Garden Party

The big day arrived on August 19 when the Ballet Ladies came over for the last stop on the summer garden tour. It all started back in June and each month two or three of the Ballet Ladies had their turn to show off their gardens. In the meantime we had two months to prepare the gardens and the house for the big day.

Wilma inspects the annuals in the top photo. Bobbie spent a lot of time preparing this bed. She planned and prepared it in early June soon after she learned of the August 19 date.

You see, late summer is a difficult time in our garden because most of the perennials have already bloomed and some are starting to look ragged. Bobbie wisely chose to plant most of the reworked beds with annuals so they looked good for the garden party, the rest of the summer and into the fall.

Click here for a better look: http://littlehouseinthesuburbs.blogspot.com/2006/09/garden-tour.html#links


While the gardens are nice, Ballet Ladies events always provide an elegant occasion for the ladies to wear hats, have a little wine and hors d'ouvres. In the bottom photo you can see not only the conviviality of the day, but also the refinished deck and new deck furniture.

My main contribution to the garden party was the refinished deck, railing and stairs. Between rain, surface prep and drying time between coats, it took almost a month to complete the job. But it was finished early and we hope will look good for years to come.

The food was delicious. Bobbie bought four distinct cheeses, and served lamb meatballs in a savory sauce. I served three different wines, but the homemade sangria was the biggest hit. All five of us worked hard, but Bobbie worked the hardest by far. We all were proud to present our house in the best way possible.