My Favorite Garden Center

Seems like only yesterday that I was “bragging”

about our garden shed’s new roof.

https://redbirdv.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/my-colonial-williamsburg-hopes-dreams/

See for yourself:

B O R I N G !

How can such a morale boost from yesterday

turn into such a big YAWN today?!

Here’s why!  Feast your eyes on this rooftop fabulousness!

And this!

Grandlad + me

These snapshots were taken yesterday evening at my favorite garden center,

Blumen Gardens, in Sycamore, Illinois (about 90 miles west of Chicago).

http://blumengardens.com/

Clonk!  I shoulda had a growing roof!

I told G.O. that he should thank his lucky stars

that I didn’t spy this a week ago . . .

. . .  because we totally would have put one of these

on our garden shed!

Compare . . .

. . . + contrast!

Sigh.  Oh, well . . . just file this under “missed opportunities” . . .

. . . or, as I like to say at moments like this: “Next house!”  😉

Anyway, let’s have a look-see at the rest of Blumen Gardens:

It’s hard to see in this photo,
but here we have a PAIR (genius!) of espaliered trees,
which have been trained to grow together
+, at the top, form an arch.

I totally want to do something similar here, against the plain Jane east wall of our garage.

Trees are discounted at all the garden centers now, so I say “why not?”

Are you with me?

I’m loving the chippy white wood
+ the old gooseneck light fixture!

Lots of gargoyles,
if that’s your garden “thing”.
It’s not mine.

I love the way these bricks have been laid, don’t you?.
Totally on my “must-have” list!

I’m not sure what this is, but doesn’t it look great,
incorporated in with the pavers? Love the moss, too!

I swooned a bit over this beauty.
The crackled porcelain is so gorgeous!

It was at this very moment

thatI made a mental note to myself that yes,

we WOULD be installing crackled glaze tiles

into our kitchen backsplash.  What say ye?

People. You can actually buy these.
Imagine, if you will, with a dark gray grout!
Century Tile in Joliet + Bolingbrook, Illinois

I shall share this fun factoid with G.O., using this blog post as a visual guide,

the minute it’s time for us to install our backsplash!

More crackled glaze tile eye candy!

But I digress, as I often do.

Meanwhile, here’s one last photo of my beloved Blumen Gardens.

Imagine yourself in this charming setting,

with wonderful classical music playing throughout.

Do those corbels rule, or what?!

Just now I’m penciling in a trip to the flea market later this month

in search of said-same!

I’ll be heading to the liquor store sometime today (hic!),

as I am anxious to start a cobalt blue bottle collection of my own!

I wonder what kind of beverages are sold in cobalt blue!?

Any ideas?