open days garden tours

This weekend was the Garden Conservancy's Open Days Garden Tours. I volunteered to sit in one of the gardens, and had a chance to visit a few too. It's always a treat when this happens in our area. People open up their gardens (and sometimes homes) to folks and I think it's a great way to see how other people enjoy their garden space. This picture here is Rose Cottage, the garden where I volunteered.

Rose Cottage was a garden of surprises; there were many unexpected delights to be seen in this city garden in Oakwood. From the front yard you couldn't really tell what awaited behind the house. Once you were back there, you were charmed by plants of all kinds from annuals to perennials, shrubs such as Edgeworthia and blooming Camellias; and there was a gorgeous Clematis armandii at the back door. Behind, and off to the right of the building you see in this picture, sits the vegetable garden; a composting area and secret garden were back behind there as well.

I was invited to come back to see Rose Cottage in spring by homeowners Jim and Sharon. You could tell by seeing the other plants in the garden that it would be worth the visit, knowing that this is a garden of at least 3 season interest.