Monday, July 31, 2017

Postcards from the Lake: A Pretty Little Garden

I've been going to Gaylord, MI and Otsego Lake since I was a baby. In fact, my mom went there when she was a baby. You'd think I'd know every nook and cranny. But things change. (Boy, do they change -- but that's for another time!) I remember when downtown Gaylord looked like this.


Now it looks like an Alpine Village. I don't know if that's progress or not but it is a change.


And sometimes the changes are good ones. I have discovered the Demonstration Garden.


I had no idea this was there until I saw a sign for an art fair there. (I'm not sure I'd call it an art show, personally. It was about four booths, I think -- unless I missed something, but I looked pretty hard.). But the garden was delightful.


There is a maze (impossible to photograph unless you are above it!) and all sorts of pretty flowers.


I liked the hummingbird garden with a variety of flowers to attract plants.


Quite possibly, my favorite was the children's garden with their ABCs...


...colorful crayon markers...


...and a fun caterpillar.


This sun dial lets you stand on the month, put your arms straight up and the small stones in a semi-circle above it tell you the time. It works!


And I thought this was fun -- a washboard and bin to make some noise!


The raised beds and herbs were wonderful. There was even a grassy ground cover of thyme and yes, it smelled wonderful!


It's in a countryside area (well, not really, just seems that way) so you have some wonderful views.


I can't resist a trellis!


All the plants are well marked and the paths easy to walk on. There is also a greenhouse.


In all, a nice find! And it's fun to have something new to discover.


Who knows, maybe I'll take my watercolors there! Now that would be a first!

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow Jeanie what a lovely place to visit. I'm sure all the flowers looked gorgeous in person. Loved visiting through your pictures. I particularly liked the caterpillar. That would be such a cute idea in a home garden as a smaller version. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it! Take care, Silvana

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

That does look like a neat place to visit. I always like seeing raised beds, makes me want them. Hope your summer at the lake is wonderful! -Jenn

eileeninmd said...

Hello Jeanie, Gaylord looks like a cute town. I love the photos of the garden, Beautiful flowers. The children's garden looks cute, I like the caterpillar, crayons and sundial. I am always looking for plants to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Happy Monday, enjoy your day and the new week ahead!

Joanne Huffman said...

It's always fun to discover something new about a local place. I think you could get some lovely watercolors from that garden.

HoneyBeeHelps said...

That looks like a nice little walkabout !
I'm always happy where gardens grow.

Silver in AZ said...

very cool place! Thanks for sharing!

Linda @ A La Carte said...

What a lovely place. It makes me want to go to our Botanical Gardens and yes take my watercolors! Great minds?

My name is Erika. said...

I'm with you about the children's garden. How cool is that giant caterpillar? I think putting in gardens like that always makes a place welcoming. I'm not sure about the alpine theme-that looks a little dated to me, but if it works and attracts people to help the economy and distinguish the town, it's a good thing. :) Happy new week-almost August-wow, where is the summer going to? Hugs-Erika

Carola Bartz said...

What a beautiful garden! I like the sundial part, would love to try it out - I'm so glad that things like this are still out there. The idea of a grassy ground cover of thyme is very attractive, I was actually thinking of doing that in my back garden because I want to get rid of all my "lawn". I need to get into that more and start working on it.

Pom Pom said...

I love the folksy way people do things in lake areas. It's all very charming!

Valerie-Jael said...

Yes, 'progress' is everywhere! That garden is really beautiful though, what a lovely place to wander around. Enjoy your vacation, hugs, Valerie

Pam said...

oh yes...things and places change all the time. I love the garden and the things in it. The crayons are awesome! The first flower pic is Spiderwort plant. Love the blooms on them and them bloom for a long time.

Marilyn Miller said...

Is that a bat house in the garden too? Love seeing this garden. Of course the Master Gardeners were involved. How special to be still discovering new things for a place you thought you had seen it all.

Sally Wessely said...

What a great find! I love the garden for children also.

Mary@mydogsmygardenandmary said...

How great to find this wonderful garden with all the different areas. Some times towns change for the better and sometime not, but your little town looks great. They were smart to change it up.

Thanks for sharing.... have a wonderful week.

Mary

Danielle L Zecher said...

Beautiful flowers. The garden reminds me a little bit of parts of the garden at Riverbanks Zoo.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Sometimes progress is good, and sometimes not so good.

So glad you discovered that garden. It's a gem with all the various areas. What beautiful flowers and great, lush color.

Joyful said...

What a fun garden!

Sandra Cox said...

Don't you love discovering gardens?
That caterpillar was especially sweet.

Barbara said...

Good Heavens that is quite a change, do you know why or when the buildings were altered? It could make for an interesting blog post maybe.
I would love to visit those gardens, and I just know I wouldn't be able to resist making some noise on the washboard and bin – what a fun idea.
Lovely post, thank you so much for sharing it.

Mike@Bit About Britain said...

Well, Jeanie, I have to say that the opening photo of Gaylord looks like something from Pleasantville! Interesting name too... But I loved the garden(s) - pretty, imaginative, nicely executed and great fun. The caterpillar must have taken ages... You realise, of course, that many Brits labour under the illusion that no one else gardens?! Pah!

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

I was just thinking about how we changed our home from it's last state of being when we bought it in '97. The previous owners have been by a few times to be in SHOCK over what we've done. I've also talked to older folks who remember visiting the elderly lady back in the 40s and 50s when our house was just a square little thing. It made me wonder what this house would look like when we are gone. I wonder what our garden will look like, or will it even be there!

Well Jeanie, it's August. That means back to school for me on August 24 for meetings. EEEEEK!

Victoria Zigler said...

Sounds like a wonderful and beautiful find.

That art fair sounds like the ones our area does: Unless it's something where you'll find events happening all over the town, you'll only find a small area with a handful of stalls/booths set up.

The French Hutch said...

You are so right Jeanie, boy do things change! What lovely and fun garden you discovered. I too love the hummingbird garden and such a lovely area devoted for children. This is just so sweet with the crayons and the adorable caterpillar. What a great find and thanks for sharing the gardens.........

Eilis said...

How fun that the garden has things to engage kids! It looks like a wonderful place for families and hummingbirds to enjoy together.

Doodle T said...

En Plein Air watercolors...a terrific idea. Love the photos, Jeanie. :)

Lynne said...

Looks like a sweet spot . . .
Love the crayon markers . . .
Mailed the book Monday morning . .
I hope you'll enjoy!

Bonnie said...

What a lovely garden to discover! I bet you'll go back there another season. You should take your paints and have a fun day painting and show us what you created.
I hope you are having a great summer. It has passed so quickly. We have had a two day reprieve from the oppressive humidity and it has been such a gift.

Pam Richardson said...

Jeanie, what a delightful garden that you discovered. Please take your paints and I will be waiting to see a gorgeous watercolor! Be sure to link this to Gardens Galore next Monday, August 7!

Lisa from Lisa's Yarns said...

That is so pretty! What an unexpected find. I love that it is kid-friendly, too, and that might draw more families into visiting. We don't have any room for much of a garden/flower beds at our house so I always appreciate gardens that I come upon, or well-landscaped houses!

shoreacres said...

It's nice to see the Master Gardeners at work. They put in so many hours, and so much hard labor, and it really shows in this garden. Like others, I love the caterpillar, and I loved seeing so many flowers that we have, too.

One of my friends just put in some raised-bed gardens at her place. She's having mobility problems, and she decided that the raised beds would make it possible for her to keep gardening as the years go by. For someone who's 85 years old, I'm thinking that's a whole lot of admirable positivity!

Red Rose Alley said...

Such an enchanting garden. Love that hummingbird step. Aahh, the daisies are sweet and remind me of my mom. : )

Have a very nice weekend, Jeanie.

~Sheri

Angelsdoor * Penny said...

Thank you for taking me along. I love gardens.. The daisies remind me of Brit. It is her favorite flower. Such a happy little flower she says.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend.
blessings,
Penny

Olka said...

This garden looks amazing! Maja would love to see it, I'm pretty sure, if I would take her there, she would play all the time and watch every single thing! I like the crayons the most :)

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