Several weeks ago, I went on The Carnegie Gallery's Secret Gardens Tour--an annual fundraising event to support their ongoing activities--and visited 8 of the 10 gardens on the tour. My photos don't do the gorgeous gardens' justice but I thought I'd share the charming features that caught my eye.
The Gallery's Complimentary Tea Room offered visitors light refreshments.
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| Garden #1 |
This award-winning garden had a cute "cottage" (perfect for tea time!), a (decorative?) well, a small bridge over a stream, and bonsaied trees.
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| Garden #2 |
This garden had 2 ponds and a terraced landscape.
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| Garden #3 |
This was the most colourful garden of the tour.
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| Garden #4 |
The front garden features a Koi pond.
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| Garden #4 |
The back garden offered a fantastic view of the Valley!
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| Garden #5 |
My favourite feature of this cottage garden is the unique sculpture of the owners' grandson in his snowsuit.
As I walking to the next garden, I spotted this deer wandering around...hope the poor thing made its way home safely!
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| Garden #6 |
The Rock Garden at the Dundas Driving Park is maintained by volunteers.
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| Garden #7 |
This is the minimalist architectural garden's front (left) and back (right) yards.
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| Garden #7 |
This wooden structure was added to the original home.
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| Garden #8 |
Love the turquoise bicycle garden ornament in this garden!
I got to chat with the gracious hosts and learned that they've been working on their gardens for years (Rome wasn't built in a day!) and the majority did the gardening on their own. Seeing these beautiful gardens have inspired me to step up my gardening game!
I'm joining the following parties this week:
Beautiful gardens,Margie! I love all the gardens and would have loved to have toured them with you!
ReplyDeleteThe next best thing to being on a gardening tour yourself is to see the photos of a friend who attended one. I'm glad the owners were hands on, it makes coming away with ideas more doable .
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to my final Mosaic Monday Margie.
They are all so beautiful, Margie. What are those lilac colored ground covers? Thanks for sharing....Christine
ReplyDeleteVery pretty! I love a Koi pond. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteI love touring gardens, Margie, and it's so wonderful that people take such pride in their gardens. In garden #5, the double sided swing brought back such memories to me. My late Great Aunt Kitty had one of those in her yard and me and my cousins loved gliding in it. I haven't seen one of those in years! It looked like you had such a beautiful day for the tour.
ReplyDeleteHi Margie, what a great garden tour! So much beauty there to see. Love the koi pond. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHi Margie, what a great garden tour! So much beauty there to see. Love the koi pond. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful gardens! I've always wanted to go on one of these tours. Nice to know that the owners do their own gardening. I would love to have a tiny pond and better yet a tiny cottage in the backyard for tea time. Looks like it was a nice sunny day for the tour.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful tour, Margie!
ReplyDeleteSuch interesting gardens and lovely flowers. Thank you for sharing these inspiring photos!
What a wonderful looking time, #7 caught my eye one for the hedges with the bike looks like a bike rack and finding of the cat wandering the gardens. All very pretty thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMargie, this is simply beautiful! So much to look at. I love the artwork in the tearoom. All is so visually appealing. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful gardens! A wonderful place to visit, thank you for taking us along with you, Margie :)
ReplyDeleteTouring gardens is so relaxing. One sees so many lovely ideas out there. I love a koi pond and if I could, I would have a feature like that here. But since we're planning to downsize, that won't happen now. Thanks for sharing the garden tours with us. It was fun!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Sandi
What a wonderful visual feast to visit all the gardens. I think that was wise to provide a tea room...I bet that was very welcome. Thanks so much for linking to Tuesday Cuppa Tea!
ReplyDeleteRuth
I love this garden tour Margie. It is so fun to see so many different styles and personalities. Thanks for sharing and linking.
ReplyDeleteMargie, you've got me craving a garden tour now! Even though I feel like I've just been on one here with you!
ReplyDeleteLovely gardens. So inviting. It appears that you had a perfect day. The garden cottage would be a great place for a cup of tea. Thanks for the garden walk.
ReplyDeleteDear Margie:
ReplyDeleteOh how very beautiful each one is! I loved them all! Thanks for sharing and linking.
What beautiful gardens and what fun you must have had! I always enjoy garden tours! Thanks for sharing! Happy 4th too!
ReplyDeleteNancy
What beautiful gardens and what fun you must have had! I always enjoy garden tours! Thanks for sharing! Happy 4th too!
ReplyDeleteNancy
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