Our Newest Addition

It's done!!!! The newest addition to our landscape-

the Garden House!

The O'Connor-Ruppert Garden

A sneak peek at one of the gardens on the Hooper Area Community Foundation Summer Garden Tour!
A lovingly restored prairie....

filled with beautiful native grasses and flowers......

and lovely visitors!

The vineyard....

where a bountiful harvest awaits!

A breathtaking country view!

Hooper Area Community Foundation Summer Garden Tour

Sunday, July 19

11 to 4

Stop And Smell The Roses

Now it's time...
to stop.....

and smell the roses!

A Visit To The May Museum

A beautiful summer-like Wednesday morning....

and a special tour of the May Museum with the Goldenrod Garden Club!

A portion of their new exibit...."The Prairie My Garden"

A view of their gorgeous garden.......

Thanks to Pat and Linda for a wonderful morning!

Hooper Area Community Foundation Garden Tour

Mark your calendar!

Hooper Area Community Foundation Garden Tour

Sunday- July 19

11 to 4

The HACF Garden Tour features a stunning garden in Hooper and rural gardens featuring a beautiful water garden, prairie restoration, beekeeping and a vineyard. Our gardens and shop are also on the tour. Refreshments will be served. Tickets are $10.00.

Main Street Fremont will be holding their garden tour on Saturday, July 18. There are six featured gardens and the garden at the May Museum. A light lunch will be served. Tour hours are from 10 to 3. Tickets are $15.00.

Watch our blog for ticket outlets and more information. There are a lot of talented gardeners in Dodge County and this is a great opportunity to tour some beautiful gardens while supporting two very worthwhile organizations!

Plants You Don't Want To Miss!

Gazania Kiss Series

Orange Flame

After a long cold winter it's finally time to plant our gardens.........

Acanthus
Bears Breeches

and we all head to the greenhouse hungry for some blooming color.......


Vigna Caracalla
Snail Vine

but look at the beautiful plants that we missed along the way!


Clerodendron Ugandensis
Butterfly Bush

This little Gazania looks like sunshine in the garden! The little Acanthus is a Zone 6 perennial. We overwinter our Zone 6 perennials in pots inside our garage, water them monthly and enjoy their beautiful blooms again the next spring! Vigna Caracalla (Snail Vine) is a fast growing vine with unusual snail shaped blossoms. It is beautiful in a container garden grown on an topiary. Butterfly Bush is a fitting name for this Clerodendron. We enjoy it in a container garden on the patio and love to watch the butterflies flock to it!

Now is the time to make notes about the beautiful plants you would like to have in your gardens next year. It's time to start a garden journal!!

Dancing In The Rain

Dancing in the rain......
This grateful gardener is thankful for some much needed rain! Even Annie our Garden Angel is smiling!

Nature's Companion

In case you missed our article in Nature's Companion it has been posted on their website. If you would like to know more about Nature's Companion or TLC Country Floral.....check it out!http://www.naturescompanion.net/

First Blooms

Papaver Orientale

Oriental Poppy

Poppies can be a bit fussy in our gardens but they are well worth a little effort. The winters we experience out here on the prairie seem to be tough on plants like poppies and lupines. Wait for the seed heads to mature then place the entire seed head barely below ground. Let Mother Nature do the work for you and baby poppies and lupines will appear for you the next year. Some of our poppy blooms measure 14 inches across. These fragile looking flowers really withstand the wind, too!

Finally.....the first rose of the season!


Centaurea dealbata

Bachelor Button, Knapweed

Growing to 18 inches high this zone 3 perennial adds late spring and early summer beauty to the gardens. It is tolerating our dry weather beautifully!


Baptisia

False Indigo

Beautiful blue blooms and interesting seed pods through the summer.


Dark Leafed Dahlia - Sunshine

One of our most requested plants! Our first bloom of the season with many more to come!