A vase of lilies welcome you at the beginning of the tour.
The first urn of the tour. The color and textures begin.
Looking past the colorful riverbed I see a tease of another garden room.
Another pathway, I must be patient.
Kicking my zoom in on my camera to get a view from afar.
Layers of colors and textures.
My first view of the "quarry".
The views are amazing. It reminds me of a quarry out at the edge of a field of flowers.
The hostas appear as pillows tucked between the sides of the rocks.
Ever since I saw Joel's photo of this cherub I have wanted to get this perspective.
Doesn't she look like she is smelling the coneflower?
I am partial to windmills. I was happy to capture this angle.
This and the following photos show the great variety of color and texture throughout the gardens.
Must remember this "Stokes Aster". As I told Karen, the Fall Aster is not my favorite. This variety has definitely caught my attention and I know I can get them here in Texas.
No corner or crevice has been overlooked as moss, a flower or a rock has been placed to catch your eye.
Would you believe just past that line of trees is Wisconsin farmland?
Formal garden in the distance. I can not believe I did not get any photos of the formal gardens and the new rock wall! Kicking myself while writing this...
A variety of St. John's Wort not familiar to me. Must do some investigating... this shrub was huge, lush and full of smaller flowers than I had seen before.
The vision one gets of the gardens via the blog world would make you think Karen and Carl have just improved the landscape around them. Actually, they have brought every bit of this wonderland to its current placement.
Tiger Lilies were always in my mom's garden. These blooms brought back wonderful memories. Isn't that what a garden does best?
An entry to another garden. Inviting, isn't it?
The hosta gardens. Amazing. Something I have never grown as I have always lived on the hot, dry side of Texas.
The huge birch tree which provides some of the shade for the gardens. Beautiful.
Every vantage point in the garden gives you another focal point.
A view of the tufa wall that Carl hauled home piece by piece.
The daylily garden. The ones that did not make the cut from a daylily breeder friend of Karen's.
Cute little green frog - a different species than the ones in our Texas gardens.
Since Karen can not kill this rose, I might have a chance to convince her to actually try one in her gardens. They are pretty carefree... if you get the right one.
Man-made texture also in the gardens.
The hand laid tufa wall with the view to the road.
Ernie!
No side of their home is immune to the beauty.
The entry to the "distant garden rooms" at the beginning of our tour.
Looking back to the front gardens. I must remember to find those "blue" caster beans for next summer (in the bed on the right side of the photo).
A different camera and a different color balance. Hmmm.... better colors but I did not get the blue caster beans in this photo.
A great vision of textures and colors again.
Viewing back to our starting point. Walking through a lush forest setting.
The end of our tour, also the right side to the beginning of our tour. There are photo vantage points from all angles in Karen and Carl's garden.
Even from the "powder room" window.
Karen and Carl are the most gracious people you could ever hope to meet. Considering we were somewhat strangers coming to view their gardens, they opened their gardens and their home to us to spend the afternoon. We truly felt as if we were visiting old friends. It was the most wonderful day I will not soon forget.
