What a wonderful trip I had. The Sangre de Cristo Herb Society of Santa Fe hosted me as a speaker for Herbfest. They were delightful hosts and one evening I even got to see a jack rabbit! I haven't seen one since I was a teenager as all of them have disappeared from Missouri decades ago.
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| Garden of Elspeth Bobbs, Santa Fe |
You may recall how much I enjoy getting to visit other people's gardens when I travel and I was thrilled and honored to get to visit Mrs. Bobb's Garden in Santa Fe. The 2 women who gave me the tour kept saying how they wished I could see it in summer, and I know it is even more intriguing then. But I love seeing a garden when you can see the ribs and backbone, the design of what's there.
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| Elspeth Bobbs |
Elspeth was very gracious in allowing me to see her garden. We sat and visited for a few minutes. I'm afraid I was gushing. The garden is lot to see, and what struck me was how gratifying it is to meet a gardener who is both serious about gardening, but doesn't take the garden seriously. Let me show you what I mean.
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| Stepping stones with thyme. |
This is how stepping stones should be. None of those spaced-out steps that you have to leap from one to the other (a pet peeve of mine) but actually walking space, with wonderfully aromatic thyme growing between.
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| Espaliered apple trees divide 2 different garden areas. |
Now hold on to your hats. Here's where I started spinning in place like a top. This garden is so much fun I just wanted to stay and play.
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| Fung-shui becomes Funky-Shui here! |
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| A train, a pool and a mural, from sea to shining sea in the background. |
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| Homage to A. E. Housman Garden |
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| Some of the terrace gardens. |
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| I didn't pass the test - I've forgotten the dragon's name! |
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| King Arthur's Sword in the Fantasy Garden |
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| Mother Bee |
When one of the trees fell on the property, there was a bee colony inside. This is Mother Bee, in memory of the tree and the bees.
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| Blue Gate into the Vegetable Garden. |
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| The zig-zag fence - more room for roses! |
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| The mischievous couple in the garden. |
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| Resting Compost. |
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| A memorial to all of Elspeth's pets over the years, all listed there. |
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| Children Bench |
I replayed in my mind all I saw in Elspeth's garden as I drove the 18 hours home from Santa Fe. I loved that she had fun with her garden. She has a remarkable collection of herbs, vegetables, flowers, perennials and some fruit trees that are well over 100 years old. But, plant lover that I am, what I brought away from my visit was the pure joy of place, the excitement and thrill of making the garden a fun place to be. I was inspired by this garden in ways I haven't found inspiration in a very long time. I may have to go out and play in my own garden in some new ways! Thank you Elspeth and your wonderful garden crew! Yours is a garden I will remember fondly.
This was awesome and brightened my day in ways I cannot convey. It brings back touching memories of growing up on our farm and visits to Great Grandmother Nell and Great Grandfather Joe who lived in an authentic log cabin with a dirt floor swept shiny and clean. Thank you for sharing. God bless you and your gardens, Jim.
ReplyDeleteAhh, you are losing it. Forgot the dragon's name, huh. First thing to go is the dragon's name.
ReplyDeleteI loved her spirit, her inimitable style, and I loved how you loved it. Old herbies don't get jaded, do they.
MIss you and sending armfuls of love,
Sharon
I love fun gardens so much. I especially liked the sword in the stone. Adding books & stories to gardens are so much fun. Last year my favorite 'book' additon was a Peter Rabbit scarecrow, made to look just like the one in the children's book. I added it to my vegetable bed but it didn't help very much at keeping away the rabbits.
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