Margie Rodgers mowing the Garland Community Garden at 4022 Naaman School Road June 11, 2014
One great thing about belonging to a community group like Loving Garland Green is that you have the opportunity to make a lot of really nice friends. Gardens and garden activities are social events that bring people and communities together. Yesterday Charlie and I were on our way home from lunch at a Garland restaurant, Thai Jasmine (which I highly recommend) when we noticed Margie and Gene's mowing tractor at the garden unattended. Curious, I stopped in at their home which is right across the street from mine to inquire regarding the abandoned tractor. Turned out that it had run out of gas and Gene went to get more gas. As long as Margie was down there, I decided to return and give an extra drink to all the transplants that we had installed the day before.
Margie and Gene's garden will be among those featured on the Midsummer Night's Garden tour. I'm a lucky one because I can tour their garden just about anytime I want. In fact, that's what I did yesterday and I went home with some of the bounty from their garden: onions, a cucumber and a large zucchini. I also looked at a collection of plates and small ceramic bowls that Margie is using to create "flowers" for her garden. She purchases them from thrift stores and yard sales. They are unique and beautiful. Below is a photo of the cucumber and an example of a flower plate. (I'm not showing the ones Margie is creating. They are being left as a surprise for the Midsummer Night's Garden tour.)
Note: The ceramic "flower" plate is an example of yard art created by Joan Stewart. If you are interested in trying you own hand at these creations, you can find the complete instructions here: http://www.business2community.com/travel-leisure/how-to-make-inexpensive-flower-plate-garden-art-0215241#!XTPm4.
Speaking of yard art, here is an example from my yard: a road runner fashioned from railroad spikes.
Visitors to Loving Garland Green's Midsummer Night's Dream Garden Tour are in for a real treat when they tour Margie and Gene's garden. In addition to the plants themselves, Margie and Gene have a plethora of yard art they have collected over the years. Be prepared for plenty of frogs as they are among Margie's favorite types of yard art. It's hard to know what Margie has more of: garden hats, garden gloves, or frog yard art.
Mark your Calendars for June 21st--Summer Solstice, Longest Day of the Year! Celebrate the light by attending Loving Garland Green's Midsummer Night's Dream Garden Tour 6PM to 9PM. It's free and open to the public. If you don't know where to go, start the tour at 211 Kingsbridge Drive. Margie and Gene will tell you where to go from there. We will have maps published next week available for download.