Now that we are back from our trips, we are looking around for local things to do and there are plenty! July is the time of year when the quilt gardens in the area are in full bloom. The Heritage Trail Quilt Gardens are an annual thing in our area and are one of Sparky's favorite summer things to do. (Mainly because I drive her all over the place, in an organized route and she gets to do her photo thing and eat snacks from her favorite places along the way, laughs Eldo.) Like Jojo's pretzels in Shipshewanna. And yes, Eldy really knows how to navigate in the best way not to waste gas....
The gardens are planted around May 30th and bloom thru the summer but by September 15th, they're ready to give it up for fall weather and festivals coming. Hay bale trail, anyone? Stay tuned for that one in and around September.
There are 16 super sized garden beds all over the area, and 14 giant murals as well.
 |
| Mural at Bonneyville Mill Park |
Each year over a million blooms are planted in geometric quilt patterns using floral gardens. The seven communities participating are Bristol, Elkhart, Nappanee, Middlebury, Wakarusa, Shipshewanna, and Goshen. Maps are available online and you get to see the surrounding communities up close and personal when you stop to take photos. Such a wide variety of shopping and dining experiences and places to stay if you wanted to spend more time!
We did the tour in one day over a period of about 4 hours, but that is the quick way Sparky does it...hop in and out of the car, grab a photo, and on we go! Much more fun if you stop and stay awhile, like at the Kryder Gardens in Middlebury. That is a fantastic place to picnic and stay awhile.....It's also right beside the Pumpkinvine bike trail.
The order of the garden route we drove:
1. Dragonfly Daydreams at the Elkhart Environmental Center on Lusher Ave. in Elkhart with its own special sign....Apparently the rabbits got into the garden...
2. Carolina Lily Garden in downtown Elkhart, at the Central Green park. This was one of the prettiest gardens, in Sparky's opinion. Each garden has a regular sign with the pattern block on it, what types of flowers were used to make the pattern, and what is the symbolism behind the pattern choice. In addition, the signs have a bar code you can scan for more information about the area.
3. Pease and Plenty Garden...at Wellfield Botanic Garden, on N. Main Street in Elkhart..no photo as it was planted later in the season, and wasn't looking its best when we viewed it.
4. Railroad Garden at the Ruthmere Mansion on Beardsley St. in Elkhart...the mansion is a historically preserved house from one of Elkhart's early founders, Dr. Havilah Beardsley. We took a field trip there last year for school and it was amazing to see and hear all about the art, architecture and history of a bygone era!
5. Log Cabin Garden at the Elkhart Historical Museum in Bristol, a short distance away from Elkhart, on West Vistula St. This is a very traditional quilt pattern.
8. The Dutchman's Puzzle Garden...at the Dutch Country Market. Stop at the market after viewing the garden and check out the wonderful variety of homemade goods like noodles, jams, honey along with local crafts. Eldo swears homemade noodles are the best but even the Amish don't make them as good as his mom did!
are full of shady spots to sit and reflect, beautiful plantings and wonderful sculptures. It's a very peaceful place and is also right beside the Pumpkinvine Bike Trail in Middlebury, IN.
10. The Flowering Flag garden at the 4H fairgrounds...this was a not as photo worthy of quilt patterned gardens go so no photo. It was supposed to be undulating waves of red and white flowers, but it was hard to discern any "wave" to the floral design and then metal blue flowers were just stuck in the ground in one corner, so on we go....
11. Snowball at Abshire Park in Goshen on E. Lincoln Ave. Sparky caught this one in June so it had not filled in yet. We think early/mid July is the best time to take the tour as the flowers are more established and filled in.12. A City Moving Foward Garden...at the Elkhart County Courthouse square in Goshen on North Main Street. This one is also early June. It's interesting to see that they use herbs as well for the gardens. This one has triple curled green parsley in it.
13. Dutch Delight and Grandmother's Flower Garden Mural, on West Market Street at the Nappanee Center. The mural is at the top right of the photo.The sign for the Dutch Delight Garden mentions that this quilt garden is a pattern from the 1920's. Waves of pink, orange, purple, blue and yellow create motion and festivity. This area is known for celebrations and festivals. The Apple Festival is celebrating its 50th year!
14. Celebrate America 250 Garden...at the Farmhouse Inn B&B in Nappanee, IN. 15. Wedding Garden and Clara's Flower Garden in downtown Wakarusa, IN on S. Elkhart St. This is the garden and the mural is to the side of it on another adjacent building wall. |
| Clara's flower garden mural |
And the last one we visited....
16. Burst of Joy ...at Grandma's Pantry in Wakarusa, IN, on Keystone Drive....A lot of begonias in this one!OH! Sparky forgot one of her favorites! It would fit in around the Middlebury ones...she forgot to number it...The Whirligig Garden at Das Essenhaus Restaurant in Middlebury...it's always one of the most beautiful, in Sparky's opinion, so here is the best one she thinks because of the lush green grass and the beautiful background of the famous Das Essenhaus Restaurant.... After you view the garden, you can have a homecooked meal at the restaurant, walk the trails on the beautiful grounds, and visit the bakery to take home Amish baked goods.
Hope you enjoyed our garden tour for today.... We will see you again, hopefully soon....
No comments:
Post a Comment