Tuesday Sept 18, 2012
Today, having burned myself out in working on my picture project, I just had to get outdoors. I had wanted to make a bit of a tour of some of the nurseries in Northern Colorado about 1 1/2 hours from my home.
It was a picture perfect Colorado day. Sunshine, blue skies and temps at about 80 degrees. A little high haze but no worry about rain, or should I say no hope of rain.
I zipped up the highway, only to realize I had left my addresses and GPS at home. So I just kinda wandered around.
First I found, by serendipity, the Gardens on Spring Creek, which is the Botanic Gardens of Fort Collins. This is a lovely little spot filled with some wonderful sculpure as well as some interesting flowers and plants.
At their entrance is a colorful piano, exuberantly painted, with the greenery acting as a backdrop. Don't cha just love it?
You entered their children's area passing a couple of huge watering cans.
Children were playing in a couple of the water features, I did not want to freak them (or their minders) out by taking their pictures. Wish I had.
lovely little curving walks a dalia garden and rock gardens and water features
Also some critters.
Lots of vegetable plantings, These beans and Aubergines created a wonderful and colorful picture.
More garden art
I did not take time to tour their wonderful xeroscape area, nor the wonderful meadow and the other designated gardens. I should have but having started my trip at about noon, I was short on time.
And with directions from the staff, I was off to the CSU (Colorado State University) Trial gardens, where they test for hardiness and new varieties of plants for the Colorado microsystems.
Our state's name "Colorado" come from an indian word many colorful and today it has lived up to it's name. There is a drought going on, but in this beguiling little college town you would not know it. Part of the CSU mission is to find drought and water wise plants, I do believe they are succeeding.
The trial garderns were filled with bouquets of brightly colored plants of all kinds, a visual feast, to say the least.
I wandered through the geraniums, petunias and other brightly blooming wonders.
I could not linger too long at any one spot their was just so much to see.
These bronze and purple Coleus Caught my eye as did the neighboring bright green.
Salvia's do well here.
I browsed here for a couple of hours and then decided I was getting very tired, but what a good tired. My camera and my minds eye was replete with all those vibrant images.
With an eye toward all those other paths to walk, I decided going on to a nursery or two would have to wait for another day.
Just time to take a few more snaps
What a lovely little town Fort Collins is. Hanging baskets galore, every business seems to try to out do it's neighbor.
On every corner wer planters spilling natures largess. I got only shots of cars when I attempted to take pictures at the intersections.
I will, however, carry them in my memories, including this one in front of a beautiful old church.
Now I am safely back home reviewing my pictures and want to save some of the memories here so I can come back and visit on cold winter days. My mind does not always retain the detailed memories, so I use photos as a method to remind me.
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