Friday, June 5, 2009

Perennial Beauty




I have some more garden photographs for you today.  These were taken at the Cross Estate gardens, which I showed you here earlier in the week.  In addition to the shade garden I showed you, there is also a beautiful formal walled garden, filled with gorgeous perennials.  Don't you love these soft yellow iris?




Yes, the garden has  very formal bones, but the plantings billow out over the paths in a very romantic style.  Love it!




The brick pergola is covered with wisteria.  In early May, it is alive with the drone of bees, visiting the long purple racemes.  It is a wonderful spot to sit and contemplate the whole garden.




Isn't this peony beautiful, with it's soft pink colors?




I think I've already said that blue is my favorite color in the garden.  Isn't this beautiful?




Mmmm, gorgeous columbine.




Oh how I love this large Italian pot, surrounded by dianthus and lamb's ears and other beautiful flowers and herbs.




Dictamnus -- old fashioned gas plant.  Such a funny name for a pretty plant.




Oh how I love that stone wall, too.  Gorgeous!




A gate out through the pergola leads to a rhododendron walk.  I hope you enjoyed our little tour.  Have a wonderful weekend, dear bloggers.  :)

30 comments:

  1. Beautiful, love that gas plant. I've gotta get me some of those. I too love the romantic, cottage look. ~Brooke

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  2. Garden posts are such a treat. The buttery irises are just luscious and the photo looking through the pergola is simply magical.

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  3. I did enjoy this tour. Maybe I will begin planning our vacations around the beautiful gardens in each area. This looks like a lovely place to visit.

    Becky K.

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  4. Thank you, Mary. This was a wonderful way to begin my day.

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  5. You would think that we would all be pretty used to garden photos, but each garden has it's own different charm and beauty. I could live in this one. The last photo of the view through the pergola into the wooded rhododendron walk is like something from a fairy tale:>) I love it!

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  6. What a beautiful, peaceful place. Very nice.

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  7. Hi Mary

    Thanks for hooking Kathleen up with me--we have so much to share living near each other!

    I found some wonderful items at a Breast cancer thrift sale--hope you can hop on over

    Have a great weekend-Tara

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  8. It is true each garden post has something special. Mainly it has the power to transform the reader to that garden through the poster's words and photos. I liked it.
    QMM

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  9. Does it not just thrill you to pieces when you upload your photos and find such beauty on the screen; pieces of nature caught in our view, enhanced magnificently with a touch of electricity? Lovely!!!

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  10. What a beautiful place. Your pictures are great!

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  11. Mary,

    This garden is just stunning! As you said, "it has formal bones". That is something I just love and I am in the beginning stages of creating a garden like this (of course on a much smaller scale) at my lake house where I get plenty of sun. Some of the plant combinations have given me ideas. It takes a long time to have a garden like this, but it is what I have always wanted!

    Thank you so much for the tour and inspiration. And your photos are lovely!

    Have a wonderful weekend! :-)

    xoxo
    Jane

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  12. Oh My
    That was Lovely
    Thank You

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  13. Such a beautiful, romantic garden. I love the look - what a peaceful place it must be. Gorgeous photos,Mary!

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  14. Beautiful, beautiful pictures.
    What lovely things flowers are...
    aren't we blessed to be able to see and smell them?

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  15. What a pretty tour - thanks for a lovely start to the weekend!

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  16. beautiful beautiful shots of this lovely garden

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  17. Such a delightfully charming garden. Love that giant pot. Was it empty? I'd love to just set something like that in my garden, but I'd be afraid it would fill with rain water and then start smelling and attracting mosquitos. laurie

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  18. Yes! And yes to all your questions in this post. What gorgeous gardens. And I love when you say racemes.

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  19. So pretty, Mary. What a wonderful way to spend your day. ~ Robyn

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  20. What a beautiful garden. Oh how nice it would be to stroll through.

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  21. Mary, I love your describtion about yourself, you would fit right in with the eccentrics of Lisa's blog 'A Bloomsbury life' where I am at home too. Just run into your blog, being lured by the great name...(and there's another story)
    And these pictures are glorious!
    I'll stop by soon again!
    Victoria

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  22. Incredibly beautiful, Kathy.

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  23. Holelymoley - how did you ever leave! ;-)

    I love that brick pergola w/ the wisteria ... wow, wow, wow.

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  24. What a treat to take this garden tour. I do love the contrast of some of the more formal elements with the more casual billowy plantings. The stone walls are wonderful and using a large urn as a focal point is always a favorite. Thanks for taking me on the tour!

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  25. Gorgeous gardens...love your pics! Looks like it's right out of story book!

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  26. That's SUCH a lovely garden... lots of pretty flowers but the peonies always tug at my heart's memories of my grandmother.

    Di
    The Blue Ridge Gal

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  27. Your Blog Is Very Nice!
    Full Load Of Magnificent Images and Atmospheres!

    Cristina
    http://cristinamarsi.blogspot.com/

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  28. those pictures gave me such a sense of peace and i now know what to do with my garden!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I love to hear what you have to say!