Talk about a perfect way to kick off the summer: Last night and today was the 20^th annual Garden Walk hosted by the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art and tomorrow is the Sun River Valley Garden tour. Gardeners are giddy with the possibilities.

Last night I went to an absolutely stunning garden. Jo terraced her backyard and planted it with a gorgeous variety of flowers. She had beautiful pentsemons, lupine, salvias, and all sorts of lovely blooms. And, be still my heart, there were lots and lots of rocks. It was heavenly.

What I really loved was the sound of the birds. She lives on the edge at the top of a hill, and it’s teaming with wildlife. The birds were singing and diving in the sky. Jo does have a deer fence surrounded the property since the deer are undoubtedly in the coulee, as well. The nice thing is it was unobtrusive. You didn’t notice it very much, particularly with so much else to gawk at and find.

Westside Orchard Garden

Today I went to the Westside Orchard Garden where they’re trying all sorts of things, including a vegetable patch with the kids from Big Brothers/Big Sisters. They’re growing a massive pumpkin batch, and instead of just planting a few seeds in the ground, they’re planting the plants in big (probably 5-7 gallon) black plastic containers. This is a great idea since it’ll stay warmer, it keeps the plant out of the wind, and you and keep the water where it’s needed.

The other thing they did, which I thought was brilliant, was to build a chicken wire cage over their strawberry bed. The bed was probably 3 ft. wide by 4 ft. long and the chicken wire top fit perfectly on top of it. I know they have issues with ground squirrels out there, and I would suspect deer, so this takes care of both issues. It would also keep the birds out, which can be such a problem right when the strawberries are starting to ripen.

Sun River Valley Tour

Tomorrow my friend Julie and I are going to the Sun River Valley tour. It’s in a beautiful area about 40 minutes from here that is particularly pretty during this unusually green spring. My gardener friend Connie has an orchard that is completely enclosed with a very sturdy fence. It not only keeps the deer out, it helps slow down the howling winds.

It’ll be interesting to see what the other gardeners do since they’re all in heavy deer country. I will be sure to report if I find something innovative!