gardens, reminded me of Mackinac Island. And that reminds me that I have yet to sort through the hundreds of pictures I took there last year at the Grand Hotel Garden Show. So many blooms, so little time!
The Gardener Wife 