New Friends Come to Visit

Several weeks ago, I received an email from the Cascade Cactus and Succulent Society  inviting me to join them to tour some Tacoma gardens and saying that they'd like to visit mine as well.  My garden has never been open before.  Non gardening friends have dropped by and there have even been visits by gardening friends  like Loree (here and here) and Gerhard here but never a whole group of plant enthusiasts so I was a bit nervous.  I needn't have been as the group was delightful. We began the day at the home of one of the members who had a great collection of cacti and succulents (post to follow.)  We then came to my garden where I was too busy talking to take pictures.  Tom snapped quite a few, bless him.

Before the arrival, Tom went out to the greenhouse to enjoy the cool air and morning sun. 

Sorry if you've seen too much of my greenhouse this summer.  I'm really enjoying it when it's not jam packed with tomatoes.  (Only 5 plants this year!)

I've seen this view many times but it just hit me that many of the colors and the general shape in the glass panel in the door and the rug are similar.

Baroque music was playing on the classical station and water was splashing gently in the little water thingy in there.  I only know that because Tom took some videos with sound.  It seemed very peaceful.

What a pleasure to enjoy the company of so many gardeners.

You can't see it in the picture but one of Judi Hook's creations is the subject of the conversation here.

It's interesting to see a group of people in my garden as I'm usually alone or with one or two others. 

Most everything in the garden cooperated nicely for this visit.  The brugmansias closest to the house were in a nice flush of bloom, and nothing had fallen, broken or died recently.  Down by the danger gardenette.

Visiting Marge Simpson, the pearl wearing Dr. Seuss truffula tree.

Clerodendrum trichotomum blooms spilling their perfume.  I've not noticed as many hummingbirds in my garden this summer for some reason.  They were fairly numerous during the winter.

Abutilon megapotamicum 'Red' on the right and above our heads has grown into quite a monster.

Wow, someone actually sitting at the table.  What a novel idea.  The chairs and table usually hold new plants before they make it to one of the pot ghettos or into the ground.

In the unlikely event of an emergency landing, exits are located to the fore and aft of the plane and over the wings.   Really, I'm giving directions to the next garden, that of my friend Florence.

It seemed that we were only in my garden for a few minutes but when I looked at my watch on the way out, an hour and a half had passed.

Because Florence was out of town for the day, I acted as host at her garden as well.  By the time we were finished there, my voice was tired from talking and laughing.  How exciting to have met a whole new group of plant enthusiasts and to be invited to see a couple of their gardens next month!