G is for Gardening

I'm a bit late this morning after returning from a very long day trip to Denver. One of the highlights of Sunday was a trip to the Denver Botanic Gardens where things are still looking pretty brown, with just a few hardy bulb flowers peeking their heads through the cold ground. Still it was a lovely day and there were loads of people out walking the paths. I came away with numerous ideas for my own gardens. Also a real appreciation for water features, hard-scaping, and architectural features like pergolas. Here are some photos of images that inspired me and might translate to my own efforts here at home:

Water feature with simple sculpture

A smaller pool that would work in my yard

A flagstone rock garden with native plants

Brick hard-scaping with a covered path to the right

An evergreen mound adds a mass of green

I don't think I would have noticed these features during the summer when the gardens are a riot of color. I got a lot more ideas from the barren gardens than I thought I would. It's all about getting the "bones" down right. That's true with anything, I guess,  whether building a house or writing a novel. Get a solid foundation first, and all the embellishments tend to enhance the picture.

Speaking of novels, maybe I'll make some headway in the next few days. It doesn't look like I'll be gardening much.

By "damaging thunderstorms" they mean high winds, hail, rain turning to snow, and a possible tornado. Nope. Definitely won't be gardening. How's the weather where you live?