Dreams Are Made From Gardens Like This

The Jan Harvey Garden

In the year 2004 Jan Harvey's garden was featured in the annual food Pantry Garden tour. Years later now, the Garden tour is sponsored by the same organization, but with the new name - Stepping Stones. I was unable to attend at that time. In the mean time I had driven by and saw the possibilities of this garden's realities / fantasies for my own home . I had seen similar gardens in the Better Homes and Gardens magazine, and had hopes of what could lay behind the gate. It was my nature to dream of having such a example dream of a garden in my own yard. If the opportunity came , I could do similar since I had a small side yard like this on the south of my house where it receives sun most of the time except in the front where the roses would be.

In the mean time I was dying to see inside this garden to see, if I had similar ideas/ fantasies as the reality of hers. I was almost sure it was so. There was no way, I would miss seeing what was beyond that gate.
{ No I never went to the fence and peeked in. Wish I had thought of that. But then there are limits. lol}

Those photos that I saw of similar gardens gave me something to desire. It was a soothing to my soul. I have always thought that surely this garden is like those photos and I was right.

The owner of the garden offered explanations of the plants with Numbered locations corresponding to the additional pamphlet they gave us at the registration entrance. I regret not checking the name tag of one of the hosts there, who was exceptionally accommodating to our questions.

Click the pictures for the enlarged images, otherwise you really miss out. The small photos do no justice to the garden's merits. Most of these are not edited. To do so I would have to darken. I am sorry the light colors do get washed out. It's my camera and my abilities, which you will see are not so good.




The beginning with anticipation

Seen and unseen the walk contains Malva, Talictrum, Allium, Penstemon, Lysimachia, Filipendula, Astilbe, Lupine, Anemone, Alematis [maybe Clematis] , Tanacetum.

Which will lead to this circular bed ..........

Looking back to the entrance I am now being followed by a couple, which limited my dalliance over each awesome find. The garden walk was as it should be, a narrow path and I couldn't side step to allow them to pass.

A gorgeous lavender Clematis, with Pink and white. The daisies are perfect. On the opposite side I see she has the coveted Josephine. [I welcomed the opportunity to see it up front.]


Ahh, Poppies, foxglove, campanula, Lobelia, Lilies, I was so glad to see them. Imagine the Lilies evening fragrance.

All the colors and romance of a greeting card. All that's missing are teacups and saucers. Possibilities of a few well done crystal totems I probably would have inserted here.


Just love that coral pink color with the blue. One can never have too many poppies as far as I am concerned.

In this case, one has to stick with thin plants, with the other combinations. This works out just fine. This was the year to see all versions of the Creeping jenny in nearly all the gardens.

I didn't get to ask if her foxgloves and some other plants reseed themselves. I love them in the summer time. I may just have to have that lily.

Isn't this to die for, it almost makes me get into the Victorian mode. I certainly would swing into a Jane Austin mood. It takes a little work to keep those Hydrangeas blue. Unless they are the Nicky variety. [ Hope I have the name right] There is a similar one near the exit area,

You have to click this one to go ' ahh' gaga over those blue Hydrangeas! In addition to the great blue of the Hydrangea, there are touches of the yellows in their greenish tints and a bit of coral tinted pinks. Here seen and unseen are alchemilla mollis, Cornus below the steps are yellow barberry shrub, two and species of Carex, two species of Thalictrum, two species of Aruncus [ goats beard], Astilboides, and Korean Angelica.

These were exactly the color and plant combinations I had hoped to see and those I love. It lived up to my expectations and more.

So here now, we have arrived to the circular bed, just where I said we would. In the tour I went past here through an arbor down to the Hostas and other more shaded plants. Some areas are a little romantic and worthy of my little tour here, but sorry, this where I end it today, since I was mainly showing what I liked of her examples for my side garden, if I ever were blessed with the opportunity of creating something of my dreams made from this garden.



Now I see having a little shade there in the front of my house is not so bad.

You might get a glimpse of a photo or two later, when I do a post on the fencing ideas that I liked about her garden.

If you didn't click, you missed out. Really.

just me jo

Como Park Conservatory Spring Tour

You will find here my appreciation for the old art of the Victorian garden. Your visit is free there, but here the charge is a comment. [Smile]


You can see it was a busy day here at the sunken garden in the Como Conservatory as everyone waits and is respectful and then they try and get their shots, coming from their own ideas of Perspective.
Eventually you will see photos at one time or another with people in them. Your going to have to ignore them and concentrate on the flowers.

Also you will notice the reflections in the ponds of the ceiling. It makes it unique.

First of all I just have to clarify that I never plant orange in my garden except for the few old fashioned tiger lilies and the orange typical farm lilies. They are similar to this color I think.??

My daughter took the time to make these nice shots with her digital camera. It was up to me to try and reduce the size for my blog.

I don't know what this vine is, but it's beautiful.

I love ferns, moss, which is lacking here. I also have a thing for Maidenhair ferns and well rocks!

I did ruin the shot, I am sitting on that bench. You can buy a post card like this one, without me in it! Water adds so much charm to a garden. but art adds even more. And then too, what would the picture be with out the palm trees in the background.

It would be so very colorful after a long white winter.

This shot does show how fantastic and Victorian this conservatory is.

The floors and the rock work is gorgeous as the flowers are. I really love this photo about the best. The bright blues were really dark Purple. If something shows as purple it is really magenta. I really like these border type plantings.

The Saint Francis with the comforting sound of the trickle of the fountain
Perfect Art for the Perfect spot.

And a little more of the huge rock wall waterfall. Below it there was a little stream with black rocks.

I can't wait to go back for the Summer views.