Crazy changing weather!

We are still finishing up the last minute things before the garden tour. Its amazing how much work this really is, and I didn't think the yard was that bad to start with. I was hoping to seal and enhance all the flagstone but its now cold and there is a lot of moisture in the air so I am concerned it won't dry in time. It would be terrible to have sticky glaze all over every ones shoes, not to mention the millions of glazed foot prints I would also have on the rest of the concrete! Ahhhggg. OK, here's hoping for some sun today! The roses are in full flush so we are glad for the cooler weather as the blooms will hold much longer than if it was hot. This extra dewy wetness has got Randy spraying for powdery mildew all the time now, we just can't win. With all said, I am sure it will be fine and everything will turn out perfectly. For those of you who can not make it to my gardens they are filled with roses and annual flowers. I grow many hummingbird and butterfly friendly plants which are all in full bloom right now. The Hummingbirds are everywhere and often buzz us as they flit about. There are cement benches that line the walkways, surrounded by roses and nestled in the dappled shade from big trees. Their are fountains where the water cascades over large balls and into a pond, another fountain is full of flowers. The pool is surrounded by outdoor living spaces with a fireplace which warms the room next to the spa warm in the winter months. The barbecue area is for entertaining our large family with food and provides lots of seating for everyone. That area leads to another small lawn area and my small garden where I grow things to eat and can. I love making jellies and preserves from my many fruit trees. The best part of the yard, and the reason we built it, was for Jennifer. The whole yard is handicap friendly, allowing her access to everything, even the pool and fireplace. Ramps and cement pathways let her meander anywhere she likes. We knew we would not be able to travel much or attend many events at the rest of the families homes since most are not handicap friendly. This way we have the parties here, she is free to join in and everyone still gets to be together. It is truly our secret garden and paradise, built for a special need, with love. We have many special memories here, lots of fun family events, kids learning to swim, days working in the yard, sketching and painting. We are truly blessed!

I am trying to get some artwork and some cards together to sell during the tour. I have a few artist friends coming to sketch and paint in the yard with me during the tour, my garden is called "the artists garden". In anticipation I am doing some macro journal pages so they are ready to record the event with just my words, here is one of my pages and some photos of the yard. I will have more pictures after the event to share, enjoy.

Large cement benches are nestled into roses for sitting and enjoying the moment.

We grow over 125 roses with over 70 varieties.

This is the gate they enter on the side yard for the tour, it is a wonderful area filled with roses  and perennials. This is where the kids birdhouses will hang.

The girls loved to help us plant the flowers

Tucked into a palm, over the pool, we have a new bush tit nest filled with babies. If you look closely you will see that these nests are woven with found materials and even spider webs!