Kansas City Gardens - The Serene Garden - Kauffman Memorial Gardens

I so enjoyed seeing the gardens in Kansas City.  I had thought it would be a colder zone than here, but that turned out to be incorrect.  They are in zone 7 - with Crape Myrtles, Seven Sons Tree, lots of Redbuds and Dogwoods.  However, they do have dry, hot and windy summers, so the leaves are smaller and the trees a bit sturdier of the trunk for the height.  My favourite garden is the Kauffman Memorial Garden, a beautiful example of the Serene Garden.  Many people want their garden to be serene, so Kauffman is a model to examine and learn from.  Here are a few scenes.

Love Those Garden Doors

I've noticed that garden doors are very intriguing and interesting in the garden.  A door for most of us gives entrance to an indoor living space.  So a garden door signifies an outdoor living space.  

Here's a door in Spindletree Gardens, located in Tamworth, Ontario near Kingston.  Its curved top and little window give a sense of delight and whimsy.  I asked Susan Meisner what its origin was and it had come from an antique dealer.  It does has a sense of old-world elegance and a handmade quality to it.  This is something I really appreciate about Spindletree Gardens - all the structures and garden elements have a history.  Some of them have been salvaged and saved, and brought back to beauty in the gardens.

This next door seems to be to be a modern version of the door above.  It is in an elegant garden on the lake in Grimsby, Ontario.  It is interesting how it maintains the old-world charm yet has a modern elegance.

Many of us focus on the plant material in our garden.  I am certainly one of those people.  I can't wait to find some climbing roses for my trellis:  I am looking for a Fourth of July and Roberta Bondar.  Yet, something like a garden door has immense stature and presence in the garden and tell a complete story of themselves.  

I look forward to hearing about what stories your garden tells - in the elements such as doors, in the paths and the flowers and plants.