Successful Home Garden Tour!

We had a wonderful Home Garden Tour this past Saturday. The weather was sour on Friday but Saturday was sunny with a light breeze and temperatures in the mid-70s. Over 500 people enjoyed eight homes in the Janesville area including the Riley residence above. I took many pictures and heard many complements regarding the organization and quality of the tour this year. This was a successful fundraiser for us and we hope to continue to refine and improve this event. The picture to left is from the Olmsted/Hathaway garden on the tour and shows the value of a mature golden Hakone grass (Hakon

echloa macra 'All Gold') in a shady situation. The image to the right is from the Barton residence and shows the value of colorful coral bells (Heuchera) and also shows the personal touch of the gardener with that neat planter (with scented geranium). I took hundreds of photos and all eight gardens were high quality and inspirational for everyone.

We had another big crew here today with the Grumpies. The fence crew of Dick H, Dick P, Rollie and John got rolling early and accomplished a nice length of installation. Marv and Terry worked down in the wishing well garden along with many other Grumpies, including Dr. Yahr. Gary and Ron removed some small trees while the carpenters kept busy with building potting benches. Nancy and Shirley were here to weed today as well. Marianne bounced between weeding, planting, watering and fertilizing while Little Jerry continued to prune and tidy in various areas. Larry got back in to running our irrigation zones and helped with various projects. I ran for some more donated plants and have been stuck inside organizing the "wrap up" for our weekend Home Garden Tour. I was able to take my family thru the gardens yesterday and was able to enjoy it (while planning for today's tasks...). Some of those images are below.