GardenScapes celebrates spring – by Diane Morey Sitton
Imagine! A secret garden filled with bromeliads and other tropical plants; lime green planter boxes overflowing with veggies, herbs and flowers; arbors laden with roses and flowering vines; and a golf cart, playfully decorated with a brightly-clad mannequin and flower-filled baskets.
It was all part of GardenScapes, a self-guided home and garden tour presented by Kingwood Garden Club in Kingwood, a verdant, lake-rich community some 30 miles north of downtown Houston.
When you attend the event, you know to expect palatial homes, meticulously manicured gardens of various styles, exotic plant collections and a multitude of patios and poolscapes. There was a raffle and plant sale.
You also know you’ll be amused, inspired and even charmed by the floral creations designed by club members for each specific home and garden. Besides the lavish tabletop bouquets that decorated living rooms, kitchens and patios, this year’s creations included a miniature woodland scene affixed to a large easel and a small tablescape that mimicked a putting green, complete with a mini golf cart.
As customary, each of the featured locations was decorated to illustrate a theme.
A colorfully-decorated golf cart, parked on the driveway, set the theme at the “Tee Time” garden. Nestled like eggs in baskets, golf balls were tucked into floral arrangements and elsewhere, adding to the fun.
At the “Secret Garden”, tour-goers passed through a gate into a walled courtyard where they were met by a mannequin inspired by Mary Lennox, the main character in Frances Hodgson Burnett’s book, The Secret Garden. Here, in this tucked-away space, succulents grew in a birdbath, water trickled from a wall fountain, and bromeliads, ferns and other tropical plants spilled from beds, pots and planters.
In the back yard, a covered poolside patio featured vibrantly-colored rugs, pillows and other accents in shades of turquoise, pink and red. Periwinkles, hibiscus, chartreuse sweet potato vine, and zinnia filled an equally vibrant flower border.
Art and art-inspired floral creations lured tour-goers to another garden where the theme “A Southern Garden Art Walk” was illustrated with a series of enhanced artists easels displayed on back garden terraces and poolside patios. Adirondack chairs, large outdoor paintings on a privacy fence, birdhouses, and matching poolside urns shared the same shade of turquoise, adding cohesion to the setting.
Further along the tour, the theme “Grand Southern Elegance” set the stage for an arbor draped with star-jasmine and sprays of peach-colored roses to invite folks to browse the patio and gardens beyond. There, large flower-filled containers and manicured flower beds intermingled with a conversation area surrounding a stone fire pit, a swing under an arbor and a footbridge over a koi pool.
Another garden featured spacious waterfront terraces cascading downward from a back garden pool and patio. Large flower-filled containers and classical art accented the setting.
Like most garden tours, proceeds from GardenScapes and the accompanying plant sale and raffle are used to help fund educational, horticultural, and beautification projects. Learn more about Kingwood Garden Club at: kingwoodgardenclub.org.