My, oh my...

I had heard about this garden from numerous friends.  And, even though they all said "it is a must see garden" and I was prepared for something great, it still took my breath away when I walked through the gate.  Doug and Diane Seip have shared their gardens on a couple of occasions this year.  For the most recent event, Doug (with Family Tree Nursery) invited members of several area horticulture industry groups over for an evening tour. 

Doug has an incredible selection of conifers.  Pictured is a weeping white pine.  Yes, it is huge! 

If you have wondered how well Dragon Lady Hollies do in Kansas City's zone five climate, here's the answer.  Beautifully.  Doug planted two on either side of a garden shed by a walk way many years ago and they are now taller than the shed. 

An advantage of working at a nursery with a greenhouse, Doug can overwinter his banana tree successfully.   Mine didn't fare as well in my dining room. 

There are many beautiful containers in Doug and Diane's gardens.  Here's a couple of my favorites:

If you ever hear that the Seip's garden is open for a tour, drop everything and go!

A great weekend to visit Powell Gardens

 
Finishing up the stop at Powell Gardens, Lyman Whitaker's wind sculpture exhibits ends in June at Powell Gardens.  The large sculpture to the left greets visitors at the entrance of the visitor center.  


I spent last Sunday strolling along the gardens with my husband.  The morning was windy and the sculptures were fun to watch moving in the breeze.  

The one pictured on the right is one of my favorites. It is in a garden close to Cafe Thyme.  
 
In addition to the wind sculptures, Powell Gardens has been preparing for the next feature attraction.

Big Bugs, by Dave Rogers, are on display through October 3.  Throughout the gardens, you will find the bugs. We saw ants marching across the Meadow towards the chapel, a giant spider web in the Rock and Waterfall Garden, and a praying mantis in the Heartland Harvest Garden.  


The overlap of the two exhibits makes Memorial Day Weekend a great time to visit Powell Gardens. 

It had been ten years since my husband last visited Powell Gardens and he was amazed at all the changes.  Our first visit to Powell was over 20 years ago when the lakes were being dug and the old visitor center had a vegetable garden featuring plants from around the world. 


Today, visitors to Powell Gardens are fortunate to experience edibles from around the world at the 12 acre Heartland Harvest Garden.  Viewed from the top of the silo, the quilt garden is shown below.
 

At the tasting station we ate strawberries, carrots and the flowers from nasturtiums.  Though this garden peaks later in the season, there is much to experience right now.  I love the lines of this iron fence with the flowers in the herb garden.

And, not limited to the Heartland Harvest Garden, vegetables used throughout Powell Gardens:

After winding through the Island Garden past the living wall, we spent some time at the Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel.  Here's a few of my favorite views of the chapel:

Throughout the gardens we saw roses, peonies, iris and poppies flowering:

I'm looking forward to my next visit to Powell Gardens and bringing along my husband.  I can't wait to show him what rice looks like.