A Picturesque Spot

Every summer our family drives up from Virginia to upstate New York to visit my husband's family.  The summers are so different there.  The temperature and humidity is low compared to what we contend with in the South.  The sky is always a brilliant blue with big fluffy white clouds.  My husband's parents' house sits on a picturesque street with wide sidewalks and towering maple trees lining the street.  Sounds nice, doesn't it?  The best part lies behind the houses on the street though.  A secret spot that only the owners and guests know is there.   A little stream lies behind the houses, each one having it's own wooden bridge to cross over to the rest of the property.  The stream feeds into the historic Eerie Canal.  My father-in-law, Poppy, as the grandkids call him, built two bridges.  A high bridge to get to the other side of the property and a low bridge for all of the grandkids to use to catch crayfish and jump in the creek.

 

Many photos have been taken here over the years as we have watched the creek stay the same and our children continue to change and grow.

 

It is a peaceful and calming spot that my in-laws have decorated with plants that cause the creek to pop with color and texture.

This day lily was the highlight during our stay this year.

Beyond the creek are enormous trees with shady and sunny gardens spotted here and there. The large ferns and dark green ivy add a lush, coolness to this area even on a hot day.

 

 

The front of the house has a gorgeous side garden that they share with a neighbor.  Lace cap and mop head hydrangeas were in full bloom while we were there.

 

Wooden structures play an important part throughout their gardens. The structures are the background and bones of the plantings.  Without them, the plants would be so bland.

 

Clematis runs up the trellis, while bee balm and a color coordinating money plant fill in below.  Baby's breath is scattered through the holes with it's tiny, airy flowers that are blooming right now.  It will be another year before we come back.  My children will have grown and changed some more as these gardens and the creek stay the same.