Hidden Gardens II

I wanted to share photos of some of the weird and wonderful plants we spotted today as we visited the many gardens and also some of the interesting features which is why I love doing this event.

I have no idea what some of these plants are called but they are all so lovely.

These ones are probably more common than I think but they had very long trumpets.

There were the usual white lilies you'd expect to see this time of year but also so many other different coloured varieties too.

Then there were the really weird plants that took you by surprise. This one was starting to lose it's yellow blooms which is where you see green holes but I'd never seen one like it before.

And there were the interesting features tucked absolutely everywhere and some of them very simple but really creative such as an old window mounted onto a wall, opened and displaying a stone face peering out at you.

I have a beautiful distressed 'bowed' double window frame just waiting for dear ol hubby to put on the wall with a mirror behind. I salvaged it after our first Hidden Gardens experience and it's sitting in the shed just waiting to be given a new lease of life. I figure it would be a lovely addition to our little patio garden. Some day maybe.

I think we've asked the owners once before and this is an Australian plant in origin but the name escapes me. Once in full bloom it is full of red 'brushes'. How cool is that?

This is an old garden gate that has been mounted on the wall with a mirror behind. I love the clever use of mirrors in the garden.

Look at these amazing blooms!

If you're lucky you manage to catch this one in full bloom and it's tucked away in a corner of a garden that you might otherwise miss if you didn't explore every bit of it. One of the advantages of doing this event annualy is that we know what to look for each time. Having said that we are still surprised by something new and wonderful each year.

And as if that wasn't enough every now and then you find something completely different in a garden or two such as vintage cars, tables and chairs set up for tea and scones outdoors and even musical performances to entertain you a while. This was an octet (hope I got that right?) - it's a double quartet anyhow.

All in all this is an event I would encourage everyone to do at least once and the proceeds go towards Hospice so it's a great cause. You meet so many lovely folk as you walk around too, but be warned it isn't for the faint hearted - there is a whole day worth of walking involved! But there are a whole host of gardens that offer a seat, tea or coffee, cakes, homemade 'sassy cola' even! Dave had to try that one - kind of a sassparilla thingy.

Well I caught the sun good and proper today and now my face and upper chest is burning to prove it. I knew when I sat on that bench, closed my eyes and tilted my head back towards the sun I was asking for trouble but it felt soooooooo GOOD!