Container Garden Competition!

Now is a good time to start planning what you will bring to the Annual Container Garden Competition for the Summer Potluck on August 14. Cash prizes await the winner and runner up.

Containers can be patio pots, planters, hanging pots, miniature gardens or fairy gardens or any other self contained garden you can come up with!! Size is no object, just so you can move it to the location of the potluck without a crane!  We will be gathering at Lisa Slater's on Trade Lake this year.

This lovely containter garden by Lucille Danielson was the 2013 1st place winner 

  

If container gardens don't tickle your fancy, how about a vase of cut flowers. We offer a cash prize for the winner in this category as well.

Becky Tessman took the prize for cut flowers in a vase in 2013 with this entry

You can enter both categories!! Please, only one entry per category.

While you are at it, this is a good time to plan what you will bring to the pot luck. The club will supply meat and buns. Last year we had burgers and chicken breasts. Everyone seemed to like these. We will need side dishes, salads, vegies, pre-meal snacks, beverages and desserts. If you know what you plan to bring or just what type of dish, please let me know so I can let the club know what else we will need to round out the meal.

Hope to see you all Thursday, August 14, rain or shine.  Most folks arrive between 5:30 and 6:00 but if you need to be late we want to see you as well. Let me know if you need to carpool. Directions to Slater's will come on another post.

2014 Community Garden Tour a great success!!

About 11 of us gathered at Sandra Harmon's to begin the 2014 garden tour. We continued to Becky Lakes and then to Mary Charmoli's. All gardens were thoroughly enjoyable. Here is a peek at our tour.

Click on pictures for a larger image.

Sandra Harmon's whimsical gardens

Created this spring! A new canvas provides unlimited inspiration

Sandra leads a tour of her newly created beds (behind the white chair holding the plant)

Whimsical details abound!

Love these colors and textures. Creative recycling inspired by pinterest!

Fun orange canoe that wasn't so fun getting re-placed on higher ground!! 

Giant petrified tree trunk has been traveling with Sandra for many years!

Thank you Sandra for showing us your fun and whimsical gardens and to your granddaughter for her patience waiting for you to take her fishing!!

Becky Lake's farm theme garden with beautifully placed elements

This lovely tractor and corn crib garden welcomes the arriving visitor

Corn crib, tractor, trough and wheel establish the theme

A creative use of a stand of wheat 

Enticing walkways lead to lovely surprises just around the corner

Iron arbor frames this picture of Teresa and Ruthie admiring the plantings

A bottle garden using interior painted bottles suspended on rebar! Striking affect!

Gate, bucket planter and fire hydrant complete with hose!

Rocks, wheel barrow, tree cross-section and kettle pots on electrical insulators (?)

 Love, love, love this boardwalk!

Thank you to Becky's husband for a great tour of the gardens, from a husband's point of view!! And thank you to Becky for her delightful creations!

Mary Charmoli's Post Storm Gardens

Inviting path leading through wood arbor

 Rhubarb leaf birdbath 

Post storm garden beds prove you can't keep a good gardener down!

New trees and revitalized beds

The potting shed!! Potting shed envy rears its ugly head. This is the most well organized potting shed I've ever seen! Mary talks about plantings around the shed

 Amazing black tomatoes from Wood River Garden Center!

 Fabulous bouquet created by Mary for our pleasure while we enjoy refreshments provided by Wanda, Lucille, Jolene and Jennifer. Thank you so much for the delightful treats!

Thank you to Mary and Jim for the tour and your hospitality. 

Reminder: July 10, Thursday, 5:30 PM Annual Local Garden Tour

Thursday July 10 is our annual local garden tour, rain or shine!!

We have three stops on our tour this year: 

• Sandra Harmon's on Memory Lake at 5:30
• Becky Lake's on North Road at approximately 6:15 
• Mary Charmoli's on County Road D at approximately 7:15 (its a bit of a drive) where we will have refreshments
• Refreshments provided by: Jolene, Jennifer, Wanda and Lucille

For anyone who wishes to carpool from Grantsburg, meet at Pam's at 5:20. 

Here is a map of our stops. You can also go from Becky's via Williams Road to County Road D to Mary's.

Double click on the map for a more detailed view with street names.  Click and hold to drag around on the map to see different areas.