Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Ledge, Layers and New Friends


Sunshine and blue skies were not the order of the day in Rhode Island this past weekend.

But, with views like this near the Sachuest Wildlife Refuge

and fields of wildflowers, just across from the beach. (all photos enlarge)


Would you mind? It certainly didn't bother me.


On top of a very delightful visit with my son in Providence; I met Layanee (Ledge and Garden).

The beautiful gardens Layanee showed me, were all lessons in layers. I was able to visit four fantastic gardens on this trip; five counting Ledge and Gardens. Two outstanding Botanical gardens~~ Blithewold in RI and Tower Hill in MA and three private gardens. I loved them all and will post about Blithewold later. But, Layanee and Ledge and Garden were the draw! I know that you all want to see her garden. I did, too!

Layanee's garden was a feast of beautiful colors and composition. Let's take a peak.


The view from the guest room was delightful! I was spoiled and pampered.

You know that it is nearly impossible to visit any garden and not take home lessons. What I saw in each of the gardens I visited, was beautiful compositions of texture, line, form and color.

It is so clear here~~ distant canopy trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials!
This may be my favorite part of the garden. Can you guess what is behind the golden grasses?


A fantastic stone bench sited in a lovely garden. We sat on the bench and had our morning coffee. Italian Roast, thank you very much Layanee!

It's a wonderful spot to view the pond and Tucker.

Isn't Tucker beautiful? What a gentleman!

Let me introduce you to Ledge.

You cannot imagine the scale of the Ledge in this garden! Notice, the capitalization. Ledge has a presence...It is Ledge, not ledge. The stone wall behind the ledge is 4 or 5 feet tall...does that help with perspective!

Iconic Ledge and Gardens!




Need, I say more than....monolithic! This stone really wanted to follow me home! It's just a bit taller than me!

While the garden has 'bones' and they are evident everywhere. It is has its share of lovely flowers and plants.
Don't you love the textures and colors in this container?


Nothing beats the fading colors of Hydrangea in a fall garden.


A stalwart geranium!

This Dahlia is a lovely example of what you will find when you visit here! I found lovely conversation, beautiful gardens and a new friend. I can't wait to go back!

Gail

It’s the friends you can call up at four a.m. that matter.
Marlene Dietrich



57 comments:

  1. It looks like you had fun visiting Layanee. Those rocks sure make the garden more interesting! You two definitely have the rocks in common in your gardens. That's a neat place to place the bench.

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  2. Dave, She has ROCKS! I have stones! But Layanee would say Ledge! We had a fun time and packed a lot in a short visit!

    Gail

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  3. Even though we've seen the Ledge through Layanee's lens, it's eye opening to see it through your eyes, Gail!
    It sounds like you had a wonderful time while you were on the ground - hope you get over any plane pains soon.

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

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  4. Thanks for letting us go along. You two seem to have hit it off grandly. I love to hear that. And the gardens are stunning. I like that weather didn't you?

    Glad you got to see your son. I'm going this weekend to see mine!

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  5. Hey Gail,
    What a great garden Layanee has! I'm going to have to head over there soon and check it out. Needless to say I'm pea green w/envy with the great spaces she has to work with ... and a LEDGE! Woo-hoo!

    Glad you had a great trip ... I've never been to RI, though I was once supposed to go to Providence for work, but the trip got canceled. LOL, there weren't enough respondents to recruit for the study we were working on, so it got nixed. One day perhaps... but you made it all look so inviting. Should I thank you or Layanee? Or both? :-)

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  6. Gail, Your pictures of the water and beach are so lovely! I can almost feel the fall breezes of the sea. Layanee has beautiful gardens and such stones.Thanks for sharing your visit with us. I'm looking forward to more of your trip. And Conrats on the awards!!
    (Are you getting excited about Spring Fling 2009?)

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  7. Hi there Gail :-)

    I have thoroughly enjoyed reading of your meeting with fellow blogger, Layanee, and your visit to her garden. Great to see a photo of her too :-D

    I have seen many pics from her garden (I love the stone she has too) but it was great to see it through your eyes! She does have a lovely garden :-D

    I can just image the chat you had! I met fellow blogger Yolanda in June this year and what a great few hours we had in Edinburgh. We walked round the botanical gardens then did a spot of shopping after a picnic lunch. The time passed so quickly :-(

    Looking forward to your next adventure together. Thanks for sharing this one :-D

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  8. Hi Gail, I was waiting to see Layanee and her garden through your eyes, it's everything imagined and more! She has the eye of an artist and is terrific gardener and sounds like the perfect hostess to boot. I had better brush up on my coffee making. ;-> I can't believe you managed to pack all of those garden visits into your trip, it must have been a whirlwind, no wonder you are tired. Hope you took loads of photos so you can slowly digest what you saw in the luxury of your own comfy chair. Ahhh.
    Frances
    http://fairegarden.wordpress.com/

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  9. Hi Gail, glad you had a good trip and got to visit your son again. Did he relocate there from Chicago?

    Layanee's garden is beautiful. I love the ruggedness of the terain on her property. The moss-covered stones are fantastic.

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  10. Gail: Tucker and I are missing you right now! This is a wonderful post for which I thank you. It is a treat to see the garden through someone else's lens. We all do see things so differently and I love that you took the picture through the window of your room. There is still so much to talk about and with your son in RI for the next few years, we will have ample opportunity. Your room will be ready!

    All are welcome here at Ledge and Gardens as long as you have no police record. LOL!

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  11. It is good to see where the "Ledge" name came to be. You are lucky indeed to see so many wonderful gardens. This trip will no doubt be a big inspiration. To make so many new friends is wonderful. I can't wait to see more.

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  12. I love the story and all the photos! That IS a LEDGE! :-) I found the plantings quite interesting vis-a-vis the scale is perfect for the site. The seashore photos are great, too! Do all gardeners wait until October to go to the coast? We're heading out to Hatteras on Sunday for a week. Cameron

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  13. Oh, Gail, thank you so much for showing us your vision of the lovely Layanee's garden. I know you two had a wonder filled visit, and I'm so glad. I only wish I'd been there too.

    Layanee's garden never looked more beautiful.~~Dee

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  14. Beautiful photos!

    What a challenge to garden with rock that close to the surface. It seems she just has pockets of soil here and there.
    Marnie

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  15. Annie,

    Over those pains! Her garden was a delight and while I am never confident that my photos do a garden justice; it would be hard to take a 'bad' photo of such a beautiful gardening eden!

    Gail

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  16. Anna,

    Sighing..they are still cloudy while we are baking! You, too? Have a wonderful visit with your son! There is nothing quite like that relationship, is there?

    Gail

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  17. IVG,

    So glad you got to see her garden, even if it is through my eyes and photos. Nature gave her a gorgeous spot but she knew what to do with it! It is hard to imagine gardening on that scale...I am too lazy.

    Gardens on the East Coast are dramatically different.. Eastern Deciduous Forests with wildflowers and hardwoods. Lovely.

    Gail

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  18. Beckie,

    Am I ever! When I saw GardenGirl's post on the 2009 Spring Fling I was so excited! I only wish you and Rose weren't so far away from Chicago! We may have to drive up and then stop by to see everyone's garden.

    Gail

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  19. Shirl,

    Isn't it fun to meet up like that...I did enjoy both your posts this summer! We seem to learn so much when others see our gardens....when Frances visited me, it was so helpful for her to confirm some of my thoughts about problem areas, but then she was able to give me a few good solutions, too!

    Gail

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  20. What a wonderful visit and it looks like you and Layannee and her friends had a miniature Fall Fling of your own! Love that view from the guest room and what a stone!

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  21. Frances,

    She is an artist. You can see it every time you visit her blog... the layers and combinations. She has a garden with great bones and I don't mean the Ledge! But you knew that...

    I was so busy visiting that i didn't take anywhere near the amount of photos that I would have liked! That can't surprise anyone.

    Don't worry about coffee...I have this handy little travel one cup filter thingy!

    Gail

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  22. Gardengirl,

    Isn't that the perfect word, rugged and yet it is not a rugged garden. Maybe it is my rain and green starved eyes but it was all lushness. That Ledge is incredible with the moss and lichens...very much like a barnacled whale undulating through the property.

    Matt lives in RI and we met him in Chicago when he was nearby at a conference. He's in a phd program...


    Gail

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  23. Layanee,

    I meant to tell everyone that every room had a garden view. Maybe that is a post for you to do! I am so pleased that you liked the post...it is hard to do justice to a garden with a few photos!

    I had a lovely time. Having to leave after such a short visit would normally be so disappointing, but was eased by knowing I will in and out of RI over the next 3 years! So many more garden visits and delightful conversations are in store for us!

    Gail

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  24. Lisa,

    It was a treat....my wish is that every gardenblogger would get to visit another gardenblogger's garden; especially a different region. Wow is that eye opening!

    Gail

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  25. Cameron,

    You are so right! The scale for her garden was perfect!
    You are good! Can you do a home visit and help me with scale at Clay and Limestone! Have a wonderful time at the beach! I am experiencing beach envy as I type this!

    Gail

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  26. Tina,

    Hey there. It was a mini fling! We had a most excellent adventure. I do hope I get to see you soon! Will there be a PPS meeting this month?

    Gail

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  27. Dee,

    Maybe we can all meet up there sometime. Can you imagine the green forests and sea. Ahh...this drought has me sighing!

    I hope I captured her garden for everyone, it's hard to tell how photos will turn out...and I hadn't my computer with me.

    Gail

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  28. marnie,

    Oh, I am going to have to ask her how deep the soil is in and around the Ledge!

    What is your soil like? Will I be consumed with envy that it is a fantastic loamy clay soil! Sighing!

    Gail

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  29. Yes on the PPS meeting. The 21st this month. In fact, I probably should prepare a post soonest. Troy Marden from Moore and Moore will be speaking new plants. I'll be there! Hope to see you too! P.S. You told everyone the room had a garden view-that is the best part-so thoughtful on the gardener host.

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  30. Thanks Tina. we can get there and visit early! ...Every room had a garden view! Seriously!

    gail

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  31. Gail, What fun to meet another garden blogger friend, especially so far from home! I thought you had challenges with all your limestone, but Layanee's stones are indeed monolithic! She has a beautiful garden; thanks for sharing it with us.

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  32. Rose,

    Aren't they incredible stones! I am glad I was able to meet her and spend time with her in the gardens we visited. There is nothing else quite like visiting gardens with another passionate gardener! Thank you for joining us!

    gail

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  33. how nice to visit with a fellow gardener and get to learn new things. it is so interesting to see what others have to deal with be it Ledge, rocks, intense heat, small spaces, etc...

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  34. marmee,

    Exactly! We here in Tennessee are having to deal with intense dryness. Sigh! But we carry on and grow what we can grow! Fantastic lessons in acceptance don't you think!

    gail

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  35. Wow, her garden is absolutely gorgeous with the layers and stone croppings & different levels. Thanks for sharing. ;)

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  36. Racquel,

    It is and you are more then welcome; it was my pleasure to share her lovely Ledge and garden!

    Gail

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  37. I know that was a beautiful place to visit, lucky you!

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  38. Gail, I loved seeing Layanee's garden through your eyes -- I really must get up there to see it with my own!! (Did Layanee tell you about the specifically RI defect of thinking that distances of over 10 miles are epic adventures? We pack a lunch just to go to Providence...)

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  39. It sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Thank you for the garden tour - those are Ledges! They are wonderful and really give Layanee's garden a distinct look, not to mention all the fabulous plants!

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  40. What an incredible trip you had Gail. I would be in heaven getting to visit so many gardens and a child all in the span of a long weekend! The weather wouldn't have phased me one bit either. Layanee's garden is every bit as spectacular as it looks on her blog. Those ledges are incredible and she (as well as you) have done a fabulous job working with what nature has given you. Since she issued the invite, she better be careful ~ we'll all be wanting our own private tours. It's beautifully laid out. Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  41. Hi Gail, I've been checking my feed and it hasn't worked this week!!! Anyway, YES... would you mind heading over to my place and clicking on the sidebar link to the 2008 Inspiration Posts? Then you can add you name to the October posts! (You'll beat ME!! I'm in the midst of composing!) Yea! You'll be my First! ;-)

    I'll head back to read this post... I've just got a minute before I have to leave home. I'll be back later!!! (Looks wonderful, though!) :-)

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  42. Layanee has a beautiful garden, and I got the feeling that photos can't show the grandeur of the stones. They make such a statement! Great pictures of her garden and of the RI park. I know you had a great time! Wonderful!

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  43. How lucky you got to visit Layanee! I wish she hadn't got stuck in DC & never made it to Austin. Her garden looks wonderful, I would love to be able to walk it. Do you feel any better about your rocks now?

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  44. Gail, it looked like you had a wonderful time in Rhode Island. What beautiful photos. I could just picture myself sitting on that stone bench drinking coffee. What a lovely place. Thanks for sharing your visit.

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  45. darla, It was a beautiful place and we had a great time wandering around the garden....the best fun a gardener can have.


    Cindy, Ledges...big hunks of million + year old granite...and they do make her garden unique! Beautiful plants, too.

    Gail

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  46. Kris, No, I never heard the 10 mile rule and Rhode Islanders! You do have to visit, it is a lovely place; take your pillow and spend the night in the guest room! It's further away then 10 miles! I am so appreciative of the time you took to show us around, thank you!

    Gail

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  47. Shady,

    I did! It looks like a great idea! See when you get back!

    Gail

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  48. TileLady,

    The photos can't possibly touch the grandeur...you are so right...It is a much larger garden then the photos show. I did have a good time and a special time with my grown up son! Thank you for visiting today!

    gail

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  49. TileLady,

    The photos can't possibly touch the grandeur...you are so right...It is a much larger garden then the photos show. I did have a good time and a special time with my grown up son! Thank you for visiting today!

    gail

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  50. MMD,

    Yes, my rocks are nothing compared to her Ledge! Now that I am home I keep thinking of all the photos I wish I had taken to show you all how different the terrain in RI is...I keep repeating Eastern Deciduous Forest to everyone. What we used to have here! Don't let me meander off that cliff!

    I wished that you all could walk it too!

    Gail

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  51. Gail, You gave us a "Gail's-eye-view" Layanee's Ledge and Gardens. What a very special tribute. I also liked that you left the photos at a good enlargeable size... I enjoyed seeing close-ups and recognizing plants from my own garden! :-)

    Someone "up top" in your comments mentioned visiting another blogger. Perhaps she'd like to be involved in the "Inspiration 2008 Posts?"

    Thanks for being the first participant. I'll be joining you soon. ;-)

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  52. Shady,

    It was an honor to participate in your Inspiration 2008
    Posts...

    Layanees garden was indeed lovely. I am so glad you were able to enlarge the photos and see plants. I try to always have the photos enlarge but frequently forget to say so! Have a good weekend!

    Gail

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  53. I've always loved the images Layanee shares of her acres of beauty. What a treat to visit her garden and visit with her. sounds like your whole time in RI was profitable... AND you got to visit 4 gardens... now that's a dream for one weekend.
    Meems

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  54. meems,

    You would love, appreciate and enjoy Layanee's garden! There is a similarity to yours, although the flowers and plants are entirely dissimilar! I am sure you know what I mean!

    Gail

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  55. What a fun visit! I love when gardeners get to visit other gardeners--it's so fun to see views of other garden bloggers' gardens, other than the ones that bloggers themselves usually post. I know that I'm always struck by what people notice when they visit my gardens, as opposed to what my eye sees on its own! :)

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  56. Kim,

    I think that is exactly what happens and why we often need a fresh eye to check out our perceptions! We had a good time and her garden was still lovely even at the end of the season....good bones!

    Gail

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  57. Gail, I am so behind on my blog reading, but I just saw Layanee's post about your visit, so I made a beeline straight here to see your take on it. What a pleasure to see Layanee and her garden through your lens and words. It sounds like a delightful visit. I'm very envious! Thanks for showing us her Ledge, especially. It puts the limestone "icebergs" in my new yard in a new light.

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"Insects are the little things that run the world." Dr. E O Wilson