"Attack of the Gnomes, Dwarves, and Other Creatures"; or the "Garden Walk that Wasn't"

On Saturday, I did the Outagamie Master Gardeners' Garden Walk. Typically, this group puts on a good garden walk with great gardens, each with some unique flavor the home gardener is willing to share. I take lots of pictures and come home inspired to weed better, mulch, or change up my garden. 

This year, all I could say was, "Meh!" My mother who went with me was similarly unimpressed.

Only five gardens were offered, two of which were public properties. One of the others had text in the pamphlet stating the only parking was on the shoulder of the busy county highway, where I felt cars were zipping along at possibly 65 mph. After parking, a hike up a dirt trail possibly a quarter mile long was required. This was not difficult for me, but was quite taxing for my mother, and I would expect some of the other garden walkers, too. Each of the garden was probably five miles from the last. My GPS did not even properly locate one of the properties, because it used the fire number which was part of the address and came up with a township while the mailing address was Appleton. Having stopped for lunch and gotten away from the printed directions, and getting a couple "that address is invalid," responses out of Siri, frustration with being GPS-enabled and hunting far-flung addresses did not add to the charm of these gardens. (I navigated through Budapest in the 1980s long before GPS, reading road signs in some Cyrillic dialect just fine, thank you very much; I do not typically get lost, nor do I become frustrated when I do.)

So after finally arriving at my destination and touring the garden as I pasted this tree underplanted with ho-hum hostas infested with gnomes, I could not help but feel very witchy b.......,

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, whose garden is the fairest of all..."

Tomorrow, tomorrow I promise I will have recycled my ire and will post something more upbeat!

More pictures from the non-garden follow.

"Ah, yeah.....NO!"

Maybe just mulch?

Pool walk?

Gotta love that Eiffel tower, turtle sandbox, plant combo with the borrowed pool view!

If this is all you label, best not.

A nice stack stone edged garden filled with lambs quarters and jewel weed.

A second Eiffel tower! Notice each plant is held captive by a white wire garden fencing! So...captivating!

This was obviously the domain of the two and three-year-old grandchildren running wild through this area forcing walkers off the foot wide paths in the veggie garden when they weren't bust throwing pea gravel around. Those of you who follow this blog know I garden quite often with my nephews since they began walking.  These children were not appropriate.