I serendipitously met Alyce while arranging with Florence a mini garden tour for a few of our friends. We were invited to visit Alyce's garden as well. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Alyce's healthy and happy tomato vines heavy with fruit and looking weeks ahead of mine. There may be a reason that envy is associated with the color green!
Florence at Alyce's garden gate. Those are our native
Adiantum aleuticum spilling so beautifully over those raised beds.
Alyce has done some great things with her tiny space. Verbena bonariensis on the left adds height but not weight to this front garden.
Leaving artichokes to bloom gives not only the beautiful purple thistle blossom but also this which I also find beautiful!
The back garden is long and narrow. Surrounded on two sides by concrete walls, it has a cloistered feel about it.
Alyce's beautiful hydrangea being watched over by an alabaster-colored maiden.
Her restrained use of plants makes Alyce's garden seem larger than it actually is. Here Alyce tells Florence that she ripped everything out of this area and replaced it all with sedum and sempervivum. The grape vines on the left have begun producing fruit.
The sedum bed from the other direction. Thankful to be 82 years old, (people are shocked as she looks and acts MUCH younger!) very active and sharp minded, Alyce says that she doesn't so much enjoy "senior" activities as many of her peers want to sit and play cards while she would prefer to be out doing things. Gardening keeps you young!
Tea anyone?
Thank you Alyce for sharing your garden and home with us!
Love this garden, especially the succulent bed. The sculpture is just right with the garden.
ReplyDeleteAlways changing things is a good way to stay young too.
It is a great garden and the gardener is amazing, too!
DeleteOh I hope that's me at 82!!!
ReplyDeleteShe is surely and inspirations! that is impressive!
ReplyDeleteThat sedum bed is gorgeous! I hope gardening keeps me young too. I agree that artichokes left to flower are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI know right?
DeleteAnytime I meet a gardener who lets their artichokes bloom, I know I've met a kindred spirit!
ReplyDeleteThey're too pretty to eat!
DeleteMy gosh outlaw 82 gardening sure does keep you young, and i hope she has many more years left, i also hope i'll still be gardening at that age.
ReplyDeleteShe is a stellar person! I wish that for all of us!
DeleteGreat garden and great use of space. love it!
ReplyDeleteAlyce is an inspiration. I just ripped out a bed in dry, light afternoon shade that wasn't doing well and have begun to plant sedums and semps. Have to protect them here in TX from the strong afternoon Death Star, you know. Seeing Alyce's lovely succulent bed is giving me the encouragement I need to complete it. No excuses, I'm a whole 10 yrs younger than she. No, we intrepid gardeners don't stop creating when we get old, but we do get somewhat slower! ;-) Thanks for the tour.
ReplyDeleteI'm always up for a good cuppa (my Aussie roots showing) Why are most of the beautiful gardens in the world with verbena bona scattered with good old verbena bona??? Probably for a small piece of real estate she makes everything else look better? Wish I could say that about most self sowers
ReplyDelete