Stacey's Gardens

Winter in a Local Greenhouse

2010-03-11T22:56:00.000-05:00

Greenhouses are possibly the best invention for the souls of northern gardeners ever! Just when it seems like the snow will never melt or stop, we can escape it all in a greenhouse! Above is a greenhouse in the charge of Laura Singh. This space is in good hands! Pictured here are coleus for this summer's grounds plantings and some tropicals in the background. Beyond that a plastic propagation tent holds many new plants awaiting roots and their own space.

Winter at Fernwood Botanical Gardens and Nature Preserve

2010-02-16T21:14:00.000-05:00

What a great place! Any chance to go to Niles, Michigan and check out Fernwood Gardens is totally worth it! We loved the conservatory. It is great to step into a tropical space in the middle of winter, it feels completely restorative. To find out more information about this garden, visit fernwoodbotanical.org

Happy garden explorations!

blackberry lily gets a name change!

2009-12-15T00:15:00.001-05:00

Commonly called blackberry lily here in Michigan, the Latin name for this fall blooming perennial has changed. But true to our roots, horticulturists are slow to change botanical names! Out with the old Belamcanda chinensis and in with the new and much improved name of Iris domestica.

There are more details about the name change at this Wisconsin Master Gardeners website: http://www.hort.wisc.edu/mastergardener/Features/flowers/Belamcanda/Belamcanda_chinensis.pdf

As for growing this particular iris, I have seen many articles that say some odd things about this plant. First, that it is only cold hardy to zone 8; it is thriving here in our zone 5 climate. Second, that it is a short lived perennial. From my experience it is only short lived when it isn't happy enough in its garden home. The above website has some solid cultural information to peruse to help with the whole happy home guidelines.

My experience has been let it live in full sun. None of the cheating, thinking that just morning or just afternoon sun will be enough. Plant it in the spot that makes most other plants wilt and starves them! As long as it also has good drainage, that is the perfect site for the blackberry lily~er, iris. Does the common name ever change with a new Latin name?

One word of caution in the garden of those who don't like mobile plants: deadhead. While the ripe seed heads are fantastically stunning on the blackberry lily, they germinate very well in a nice home in the garden. Collecting the seeds and giving them to friends or potting excess seedlings are great ways to handle excess plants.

Be careful, too, not to allow other plants to crowd the blackberry lily. While it is tough in the hot afternoon sun, it is very finicky about who its neighbors are. They must be short and not too aggressive.

And, the best part; don't work hard on improving soil for this plant. Plant it in the gravelly, barren soil by the driveway. It likes this, much like its new cousins: all the other irises we grow here in Michigan!

Snow Day Update

2009-12-14T23:25:00.000-05:00

Last week's estimate of six inches of snow was way off! It was far closer to 14" with drifts over 18"! How wonderful that it is so tough to tell from inside the house! But the arborvitae are cleared and the heavy, bowing branches are upright again. All is well with the rain that melted away all but four or so inches of snow cover and temperatures back into the 30's. Those 3 degree mornings were scary for a while.

Snow Day

2009-12-10T10:24:00.000-05:00

Looking out over the gardens this morning, they are covered in our first big snow of the season, it looks to be at least six inches from here. But my husband will have the official report when he comes in from clearing out the driveways!

My newly planted tamarisk and hydrangeas have shed the snow gracefully, as have all the other deciduous trees and shrubs in the back yard. The white spruce are heavily burdened with the load, however and will have to be rescued shortly. For now, I am enjoying the beauty of their branches covered in the puffy mounds of fresh powery stuff!

As a horticulturist, this is the kind of snow I love to have blanket the ground early in winter. Thick snow on the ground is the best protection for perennials against wind and extremely cold temperatures. But the snow cover is keeping the poor birds from many seeds left in the garden.

Being a lazy horticulturist, I leave my seed heads on my perennials through the winter to keep the birds around. Right now we have a plethora of blue jays and cardinals in the feeders. My guess is the finches are on the side of the house visiting the pesky, weedy perennial sunflower I haven't deadheaded. That will be my job this week, finding the latin name of that plant. I have seen it in other people's gardens, too, and they have had similar problems, but haven't learned the proper name.

Although this is a great day to stay inside and enjoy the snow from the warmth of my desk, I fear that my dear eight year old won't stand for staying home the whole snow day on his birthday! So it is back to balloon baseball for me and planning a bowling outing! Good luck to all the other gardeners in this wonderful snow storm! And don't forget to rescue your evergreens from the snow.

Visiting OPP Gardens

2009-11-28T21:27:00.000-05:00

When winter comes, I am always happy to have my summer pictures of Other Plant People's gardens as a way of remembering that the hope of a new growing season is not far away. The garden above was part of a Calhoun County Master Gardener Association bus trip in August, 2009 and was stunning. It was one of those gardens you don't want to leave, just keep exploring. The owners/designers were also wonderful hosts and allowed us to wander freely finding as many of the hidden treasures and niches as we could.

This inspirational garden will not be forgotten this long, dark winter!

Succulent Globe Winter Care

2009-10-28T16:58:00.000-04:00

Caring for succulent globes in the summer is challenging with keeping them watered daily, but it can be confusing when fall comes. Although the succulents we often use are hardy to zone 3 when they are planted in the soil, these same hardy sedums and sempervivums will not experience a zone 3 winter hanging in a sphagnum covered wire sphere.

So what is the best way to hold these fabulous globes over in a zone 5 winter? Well, I think the best way is in a greenhouse! But I don't have one at home and I've noticed not too many other people do, either. An attached garage is also a very good option. This will protect the plants and allow them to be watered as needed during the long winter.

Start by cutting back any longer trailing sedums and set the globe in a pot so it doesn't roll around on the floor. Find a spot where the pot and globe won't be accidentally kicked over, can be watched for signs of drought stress and will get at least some protection from the garage door opening daily. Another option is the basement. Choose a spot that can get messy and just check it every month or so to make sure it has enough water in the root ball.

Once spring comes back around your globe will grow back faster than when it was first planted and look great all summer. Enjoy!

Low Point in Fertility

2009-10-27T14:23:00.000-04:00

Ever notice how when you see a plant with chartreuse leaves the first thought is "Wow! Does that plant need fertilizer?" As a horticulturist, it hasn't been my first thought for many years now, but I can understand how people, especially those not really into gardening, can think this. So, I unfortunately had a flat of tobacco hidden so well in the greenhouse that even I didn't notice how poorly neglected it was! When it was found, I thought a comparison was in order.

On the left is a sun coleus and if memory serves, the cultivar should be 'Gay's Delight'. This plant has chartreuse leaves when it is happy and growing well. On the right is a flowering tobacco and I am not sure of the cultivar. But when this plant is growing well the leaves should be green, no matter which cultivar it is. But notice the difference in pale coloration of these two plants. When a leaf is showing signs of lacking nitrogen the green color goes toward a pale yellow-gray green rather than toward a vibrant chartreuse shade of green.

Why is this important? It is a huge help to know which plants in the garden or garden center are healthy and which ones need a bit of tlc. The tobacco in this picture is in need of immediate nitrogen added to the soil and even to the leaves if it has a chance of growing any more. Unfortunately, these plants did return to their former proper green leaf shade, but performed poorly in the garden and didn't flower well.

Hope this helps make a decision on buying those sale plants from the rack that says something like "low vigor plants: clearance!" Fertilizer doesn't always bring them back.

In Awe of Gardeners

2009-10-27T14:08:00.000-04:00

After a long and stressful summer, I have found myself in a new career, albeit temporary job, and happy to be here! Over the last nine years, I have been the friend to fellow gardeners as they have been through job and life changes. All I've been able to do is listen and sympathize. Now that I have found myself in a big mess, it seems there are a whole lot of folks who care about me. And I don't feel so guilty anymore about not being able to help my friends much, as now it seems that the best help I've found is in those who are willing to listen and help me keep things in perspective. So thank you to all of the gardeners out there who been there for me. We have to stick together because we are awesome!

Pilot Program Connecting People with Agriculture

2009-10-27T14:07:00.000-04:00

Vets to Ag video

I was lucky enough to be chosen and available for this unique program that offered mostly Veterans the opportunity to learn about starting new careers in agriculture. This video explains it well. My role was simply to be the on-site facilitator for the group. I was the liason between the educational component and the administrative component as well as keeping the guys in the program on task and in line!

As you can probably imagine, the educational component of this program was great! This was handled by the MSU Ag Tech people and they did a fantastic job! We took people who never really saw the plants around them and changed them fundamantally in just a few weeks to being curious about the plants that surrounded them and actually looking for plants in their environment.

The Vets to Ag program was held at Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners, MI. KBS is on Gull Lake and was a great host for us. The food and the staff were excellent! Once everyone in the program felt comfortable being there, and that didn't take very long, I think they really enjoyed all of the hard work they did to make not only the program successful, but to invest in themselves.

Congratulations to everyone in the program and to everyone who had a hand in this program!

Battle Creek Garden Tour, Stop 1

2009-07-02T12:15:00.005-04:00

Like many other gardeners, I love visiting gardens and taking pictures of plant and art combinations. The garden above was created by an artist who is also a school teacher. She and her husband moved many rocks, collected some great sculpture, fountains and plants to transform their home into a place of beauty. Unlike so many homeowners, they just said no to the standard meatball shrubs and lawn. Instead, fun plants like the cow parsnip, pictured here, are part of the garden.

Anytime there is a garden tour, I recommend going. Not only are garden tours great places to get new ideas they are wonderful places to meet new friends with gardening interests.

Giant Butterbur in Michigan

2009-03-27T13:01:00.003-04:00

Giant butterbur is no misnomer. Although it is a small almost pathetic looking plant in the early spring, Petasites japonica is certainly giant in the summer!

This plant likes plenty of noon to afternoon sun and lots of water to be a happy and healthy plant. It will survive without these necessities but will not be very impressive. When it is happy and the leaves are impressively large, so is the butterbur's range! Watch out as it will spread.

The plant in the above photo is in a Portage, Michigan garden that has sandy soil and not a lot of shade. We sited this plant where it is protected from summer's worst sun and put an old shower curtain at the bottom of a large hole to hold plenty of water. After the second summer we noticed giant butterbur shoots trying desperately to grow in the lawn, in the shed next to the plant, then the compost pile beyond the shed. It has thick fleshy runners and is not a plant to be used near a natural water source! But in a dry, sandy back yard that can have one wet spot it is perfectly impressive!

Sun vs. Part Sun in the Garden of Perennials

2009-03-23T16:04:00.008-04:00

Although sun designations on plant labels can be confusing, plants really do have different light needs in order to grow well and be happy. Think of the designations as a sliding scale of how much sun plants need and it gets easier to understand. It is a common misconception to think if there is full sun at mid-day in the garden then that garden must be a full sun garden. But full sun gardens must get at least eight hours of direct sunlight. Part sun gardens get at least six hours and just four hours or less puts a garden in the part shade category.

Perennials for full sun are rather easy to find. From peony to hollyhock and Coreopsis to milkweed, there is a plant for every sunny spot! For those part sun gardens, try lots of the new coral bells. From black leaves to chartreuse and all the chocolates, greens, silvers and reds in between the color options are amazing. But stunning leaf color combinations are topped by great floral displays that attract hummingbirds early in the season.

In case it seems confusing, try the paper plate method to tell how much sun is in any garden. On a sunny day, mark a paper plate with a permanent marker like the hands on a clock and set it in the garden where amount of sun is in question. Every hour on the hour, make a note on the plate by that hour number if the plate has full sun hitting it. Count up the hours with full sun versus the ones without and that will tell definitively how much full sun the garden is really getting. Be sure to compost the plate after use!

As a quick FYI, Oriental Poppies are great for many gardens. They really prefer full sun, but can be grown in part sun gardens with later emerging deciduous shade. What that means is poppies emerge in spring, bloom by early June and then their foliage goes dormant. Interplant poppies with perennials for part shade like Campanulas or more coral bells!

Hiding and Sharing the Love of Dirt

2009-02-23T12:39:00.004-05:00

A love of dirt is tough to hide, unfortunately. Most people tend to look down on a person for a love of this sort. Doctors and bankers often treat me as though I am either incredibly stupid or just not worth their time when they see me in my work clothes. Even funnier, is their tendency to not remember me when they see me wearing what I call "nice clothes" how different their behavior is.

Because of this, I have hidden my love of dirt from my world. But it seems safe here, online. Where mostly other dirt loving gardeners may stumble onto this and possibly agree.

But I am not alone in my love of dirt. Especially when worm castings are involved. Yes, we all know it is worm poop. But it is the best dirt of all!

Here a fellow Leila Arboretum volunteer and artist harvests worm castings. We confide in one another how much we love dirt, and worms.

Winter's Biomass Heating Project Update

2009-01-26T16:33:00.002-05:00

Sitting here at Shrank's in beautiful downtown Battle Creek working on my laptop as our server and internet connections are down at work, I am not surprised to see more snow! I am joking about sources of manure and transportation with the Shrank's employees who are in on the biomass heating project with me. They are separating their organic waste from the kitchen and I pick it up to use in the biomass heaters. I keep them up to date on the success and or failures of the project as we go along. So far there have been two main failures, although it is working a bit. The first failure was wrapping the heaters in plastic as it blocked all oxygen to the compost and caused it to go anaerobic after a few weeks. The second was neglecting to add manure with our organic wastes. So we live and learn, and make plans to fix it and make it even better! Stay tuned for more updates!

Worms in the Winter

2009-01-15T15:42:00.002-05:00

I'll just say it: "I love dirt! I love it when it is called soil, growing media, compost, vermicompost, whatever! I just love all dirt." And, yes, I do understand the differences. I also love to see how people react when I call it dirt. It lets me know right away both where someone stands in their own knowledge of dirt as well as how easy going of a person they are. Anyone who gets ruffled about it and goes into teacher type correction mode tends to be a person who is very regimented and organized. Or they have just been through the Master Gardener class and are sharing their knowledge.

But those who look at me with a smile as I stand amidst lots of dirt and ask kindly for clarification, I know they have some knowledge and may also be an easy going kind of person.

Either way, a discussion of soils and dirt is not only fun, it is downright educational! Along with other like minded soil loving folks, I spent a cold, snowy day this week in the Riviera Theater in Three Rivers, Michigan learning from a soil goddess, Dr. Elaine Ingham, thanks to Flowerfield Enterprises. She opened up a whole new world of critters that live in our soils and on our plants.

After seeing a photo she had taken of a leaf surface covered in clear bacteria, fungi and all sorts of other microscopic critters, I had to take pause about all of the leaves I have smushed between my fingers to smell and those I have popped in my mouth while walking through the gardens. She told us the only way to see these tiny guys is to prepare them first by spraying with a gold dye of sorts, (although she responsibly mentioned the chemical name several times, I managed to miss it completely!) All of these microbes have evolved to be completely clear so as not to block sunlight from reaching the leaf surface. Ingenius! They have a complex food web, mostly eating the exudates from the plant that attracts them there in the first place, but they also play a predatory role to keep pathogens in check around the plant.

Looking into the world of the soil for a day with photos of microbes at 400x magnification is quite a thrill! It is certainly just what the doctor ordered for this girl who loves dirt in the middle of winter! In February, I'll be presenting not only what I learned from Dr. Ingham, but also what I have learned in my own trials and errors over the past three years as I have learned to go organic at the Leila Arboretum's Horticulture Training Center. Visit the LAS website for more info!

And, although the plant microbes seemed most exciting to talk about today, look for more commentary on dirt in the next few weeks!

Holidays with Friends!

2009-01-06T17:29:00.002-05:00

Although this was last year's picture, meaning 2007, it is still a great reminder of the importance of friends! Phil, Linda, Kaye and Ted helped the Leila Arboretum staff add red bows to the downtown Battle Creek holiday display.

While we were working along the loud city streets, Ted said, "This is my Christmas present to Battle Creek!"

The bows are down now that the holidays are over, but a bit of the spirit remains for me, especially when I get to work with people as great as this on a regular basis!

Happy Holidays to all!

Fall Drive Through Leila Arboretum

2008-12-13T19:30:00.004-05:00

As promised a few months ago, here is my drive through Leila Arboretum. While it took me several hours to drive through, countless hours to edit and name the photos, and then an embarrassingly large amount of time to upload everything, your tour will take only a few minutes. Much like a real drive in the Leila Arboretum.

One of the things the staff at Leila Arboretum have dealt with over the last few years is aging technology. Here is an example of outdated technology making what should have been a simple project taking two months to finish. Yikes.

Missing Summer's Roasted Corn

2008-12-13T14:04:00.004-05:00

It seems like just a few weeks ago we were eating corn and enjoying warm weather! Now we are experiencing one of the coldest late fall/early winters I can remember since I was a kid in the late 70's and had to get giant Halloween costumes to fit over our snowsuits. Coming home from a very long day working outside in windy, cold gardens or downtown it is nice to cuddle up in a blanket and take a few minutes from homework to peruse the summer pictures.

Here is the corn roasting grill with the best chefs at the Leila Arboretum! If you have never had corn roasted on a grill, I highly recommend it! It has become a summer tradition at home after having it at work. Memories of this day at the corn roast, which we now call the Summer Celebration, are wonderful. It seems odd to me that although I have a terrible memory, still remember who was there, how we laughed, and even who wasn't there. It is possible that these photos help!

2008-11-22T16:36:00.004-05:00

I remember the first time I saw this picture, I felt like I had just found a lost treasure! It may seem odd that I would feel such strong ties as I am not a native of Battle Creek, don't have any childhood or family ties to the Leila Arboretum and have only worked at this site since the fall of 2000. But Leila Arboretum is special. A very interesting man in Battle Creek history named Edward Brigham, I believe he was the curator for the BC public school's museum, and yes, there was enough money in BC for this a century ago, but I digress. So Brigham convinced Leila Post Montgomery to buy and then donate the land that was the Battle Creek Country Club to the city to become an arboretum and cultural mecca for the schools and the community. Of course by the time planting of the Leila Arboretum was complete the Great Depression was in full swing and what would have been a fabulous green space for the city became instead just another city park.

T. Clifton Shepherd was the landscape architect who designed and lead plantings on the arb as well as many other parks around the city. In fact, we found a space he designed a few blocks away near Irving Park. It seems that park was once much bigger, but its ponds were drained and filled in also. The rock garden is on the side of a hill and is a maze of stone pathways and boulders among very old plantings. Most of the garden was completely hidden under top soil and volunteers excavated many loads to find the skeleton of the garden. They were able to prune back the overgrown shrubs to find rock seats. Unfortunately, our funding the BC Green program ran out by 2005 and without the leadership of the Leila Arboretum staff, care of the rock garden has again become extinct. I wonder if in another 100 years it will again be excavated?!

Back to Leila Arboretum, though. I read an article from the 1950's where Shepherd was quoted talking about how they built the Arboretum. His descriptions of how sterile the soil was amazed me. It is sterile now, but he told the reporter how many yards of muck and marl they brought in to improve the soil after they used dynamite to break up the hard soil that was already there. He also mentioned the sprinkler system that was installed before any of the plantings. After all these years of digging holes I have yet to find remnants of an old irrigation system. Unfortunately, the city didn't keep any of their old records so we have no clue where to look for any of the old system. In the back of the property, we did find an old foundation from what we think was a greenhouse and we think we know where the old nursery Shepherd mentioned is. Now it is the playground for Battle Creek Academy across the street from our Horticulture Training Center.

For whatever reason, I find the history of the Arboretum fascinating. It is like a puzzle with many pieces, some are lost, some are under the couch but there is no master picture, only the remains of what once was in plain sight.

From the 1933 photo above, you could see the whole 72 acre Leila Arboretum and the newly built Kingman Museum in this vantage point. I often wonder exactly what they were in when photographing in 1933. Got any ideas?

In 1994 the rows of Douglas fir seen in this picture (upper right at street) were taken out to build the new grand gated entrance and fountain. Just now I am realizing that those Douglas firs lined the entrance to the old Battle Creek Country Club which vacated this land around 1900. One of our volunteers felt so strongly that those old Doug firs should stay that she told me one day she had seriously considered chaining herself to one to save them. That just made me wish I had seen them! If you actually read this far on this post, let me know. I am just realizing that I rambled and this is most likely my most boring post yet! Let me know just how bored you are!

Seussian Tire House

2008-11-10T16:06:00.002-05:00

Grown ups honoring their roots is a very noble thing. Sometimes we (I) may get carried away, but this tire house is a project that everyone has liked. Young and old like the recycling of old tires, the fun almost wobbly colorful look that hints at Dr. Seuss. In the spring we will add some overhead supports for vines and this will once again be a fun garden spot for all the youngsters, no matter our calendar age!

Rainy Fall Day

2008-10-24T12:24:00.003-04:00

I have passed this same maple every day for the past eight years and don't always notice it. It is in a place where sometimes traffic can be a little tricky, either walkers are enjoying their stroll so much that they are in the middle of the road or drivers are enjoying the scenery too much to drive on the proper side of the road. There are also two drives intersecting the main road here, so I have to be all alone on the road in order to appreciate this beauty. One day last fall, the color of this tree was amazing and there was a bit of morning fog. I stopped to photograph the scene and when I had finished noticed the local ambulance sitting behind me in the parking lot with both techs watching me as though I was from another planet! After many years, I am growing accustomed to that look and just smiled and waved. Because I recognized them from passing them at their normal post so often, I thought they must recognize me as an employee of the Leila Arboretum. But who knows.

Today when I passed this tree and again noticed its great color and shape. I thought about how many people drive through the Leila Arboretum and quite possibly never really see the beauty around them. So I thought I would take a quick drive around and take a few photos. After more than 150 photos and a full memory card I had to make a mental note of where I left off and come to the office to unload the pictures so I can go back out before it stops raining. Currently, I am waiting for the pictures to finish downloading to the computer. Slow and old computers here at this non-profit organization, just like many others!

I'll let you know when I am ready to show off the finished project: photos from the driver's seat of Leila Arboretum!

2008-10-23T23:19:00.002-04:00

After being lucky enough to see Richard Louv speak at Missouri Botanic Garden in 2006, I felt compelled to make the trek to my alma mater in East Lansing after work to see him speak again. Although it meant being up late and missing my kids for an evening it was worth the inconvenience. Although Richard seemed a bit tired, he was still inspiring. So much so, in fact, that a group of high school students led the MSU Auditorium audience in a standing ovation! It seems the movement to get kids back into nature is building in multiple generations.

As a parent, hearing that other parents are getting together to take children into nature was incredible news. I am often frustrated that my children don't want to go outside on nice days but don't always have time to go with them. Planning dates with friends at a special, or as yet unexplored site, sounds fun to me and just may intrigue my boys, too.

My trip to see Louv was technically a work trip and I am sure work will not be disappointed! There are plenty more connections to make and ideas to see to fruition as well as making sure Leila Arboretum and its Children's Garden are on the local list of places for a bit of nature on the weekends.

Before I forget, that slide from above picture is in the Camden Children's Garden (fabulous place, go if you can!) and I have the perfect spot in Leila's Children's Garden. Just need to get the slide!

Can Gardening Help?

2008-09-08T11:07:00.002-04:00

It seems like my last post was a lifetime ago. Strange how certain events change our lives and make time feel distorted. This last year or so has been rough in my world. We've lost volunteers, a co-worker, friends and family. We still have our jobs here at the Leila Arboretum, though! It is important to look on the bright side!

This summer, my husband and I were surprised to find that we were expecting our third child. To say the least, it worried us. Without health insurance after my husband's recent job change and our eldest son's upcoming Bar Mitzvah (next summer) we were worried how we would be able to handle everything. But as the weeks went on and we began to tell close family and friends they reassured us that all would be well. Even our boys took the news well!

But a third child must not be meant for us as we lost the baby in August. At first I handled it all very well, but that didn't last. I wouldn't say I've been missing work, although my boss may! The hardest question that everyone asks is, "How are you?" Normally this is a very innocent, polite question with an obvious answer no matter how true "Fine" may feel. Now this question makes me cry. Not a response that is easy to hide!

Instead of the month of August being filled with photos and thoughts on my July trip to Delaware, I was silent. Right now I realize it may have helped more to just post every day and add this when I was ready. Instead, and as usual, I suppose I'll do it backwards!

And, in closing, I'll ask for advice from other Moms who have been here, too. What do you do to sleep at night again? To stop crying? To make it to work on time and with a smile again? And, especially, to smile at your wonderful children without wondering what the one you lost would be like?

I have always found answers and peace in plants. Maybe they will help again!

Winterthur!

2008-08-08T13:16:00.003-04:00

There's few nicer things for a horticulturist than visiting a great garden. And Winterthur certainly is a great place to visit! From the entrance to the estate to the mansion and the excellent children's garden, it is a definite must-visit garden. While the vistas are amazing, the comfort and intimacy of the children's garden is fantastic, the gift shops are also a whole lot of fun. And this comes from a girl who has been threatened to have the girl license revoked because of a general disdain for shopping!

This photo was taken during the American Horticultural Society's National Children and Youth Gardening Symposium in July. Watching 300+ adults watch each other and children in a children's garden is such fun! Being the mom of two boys who don't appreciate fairies, I was curious about how a garden based on fairies would appeal to boys. But after just a few moments in the garden it was obvious that any boy would be right at home. Although there were many feminine touches, the girly factor doesn't make the garden less fun for boys.