A Visit to a Plant Nursery

Today I drove a LONG way out into the country to visit a plant farm I first found during the Kaw Valley Farm Tour last year.  You see... I missed my turnoff, and drove 20 miles too far west before I realized I had really gone too far.  I pulled into this drive to turn around again:

I was so glad I found it... it's the Lecompton Fire Brigade location, so I think I'll contact them and find out if this was a two-room school.  If you biggify, you'll see the neat old light above the door.  Wait... I'll just biggify it for you!

 

Highway 40, which I was on, is narrow, and there were few places to turn around, especially when someone is TAIL GAITING you.

 

When I finally realized my folly, I got back on the right track, and yes, I had run TWO Mapquests!

 

This teepee made of saplings was covered in vines last year.  I showed this to Keith... the teepee has chicken wire clear around it for the Hyacinth beans to adhere to.  It is a reflection of the summer we had... I heard Mrs. Henry tell someone that she had spent her entire summer just trying to keep plants alive.  I showed it to Keith to show him what I am going to do with the old tree that fell in the storm two years ago... it's going to get a chicken wire wrapping and vines planted around it.

 

I love the elevated planter box on top of the remains of the old tree behind it, too.  It was the only elevated box I saw planted... the arbor that was so full last year was unplanted this year.  I know why!

 

Here is another idea I'm going to try next year, so I warned Keith about it, too...

 

 

This appears to be a cattle panel contraption.  I'll show you the other end.

 

It's meant to be completely covered with the morning glories.

 

 

I can see myself sitting in one, surrounded by flowers, bees buzzing merrily past me... butterflies... hummingbirds... it does NOT look that difficult to build.

So then I decided to climb the observation tower you see to the right.  I have to tell you, I have a great fear of heights, so even this small tower made me nervous. 

And from it you could see... The Butterfly Garden!  I wish I could have gotten all of it in, but the tower was so close, directly over it... and I could not get my lens to pull back farther.  It's cool, isn't it! 

And despite our drought, there was still some color in some of the garden beds... this is a type of Celosia used in several beds.  I don't care for the rather insipid salmon, but the reds and wines were gorgeous.  In every single picture I took, the variety name DOES NOT SHOW.  I'll be calling them!

 

 

And somehow, I have to find a way to use Colclasia next year... I haven't figured out where yet.

 

 

I'd like for one of these guys and his girlfriends to live with us one day at Calamity Acres... but it will be after Lilly Ann and Ranger are gone... they can't be kept in the pasture like the chickens.

 

I got a couple of sedum plants, some coneflowers, and a beautiful mum, red with a yellow button.  Tomorrow after church, Keith has a golf tournament for charity, and I am going to be planting, planting, planting!