Art in the garden: Gardens for every lifestyle at Perennial Festival
People create gardens for many reasons. Vegetables are planted — some neatly lined in disciplined rows, some spilling from pots on decks and patios — for the taste of fresh-picked. Other gardeners create spaces for wildlife — most often butterflies and hummingbirds. Many of us appreciate our beautiful mixed borders filled with blooming annuals, perennials and shrubs. Some folks wouldn’t consider themselves gardeners at all, but want a lovely plant-filled space to enhance their homes.
The Planter’s Palette, a garden center in Winfield, is celebrating the many ways people garden in their outdoor spaces at this year’s Perennial Festival: Garden Lifestyles Saturday, June 23, through Sunday, July 8.
Gardens designed and constructed by staff members take you on a tour through 14 gardens to delight and inspire you. Here are a few highlights of some of the gardens you can expect to see.
Who needs to leave home for some time away when you can vacation in your own backyard beach retreat? A hammock and bottle tree invite you to relax in this garden featuring ornamental grasses and tropical plants. You’ll be tempted to take off your shoes and walk barefoot on the sandy beach.
If you love to cook, you’ll love the herb garden. When you walk through the backyard gate, you’ll be treated to the heavenly aromas and tantalizing tastes. Planted close to the house, daily snips are within steps to your favorite recipe or a cup of tea.
Learn how to create a backyard oasis in a beautifully designed shade garden. This garden demonstrates the result of paying attention to leaf texture and color — a shade garden that is a cool, quiet respite from the summer heat. You’ll notice how gold hostas juxtaposed with the purple foliage of coral bells offer dramatic color contrast and how the large leaves of hostas play with finely-cut fern fronds.
Children of any age will love the giggle garden. Filled with bright colors, this garden will bring out the kid in all of us. The pet dragon and frogs fishing in the watering hole are your companions as you journey through all the whimsical areas.
You’re invited to a party on the patio. Decorated for a Fourth of July party, you’ll find lots of ideas for decorating your own outdoor spaces. The old stone wall creates a beautiful backdrop for the bluestone patio, gorgeous perennials and red, white and blue annuals.
Large white urns flank the arbor in a formal Victorian garden. Listen to the water spilling from the fountain while enjoying the fragrance of the roses and lavender planted nearby.
Staff-led tours of the gardens are given daily at 10:30 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. Or you can pick up a map of the gardens and take a self-guided tour on your own schedule.
The Planter’s Palette Perennial Festival also features a series of demonstrations in which staff shares their passion for plants. Check out their website at www.planterspalette.com for a complete list of daily events.
This year’s Perennial Festival kicks off with a Fairy Garden Weekend on June 23 and 24. Fairy face painting is available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Betty Earl, author of “Fairy Gardens,” will sign copies of her new book from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. There are two short demonstrations on Sunday, Light Up the Fairy Garden at 1 p.m. and Unique & Unusual Containers for Fairy Gardens at 2 p.m., followed by a Fairy Garden Tea Party at 3 p.m. Check out the website for details or call (630) 293-1040, ext. 2.
Several miniature gardens were designed for this year’s perennial festival. A formal walled fairy garden features a stream and waterfall. Another fairy garden was designed in a two-tiered glass case. And don’t miss gnome, sweet gnome.
The Planter’s Palette’s Perennial Festival delights and inspires gardeners of all ages and ability levels. Enjoy complimentary popcorn and lemonade while you experience Garden Lifestyles.
Ÿ Diana Stoll is a horticulturist and the garden center manager at The Planter’s Palette, 28W571 Roosevelt Road, Winfield. Call (630) 293-1040 or visit planterspalette.com.