Gaston County

We finally visited Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont yesterday after years of having it on the "to do" list. We were concerned that the summer would be a poor time to visit, but it was absolutely lovely, and gave Emily some great ideas for the yard.

The happy mommy- and daddy-to-be outside the second fountain (self-portrait).














A sitting area tucked away behind some hedges. The trellises were interesting and looked like a painter was in the process of setting up an easle to go to work.














This fountain was fun, and had a sign that more or less called visitors wimps if they didn't pass through the water arches.














The lines-of-sight were really well done, with both clear vistas and moments of discovery. The walkway from the welcome center to the first fountain was lined with an interesting mix of traditional hedges and arbor vitae as well as cacti and exotic groundcover.














We had never seen Italian Arum before and thought it was really colorful and whimsical.














The arborway was a dramatic walkway with an interesting use of light and dark in the plants. It also underscored the awareness that the garden is very new - I guess it's about a decade old. As pretty as it is now, it is going to be stunning in 20 years when the trees have filled out and the structures feel more organic.














One area outside the North arbor walkway struck Emily as a good model for a section of our back yard.














Robyn loves the gladiolus, and we thought of her in this section of the flower garden. The gladiolii in her garden are much better than the few here at DSBG.



















Emily and Stephanie in front of the first fountain before the walkway to the canal.














Emily and Zipper in front of the second fountain.














The firecracker vine is another element Emily wants to incorporate into our own yard.



















The Freeze for Bees mascot!