Going to Hidden Lake Gardens
Has left me saying:
Oh my god CONIFERS!
Inspired by this post by Bert Craig on The Garden Professors blog, I decided to take a trip down to Hidden Lake Gardens -- it is in Tipton Michigan (aka The Middle of Nowhere) which turns out to be about an hour and a half south of here.
And it is spectacular. High on my list of all-time great public gardens I have visited. The lanscape is lovely rolling hills complete with lakes and gorgeous views, there is a marvelous conservatory with tropical, temperate, and arid rooms, but the really highlight is the conifer collection. Absolutely amazing. I came away with a whole list of names scribbled on a scrap of paper.. Lovely rare dwarf conifers I'm sure I'll never be able to afford on what we get paid in grad school, but a man can dream.
Anyway, enough words. On to some pictures:
Just a few of the wonderful colors, textures, and forms in the collection:
A view of the lake
The cool conservatory that looks like an observatory:
Inside the conservatory:
If you are anywhere near southern Michigan, I highly recommend making a trip. I know I'll be back soon. Maybe this time with my bicycle so I can enjoy the lovely trails through the wooded hills around the lake.
2 comments:
Oh how beautiful, Joseph! The dwarf conifers are so pricey, but I love them too. We found some for sale recently at the University of Tennessee gardens for cheap. I bought two. Keep your eyes open for bargains! :-)
Frances
I'll certainly keep my eyes open. What I really want to do is taking my propagating skills to the next level and learn to graft my own!
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