 Photo by Jessica Walliser Umbrella garden container |
I was lucky enough last weekend to spend a day at the Cleveland Botanical Garden with my mother and a group of gardening friends. I have never been there before but was completely impressed with the gardens, especially the Children’s Garden and the Herb Garden. They have 10 acres there and make good use of incorporating plenty of useful ideas for homeowners looking to jazz up their landscape in a practical and accessible way.
 Photo by Jessica Walliser Boot garden container |
I was bummed, though, that there was no dedicated Vegetable Garden there. I would think that with the rising popularity of veggie gardens, among young and old alike, that they would somehow figure out a way to incorporate one. Perhaps it’s in the future plans. Despite not being introduced to some new veggie growing techniques and varieties, I did greatly enjoy the rest of the space, including their huge conservatory.
Photo by Jessica Walliser Toilet garden container |
The container plantings were by far my favorite aspect of the garden. They were gaudy and bold when they needed to be and subtle and soft when they didn’t. I got a lot of great ideas for unusual container plantings and even for unusual containers. The photos I’ve posted are of some of the funky containers they use in their Children’s Garden. The umbrella just made me laugh and I have seen the boot idea done before but not with a colorful rain boot. The toilet, though, was a bit over the top! I do have one friend that has a very whimsical garden and has wanted a potty planter for a few years now. I’ll have to show him the picture to see exactly how over-whimsical it can be.
I also found the woodland garden to be lovely and peaceful. Not a lot of color in it this time of year, but the plant selection was quite nice and the paths were meandering in all the right ways. Their hosta collection is superb, and I saw several plants that were completely new to me—and that’s always a good thing.
