Nicki Snoblin in Lake Bluff, Illinois, found a wonderful little treasure to share with us.
Today I would like to share some photos of a tiny garden in an unexpected place in my neighborhood. I don’t know who owns it, but it’s clearly a labor of love. Encountering a garden like this is like getting a wonderful gift.
This garden is nestled under two oak trees in a carveout between a parking lot and an alley, just off a major two-lane road. It’s packed full of eclectic edging and path materials, plants in pots and in the ground, and half-hidden delights.
The centerpiece of the garden is a three-level fountain.
A creative use of branches made this path and edging.
This large and beautiful hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, Zones 9–11) in a pot must be overwintered indoors.
A rectangular planter contains what I think is a rooted cutting from the hibiscus, about to bloom.
This trellis covered with wisteria (Wisteria sp. Zones 5–9) has a little pot of oxalis (Oxalis triangularis, Zones 7–10) hung from it with a bent shirt hanger.
Blackberry lily’s (Iris domestica, Zones 4–10) namesake shiny, berrylike seeds are the follow-up to cherry-orange flowers.
A blue chair provides a pop of color.
Just visible behind this rosebush is a metal decoration hung with crystals.
A concrete turtle makes its home beneath the edge of the fountain.
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