Historical September–October 2018 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
When I was asked to be on the Skinker DeBaliviere breakfast garden tour, I was, I have to admit, taken aback.
After all, although I like my yard, it is just another one of many, so why me?
But I said yes, and spent the days before the tour tidying up and thinking what on earth I could say to people who came by.
The day of the tour broke beautiful and sunny, with just a few clouds in the sky.
As the start time approached, I sat outside, wondering if anyone would make it to the far reaches of Kingsbury Square to find us.
I need not have worried, the first visitors turned up very soon, and I happy to see them and to show them around.
There followed a steady stream of visitors, some just stopping briefly, others staying and chatting for longer. Any young children in the parties we asked to check for fairies, and they were amused when they found the first Fairy Garden but amazed when they discovered the second.
Some visitors asked how I got my grass so green, and that frankly surprised me as I struggle to get it to grow.
I showed them the newly planted hosta garden, and many commented on how it would all grow in, which is indeed my hope. Others were interested in the vegetable patch in the backyard and the herb planters up on the deck. Of course, Shaggy Dog, our statue of an old English Sheepdog that sits patiently on the front step, won everyone’s hearts.
But what got the most attention from almost all the visitors were the native Missouri wildflowers that had grown from seed scattered earlier in the year.
They were indeed impressive and still are all these weeks later. Being a part of the event meant, of course, that we couldn’t go on the tour ourselves, but Andy, the organizer, had thought of that, and a week later those of us with gardens on display got to do a private tour.
This was very interesting, and it was also good to compare notes with the other participants on what they had done.
It was also reassuring to find out that we were not the only ones scrambling to get our yards ready in time. Overall it was a great experience, and I look forward to next year’s Garden Tour, and admiring others’ hard work!
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, September–October 2018.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2018_09.pdf, printed page(s) 5; PDF page(s) 5.
