100 Day Project 2021

Friday, November 7, 2014

Friday Finds and 30 Days of Gratitude - Day 7

I'm grateful for those individuals that have such a love for gardening and conservation that they create areas of beauty that we can enjoy.


I'm grateful for Verna Cook Garvan and her dream for a wooded peninsula on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I'll try not to bore you, but I want to include a little history and then I'll let you enjoy the beauty of this garden. 

"The site for Garvan Woodland Gardens was purchased in the 1920's after a timber clear-cut in about 1915. Mrs. Garvan loved this beautiful place so much that she never allowed it to be cut again. (Her father operated Wisconsin-Arkansas Lumber Company) In 1956, as a self-taught gardener, she began to develop it as a garden and possible future residence. She was intimately familiar with the land and laid out each path, marking every tree to be removed. Verna also personally chose each new plant and selected it's location. Over the next forty years, Mrs. Garvan planted thousands of specimens which now form an impressive collection. There are hundreds of rare shrubs and trees, some more than 40 years old, including camellias, magnolias, and more than 160 different types of azaleas." (http://www.garvangardens.org)

After the death of Mrs. Garvan the garden has been operated by the University of Arkansas School of Architecture. 

Now I'll just let you walk along with me and enjoy the garden.




















(Balloonplant -- Gomphocarpus physocarpus, Asclepias physocarpa -- milkweed)

It was Mrs. Garvan's wish that the gardens be used to provide education, joy, and repose for those who enter. I went to see the pumpkins and mums, but I found so much more; beauty, quietness, peace and left in awe of God's creation.

13 comments:

  1. What a beautiful place. And what amazing pumpkins. Your photos are stunning. Mrs Garvan certainly knew what she was doing. All the best for a lovely weekend, Bonny

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  2. Such a great selection of fall images, love that bridge and oh those pots envy love.

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  3. Wow, this is just beautiful Cathy! The amount of work and plants inside is very impressive. Such a piece of art for us to enjoy. I love the bridge!

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  4. This is so beautiful, Cathy! I have to admit, I've always wished I could create even a microcosm of this garden in our small garden but that is a talent I do not have. I'm grateful for what I do have, though.

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  5. Like you, I can only stand in awe of gardeners and the wonders they coax from the ground for our enjoyment. What a wondrous place! You have captured the amazing beauty.

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  6. This is a beautiful place. We've only seen it at Christmas, and keep planning to go at other times, but just haven't made it yet. Your photos are beautiful!

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  7. Oh that bridge! What a legacy that Mrs. Garvan left for future generations. I love these kind of stories.

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  8. A beautiful collection of fall images . . . I love it best when photography and worship combine as they did for you on this lovely day in the garden.

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  9. What a wonderful gift. One woman's vision lives on and gives other's joy. Your photos are fabulous - thank you for taking me along.

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  10. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful place. I'm glad Mrs. Garvan's work is still maintained because it's a treasure for sure. I especially like the photo of the higgedly-piggedly bird house. Cute!

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  11. Beautiful shots! LOVE the purples and all the shades of orange!

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  12. Wow! Spectacular!! I thoroughly enjoy gardens. This is a sight to behold. Thank you for sharing such loveliness and also for the link to the gardens.

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  13. Oh my goodness this was fabulous. I really enjoyed all the photos of this beautiful place. I especially liked the shot through the bridge, the birdhouse and that odd plant at the end.

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Thanks so much for stopping by!!