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Saturday, May 24, 2008

[NOTE: I am waiting a bit before posting here again...I really like this post so much! And believe me, I have a quiet life so leaving the blog in Paula's garden for a while is a good thing! I may post some art work under my Arty Collage and Dolls blog...thanks, Lila (added May 28th)]


Late morning in Paula's garden...May 21st...



The sunshine hits the "forest of foxgloves" in full bloom at my friend Paula's!










Paula's garden is a labor of love for the last 2 decades....time has helped her to create a delightful quiet retreat in the Ozarks.





This year when my friend Cheryl and I visited, Paula had over 200 foxgloves plants in bloom! Just exquisite! This is one plant that local deer don't devour!






Foxgloves and Japanese Iris......


After posing in the lovely stalks of bell-shaped blossoms, I took my camera to capture some of the details in Paula's world....

Paula and Cheryl walking through another part of her gardens...the "secret garden" which is entirely fenced off from the deer. Note the bougainvillea blooming in front of Paula.

Japanese painted fern and a shiny ceramic ball. The wall of her garden with tools of her passion.....found objects like the painted wooden swan(rescued from beside a dumpster) and round stones from the river nearby.
Lichen, ferns, foxgloves, hostas, violets grow near rose campion (fenced so the deer won't eat it all!).




After the garden tour, we had tea and cookies under the trees with a soft breeze blowing....so peaceful!
In addition to gardening, Paula is a wonderful quilter/seamstress/artist, she rescued this old machine to use as a garden sculpture. Visiting her world has given me many wonderful images to recall and use for inspiration. Thank-you Paula!


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The trip home......Friday May 23rd
After visiting our mothers in Little Rock, we chose to take highway 7 (Arkansas) north from Russellville. [Sometimes voted one of the most scenic highways in America.] It was cloudy. We were driving on a high ridge but were up in the clouds much of the time! Finally, just before Jasper, AR we pulled over to see the view. Cheryl braved the mist and wind for the wonderful air and scenic layers of mountains stretching on for miles!






On down the highway and down into the valley of the Buffalo and Little Buffalo rivers is the county seat of Newton County, Jasper. There is a town square, with the courthouse in the center. (Made from native stone). Across the street is the Ozark Cafe where we had lunch. A "pattymelt" and homemade carrot cake....

Then out for a stroll around the square..... we visited the Chamber of Commerce which sells local arts and crafts, offers free gourmet coffee and lots of local lore.
Around the corner was "Emma's Museum of Junk " a sort of flea-market /second hand store in an old stone building. Her collectors' gardens were on either side of the shop.

So many cast-off things are put to clever use here!


Finally, right in front of Emma's shop was another cast iron black crow on a cauldron of indigo/purple petunias! Loved it!

9 comments:

gma said...

Lila, Paula's garden is spectacular. What a cool sewing machine garden sculpture. Love it!!! Also that is a nice photo overlooking the ridge.
xx

Mrs. Mac said...

Thanks for visiting my blog "This New House" via Felisol. I enjoyed viewing your watercolor paintings over at your other blog. Your garden photos are beautiful. I have foxglove and dianthas but with all the snow we had this past winter, they are just now greening up (no flowers just yet). Enjoy spring and its beauty.

smilnsigh said...

Oh that first picture... The Foxgloves, and what looks like an Adirondack chair, in the soft sunlight. -happy sigh- I want to pop into the picture and sit a while. :-)

A lovely trip you had, for sure.

Mari-Nanci
'Smilnsigh'

smilnsigh said...

And the cast iron crow on the cauldron! I'd add mounds of pink petunias to it, but... So cute an addition to any garden area.

Mari-Nanci
'Smilnsigh'

Anonymous said...

A first time visit here for me, and enjoying it very much! Your pictures remind me of the day I had yesterday in a friend's beautiful garden about an hour and a half's drive away.The gardens are very similar, looking even more beautiful in the soft Winter sunlight we are experiencing here in South Australia.Thank you for a lovely site to visit.

Naturegirl said...

I adore Paula's garden! I would be so
thrilled to have been there with you!
I love her creativity in her garden and I also have a secret garden and an old sewing machine! No deer though...how I wish!!
I enjoyed your tour today looking down over the valley! Wonderful images! hugs NG

Bimbimbie said...

Your friends garden is stunning and Emma's museum looks like a great place to wander. Loved the crow and petunias *!*

Annie Jeffries said...

What a special place Paula's garden is. It reminds me, but on a much grander scale, of a garden I was able to visit last summer.

couragetocreatewriteandlove said...

i belong in that garden, yes?
it is amazing!!!
Lucky you!

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