Oh, no -- not another Koi Pond!

I am sick of koi ponds! At least four of the six gardens on today's Gwinnett County Master Gardener garden tour had them (the other two may also -- I did not go there; too far!).

There was a boring sameness about all four gardens. Not just the ponds, but also the plantings - Hellebores, Hydrangeas, Ferns, Japanese Maples. The only one deserving to be on a garden tour, for which people pay money to visit, was Shannon Pable's (small wonder - she is a professional garden designer). The Jones garden, next door, was nice, but in essence a small copy of the Pable garden (and unfinished) and the two on Lake Lanier had the lake as their best feature. There was nothing original or outstanding about them. In one of them the obligatory koi pond had these monsters in them -- three times the size of any koi I had seen before today.

Snow in North Georgia

The snow yesterday was magical and unexpected. The forecast had been for snow "mainly below I-20" with just a little (one to two inches at most) expected in some areas north of Atlanta. And what did we get? Four inches at least. It was spectacular.

In my garden, I photographed, from top to bottom: Sedum, Viburnum, Hydrangea, Crape Myrtle, Pyracantha, and Fothergilla.

A Day in the Country

More than a month ago, a friend had asked if I would be interested in going with her to a "Les Dames d'Escoffier" event at Serenbe and I told her "yes" -- much more because I had read about Serenbe for years but never yet visited and this seemed like an excellent opportunity than as a reflection of my interest in the event.

So, we went, yesterday - and never saw each other! I wanted to be there early, so that I would have time to stop at Wilkerson Mill Gardens on the way home, and she arrived just as I was leaving, because she had had an issue to deal with at her place of business earlier in the afternoon.

In addition to actually getting a glimpse of Serenbe, the best parts of being at the event were . . . tasting a marvelous Cabernet Sauvignon from Wente Vinyards, listening to Drivetrain, and enjoying a wonderful creme brulee (from an establishment whose name I do not recall).

"Far From the Madding Crowd", my stop at Wilkerson Mill Gardens was the best part of the day. It's one of those renowned nurseries in Georgia that have become a "must visit" among Master Gardeners, but its location, 80+ miles away, on the other side of Atlanta, was not an attraction for me until this opportunity presented itself.

And, even though Wilkerson Mill Gardens is famous for its Hydrangeas, it's an Aster ("Fanny's Aster") that I, as the owner of a garden that is far more sunny than shady, purchased. I hope to get it into the ground today, joining a Georgia Aster and a Japanese Aster that are already there.

If I had more space left in my garden, I would also have bought a Welsh's Pink Beautyberry, but, alas . . . . I'm running out of room!