A walk through Dulcy’s Garden

The family and friends of Dulcy Mahar opened her garden for a public memorial on July 23, 2011.  It would be a chance to view the garden of the beloved writer one more time, and share with those closest to her.    The day was one of those amazing sunny July days, no wind and not too hot.  I was there with around 2500 fans of her column, her garden, and just Dulcy.

The cars lined the streets, the neighborhood was decked in Pink Flamingos, and my  fellow gardeners waited patiently in line, chatting and remembering. Everyone had a favorite story from her column, and a personal reason to be there.  Doug (the wonder guy) was surrounded by visitors with questions and comments.  Her friends were also available for questions and just casual sharing.  Many, like me, had camera’s in hand as they explored her space.

My tour thru the garden was backwards, having entered from the side to avoid the crowds.  As I walked in, I was greeted by a friend of mine and her husband who also came to pay their respects.  (In all I saw a handful of friends from our Master Gardeners group. ) The mood was quiet and respectful, visitors with camera’s were allowed the courtesy of taking their time for a special shot. Because at almost every turn, there was something new to see. An unexpected garden ornament, a rare and thus very cool plant wonder over, or just a really nice view to admire.

Over the years her garden has become an amazing collection: of plants, of art, whimsical garden ornaments, and pets like her cats and the most recent pup, Ernie.   I say this because the longer I walked around, the more it became clear to me; Dulcy was a collector.  And her garden was the home to that collection.

From here I will let the photo’s I took tell the rest of the story for me.

* click on the first thumbnail image to open the gallery carousel, to view the captions click  Permalink on the bottom right of the photos. this opens the photos on their own page, allowing you to scroll thru them one at a time and read the descriptions.    

Thank you for reading my story, and walking thru the garden with me.

Sharon

Rear view of her home.

Garden Critters

Bronze Cat

Red Fish

Glass Dragonfly

Pond view

Hydrangea near Grape Arbor

Birdhouse

Boxwood lined path

Cloches

Stained Glass

Sunflowers

Cat Chair

More Cats

Daylilies

Pink Hydrangea

Fresh bloom

The Flock

Blue Benches

Lace Cap

Pathway plantings

Pathway planting

Water Bowl

Almost forgotten?

Blue Mushrooms

Giraffe

Greenhouse

The Gnome

Come in …

Another Cat

Masked Critter

Garden

Blue seating

Hide and Seek

Cat

The Pouting Shed

Sunflower

Bearded Tree

Glass Squares

Golden Gift

On the deck

Giant Dragonflies

Flamingo

Final Pathway of my visit