A spooktacular garden visit

I saw this garden over the summer and have been waiting until today to post about it. It was a phenomenal garden (to me, anyway) in that it was so large that there were many areas of interest.

It had a verdant front garden putting other suburban foundation-hugging shrubs to shame; an envious back patio brimming with creative ideas; a comfortable, woodsy area (fire pit and a dozen or more Adirondack chairs); some super-creative oddball ideas that look like they came from a Pinterest post (moss covered picnic table anyone?); and some just whimsical ideas – like this semi-cemetery of crosses, gargoyles, and hostas.


I'm assuming the "Hosta graveyard" (of healthy hosta, I might add) is there for the entertainment and joy of grand kids. Or the gardener's got a morbid streak. Either is cool by me. I wouldn't necessarily do something like this in my garden – but I love an unexpected surprise, or three, in a garden. It could have been a totally manicured and curated garden – like the front of the house – but it would certainly not have been as much fun as finding a fire pit, cemetery, moss-covered table, and fairies locked up in little glass houses.

They also have a pond area surrounded by grasses and other native plants (not shown here really). It's designed to attract the birds and the bees. And it does. The birdsong in this backyard is near constant.

I found the garden near Lockport, in Niagara County, on the National Garden Festival's Open Gardens, where 90-plus gardens are open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays during the month of June each year.

The front yard looked super – suburban done superior.

The back patio had LOTS of great ideas in it – many seating areas in both sun and shade, a bar, and a built-in grilling area. It looked like lighting was an essential part of the design. I'd love to have seen it at night.

I LOVE this small dining area - wisteria-covered arbor, hanging windows, padded seats,
and outdoor curtains and carpet. It looks like a page from a garden design magazine.

Who wouldn't want what looks like a communal campground area for bonfires in their back yard? 

View from the patio toward the back garden. I believe their pond is in the middle of all those grasses.

Between the patio and this swath of colorful gardens is a good bit of grass lawn.

The patio from standing by the "Hosta Graveyard."

Out of nowhere came this moss-covered picnic table. Another quirky, clever, creative idea.
I posted about it a few posts ago.

This gardener has a great eye for plant combos. Wish I did.