Six Garden Samples From Europe

Bad Ems, Germany: The Fishman's grandfather grew up in this town,
so we made a special side trip to spend a day exploring.

We recently returned from an amazing trip to Europe! We visited six countries: The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, and Switzerland. While the trip wasn't specifically a "garden" tour, plant people naturally notice fun garden arrangements and creative combinations, don't we?

So for this "Six on Saturday," I'm sharing six nifty little gardens I noticed along the way.



First, the simple herb garden on the top deck of our river ship. The chef regularly gathered herbs for the delicious dishes he served us.



Next, this whimsical sphere display in Brussels, Belgium, with glass balls and flowers on top, and...sunglasses? I later found out this display was created to celebrate the eclipse. (I think some of the flowers were real and some were fake, but it was cute.)



Our trip was a river cruise, so our excursions brought us to cities and towns along the Rhine River, its tributaries, and connecting rivers. This beautiful bridge display brightened the riverfront in Strasbourg, France.



And this grouping of stunning Roses greeted us in Speyer, Germany.



Also in Germany, in the Black Forest town of Furtwangen, carved rock planters created an earthy, solid mood.

Finally, in Bad Ems, Germany, colorful towers of ornamentals abounded.

What a wonderful trip! I hope to share more in the months ahead, but it's taking me some time to process what a treasure it was, for so many reasons!

For more "Six on Saturday" entries, visit Garden Ruminations. Thanks to Jim for hosting!

Biodegradable Pigeon Towers in the Netherlands

History * New Designs

A Little Rain, A Few August Observations

Clockwise from left: Blue Mistflower volunteers (Conoclinium coelestinum), Beacon Impatiens 'Violet Shades' (I. walleriana), Dusty Miller (Jacobaea maritima), and Sweet Potato Vine 'Sweet Georgia Pulse Black' (Ipomoea batatas)

Happily, we had a gentle, plentiful rainfall last weekend. Plants and people are pleased. And while the drought and high heat took their toll, I'll ignore those sad stories and focus on a few pleasant garden happenings for this "Six on Saturday."

The pot in the photo above is hard to capture because it's in a corner--between some fencing, the potager, and the Lilac shrub. It seems to like its location, and the colors and shapes of its elements always capture my eye when I'm working over there.



I almost gave up on the various Hydrangeas. I told the Fishman, "Remind me: Never again plant a Hydrangea!" They are heavy water-suckers, and they're never happy with hot temperatures and no rain. They were near dead for about a month. Then I see them like this after a good soaker, and my soft spot for them returns (a little).



Three beauties are currently blooming on the trellis bordering the potager: an unknown Hollyhock (Alcea rosea) from a seed mix, Maypops (Passiflora incarnata), and Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata). The bees, butterflies, caterpilllars, and hummingbirds enjoy that part of the garden (though I neglected to capture photos of pollinators for this post). 



I've repeatedly tried to capture this duo over the seasons and the years, but photos simply don't do it justice. Threadleaf Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii) surrounded by common variegated Hostas form a break between two paths. It's not the ideal spot for sun-loving Amsonia, but it thrives as a small shrub-like clump, with beautiful blue flowers in late spring and golden foliage in the fall. At this point in the summer, I cut back the spent Hosta flowers so the plants look a little tidier.



Near the porch, False Sunflowers (Heliopsis helianthoides) bloom with Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata), another native plant that's a pollinator favorite.



Finally, American Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. opulus var. americanum) is sporting its late summer, golden-orange berries. They ripen to a beautiful bright red in autumn.

That's it for this "Six on Saturday," a wonderful meme hosted by Jim at Garden Ruminations. Here's the participant guide. Enjoy!

I'm taking a bit of a blog break for a fun event that's been planned for many months. I'll share highlights when I return. "See" you at the end of August!

Buffalo Northtowns and Elmwood Village Gardens

The water features in Buffalo, N.Y., gardens are impressive and peaceful. This beautiful pond with a waterfall is in the Elmwood Village neighborhood.

I must admit: Buffalo gardens are still on my mind. Looking back on last month's Garden Fling brings even more appreciation for the hospitality and creativity of the gardeners in this fun city. My first thoughts are here.

On our second day touring, we started in the northern suburbs and surrounding northern tier of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The gardens in this area include quite a mix of personalities and artful interpretations.

First off, the garden of Jay Jinge Hu. You might know Jay from his YouTube channel, "Whispers in the Garden":

Jay's garden is a welcoming place--full of artful props, colorful blooms, and playful planters. Jay knows how to arrange garden elements for maximum impact. But there's also a peaceful calm about his garden, when you peak through carefully placed vignettes to the gentle sunlight beyond.

Next, the garden of Shirley Verrico:













Shirley's Dahlia collection is amazing! Taller plants are staked along the walls and fronted with colorful annuals. The plant combinations are unique with their colors, forms, and structures. And little details--like the fig tree tag, perhaps barely noticed--add tiny bits of magic.

On to Beth and Brian Kreutzer's "Dragon's Den":













The potted heads and the hand emerging from the soil are nifty. I could certainly relate to Beth's garden sign. ☺︎ There's also a large dragon and a buffalo statue, which you can see here (I didn't have decent photos of these items). The incredible foliage combinations and the amazing water features, with stunning rock formations and mosses, really impress, too!

Our final morning stop was the quaint, yet grand property of Craig Coyne and Gary Denezza:













One could spend hours simply studying the house, itself: It feels so inviting. The garden shed matches the style of the house, and the garden walks, props, and sitting areas create a comfortable visit. It was the perfect setting for a relaxing, inspiring, late-morning tour.

We lunched at Silo City, and took a tour of the property and its native plant garden. I didn't snap any photos here, but I hope to get back someday to take in the full experience and share some reflections.

The afternoon brought a self-guided tour of Buffalo's Elmwood Village neighborhood. Here are a few highlights:





















Curbside creativity, more water features, and amazing garden decor are on full display in Elmwood Village. I felt so at home in these inventive and colorful gardens. And I brought back many ideas for my own garden.

Thanks, again, to this year's organizers and the Fling sponsors! (Stay tuned for more highlights on the Buffalo Fling. And for more information, visit the Garden Fling website.)