Garden Conservancy Open Days--Another Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood!

Garden lovers had a quintuple treat last Saturday during the Garden Conservancy's Open Days in Dallas. The weather was cool, overcast and perfect for taking pictures, and the 5 gardens delighted visitors with their diversity and quality. Here are some highlights:

The lead garden this year is a rarity in Dallas: Vertical! This Kessler Park Mediterranean villa is surrounded by terraces that make the most of the steep site overlooking the Stevens Park golf course in Oak Cliff. Visitors raved over the owners' hydrangea collection and the multiplicity of party spaces.

The tour continued with a charming Oak Cliff bungalow owned by plantsman and garden designer Mike Munsterman. The small lot is divided into a series of garden rooms for dining, vegetable gardening, cutting flowers and even raising city chickens.

You'd never suspect what lurks behind the garden walls of Homer Street. The original 1923 Tudor house has been restored to perfection, and a matching garden house/conservatory is a trip back to Edwardian England. In between, the sheer intensity of planting in the formal garden rooms had everyone asking, "Now what plant is that?". Amazing.

In a trip to another climate zone, the home of Blue Lotus Garden owners Brianna and Trey Denton pushes the boundaries of what grows here. Desert dwellers like ocotillo, agave, palo verde and cholla cactus sit happily in decomposed granite mounds in the front yard, while the back is a laboratory for lotus gardening, rainwater harvesting, and experiments with water features.

"Magic!" was the word heard most often at this Tulip Lane garden. The koi pond, the shady perennial garden, waterfalls and beautifully detailed gates, fireplace and walkways enchanted visitors. More than one asked, "Can I live here?" Stay tuned--we're working on finding great gardens for a fall tour, since many of our favorite garden plants in Dallas look best in October!