indigo pears

[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!