A Great Place for a Party

Gardening, by its very nature, is about putting down roots. So when we moved into our home in 1977, we had bare ground outside and white walls inside. We immediately set about putting down roots in our garden and community. This year, we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary and our 46th year in our garden with an open garden day.

Our garden travels have introduced us to many ideas in design, sculpture, and plants, and many variations of those ideas have traveled home with us. Over the years, we have modified our garden extensively three times. After all these years of gardening, it is our happy place. We dine in the garden at what we declare is the best table in town (though we do our own service and the dishes.) We have our coffee in the garden; we share great delight in our garden. Sharing our garden with friends seemed the perfect way to celebrate.

Realizing how fortunate we are to have a patch of earth to call our own, we decided to open our garden for our celebration. We began planning in July, and we were consumed with the preparation as the days drew closer. Many plants suffered during our scorching summer and needed pruning or replacement. I picked dead leaves from the agaves, polished the flower pots, and raked the granite.

Rich has been incredibly creative in using his woodworking and welding skills to add whimsy and elegance to our garden. Yet his entire body of work needed a spit and polish. He repainted the custom-sized Adirondack chairs, refinished a bench and a swing. He waxed and polished his sculptures. 

Then we sent out our invitations, arranged for some live music, and eagerly awaited the day.

Then, the night before the open day, we heard it raining. We woke up to overcast skies. We hadn’t had rain in months, we needed rain, we love rain, and yet rain today? It was a shock; we held out hope, yet it rained. It washed all the dust from the leaves. Then just as the celebration was to start the sun came out, there was a rainbow and the clouds cleared! The raindrops on the plants literally sparkled in the sunlight.

Guests began to arrive, the music started, and refreshments were served. Each guest was given a guided garden walk describing the artwork they would see.

It was a perfect day. The garden was the star of the show, and we celebrated in our happiest place on earth. Yes, of all the gardens we have seen, this one is my favorite.