Garden Tours in The Berkshires!

 

my pink wellies
my hot pink wellies

“The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don’t want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don’t have a soul.”  ― Thomas More   I love this quote but I would like to add this one little change to the ending…. I know animals have souls and I know they love gardens ~ I think he just forgot that.

We have had a very busy summer so far! In June we were on a Garden Tour in Lee.  As a Garden Tour Committee member, I resisted being on the tour because June is the beginning of our very busy season. Creating a garden tour, even with a very active committee, is no small feat!  I had been on a garden tour in the past, and it is an intimidating process. My garden is a work in progress, and although perfectly charming and cottage-y, I strongly doubted it  was  really garden tour material.  Well, after having difficulty finding enough gardens for our tour, I succumbed to the request. Oh dear, lots of work to be done! My front and side gardens are unique and garden tour ready with a little extra tlc,  but my upper back yard is so shady and I felt it  just wasn’t up to tour standards.  So, with the help of my, “assistant,” Jeff ,  we took on the back yard. Although the Garden Tour was weeks away, we had a lot of special events: Mom & Dads 60ith Anniversary Party, Mom’s 80ith Birthday Party, Mother’s Day, and oh, did I mention, tons of rain? Luckily for me, my assistant is a very hard worker and although we felt a little pressure with the deadline ~ we made it. Was it worth it?  Yes it was! We raised lots of money for our downtown hanging basket project, and we created an event for Lee that was fun, and very well attended. Also, now my backyard, although still a work in progress, has evolved!  Come along, I’ll show you what we have been up to.

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We had a really fun 60ith anniversary party for our parents at our house, with live music and dancing too!

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My mom at 80!
My mom at 80!

 

We had another party! This time we were at the Red Lion Inn.  Our families favorite place to celebrate birthdays!

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side barn potting bench
side barn potting bench

 

This was an early spring project. Jeff sided the barn ~ my neighbor Sandy & I use it as a potting bench.  Of course,  Sandy & I love to make everything cute, so we decorated it!

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My assistant, Jeff at work. Building a stone wall!
My assistant, Jeff at work. Building a stone wall!

Jeff also built a stone path to the garden shed! What would I ever do without my assistant!

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My other two assistants! Very helpful too! Sometimes they even help me dig!

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Berkshire Vintage
Berkshire Vintage

 

Berkshire Vintage set up shop! Jeff’s sister, Pamela Loring, is a vintage dealer. She also is an seamstress and crafter! She set up her vintage wares to sell at the garden tour. Her, and her “assistant,” Kim Kirby crafted some of these specialties. They went perfectly with our garden tour!  I am crazy about Pam’s banners and pillows ~ just crazy about them!

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Jan from Five Cents a Dance set up shop too!

Jan owns, Five Cents a Dance in Lee. You  have see her work. She is an amazingly talented seamstress and also a costume designer! She had the cutest little dresses for sale at our garden tour!

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Garden Fairy!
Garden Fairy

We even had a Garden Fairy ~ every garden has them. This darling one decided to show herself to the garden lovers on the tour,  since she just loves the hanging baskets lining our Main Street , she wanted to show her support.

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Robin O'herin

We even had Robin O’herin strumming and singing in the garden ~ a very festive atmosphere.

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nude by the pool ~ by resident artist Julia Keenan
nude by the pool ~ by resident artist Julia Keenan

 

Our daughter Julia, an art student , let us stage the tour with some of her special pieces.

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Tea anyone?
Tea anyone?

Tea service by Jules!

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checkerboard garden
checkerboard garden area

Now, my backyard is not just a secret garden, but a very meditative & contemplative place.

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hosta collection with water feature
hosta collection with water feature

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cairn sculpture
cairn sculpture

Isn’t this cairn sculpture perfect for our meditation area.  We went to a graduation party and the owner had these cairn sculptures as we walked up her driveway.  We were so inspired ! Jeff made 6 of them the very next day!

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meditation shed
meditation shed

This was once Julia’s playhouse ~ we actually moved it from our other house because Jeff had just built it.  It then became my garden shed.  Now it has become my mediation shed. I have started to decorate it.  It has wicker chairs and a garden theme decor. A CD player with meditations.  I have elaborate decorating ideas in the works!

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enter the potager garden
enter the potager garden

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t-set by Jules

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clematis in full bloom

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garden tour
garden tour

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mini pottery vases by Jules

 

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succulents
succulents the popular plant winner of 2013

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shady deck area
shady deck area

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garden tour
garden tour

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Look how it's grown since June 23rd!
Look how it’s grown since June 23rd!

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Thank you for coming by my blog today. I hope you enjoyed the garden tour!