Garden Walk Cats

Our city had a garden walk yesterday, with rain included in the ticket price, and the starting point was the local history museum and garden.

Image my surprise when I found cats!

A sleeping cat stuffy, in the front parlor at The Crocker House Museum

This shy kitty was watching the garden lovers.
Cool mat!

Sly's humans opened their lovely yard to sightseers; I was greeted with, "Hiya, Sly's Girlfriend!"
Himself did not deign to appear; this image is from last week.

Saxifrage, according to my iPhone; the homeowner didn't know the name.

Some sort of succulent, on the edge of a delightful swimming pool.

Magnolia

What a delight chatting with the docents and homeowners, despite the wet.

Met:

-A retired cat veterinarian (!)

-A professional gardener

-A Michigan-loving UK transplant

Convos about:

Hummingbirds

Koi 

The library and a few book titles (!)

Architecture

Plants: bamboo, strawberries, milkweed, lavender, sedum

Garden decorations: Japanese dog sculpture, ponds and waterfalls, mosaic, wrought-iron chairs/railing/fencing, and the desire to use found/recycled objects.

☔🌼🌂🌿🐝

Garden and Cat Tour

Last Saturday, I had the supreme pleasure of visiting a favorite garden of mine at the 11th Annual Summer Garden Tour at Black Cat Pottery!

Image from Facebook

Black Cat Pottery on Facebook

Black Cat Pottery

I own a few pieces of her art:

Black glazed paw printed Itty Bitty Box

Platter, with lovely greens, blues, and sand colors

Black Cat Pottery items make great gifts, as my family and friends can attest.

I was very, very privileged to be able to meet her cat staff after I walked the gardens...

...and there were two more cats out of camera range as they napped under the bed.

 Very thankful to be allowed into the cat domain, as well as spending time with interesting artists, gardeners, and other cat lovers.

Let's Hop!

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Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post. 
Cheryl at Black Cat Pottery is a dear friend, and I purchased the above items for my own use.
 I will only post items that I feel would be of interest to you, my readers.

Garden Open House at Black Cat Pottery

"Native plants provide shelter and food for wildlife and support pollinators. Native plants attract a variety of birds, butterflies, and other wildlife by providing diverse habitats and food sources. ... Native plants promote biodiversity and stewardship of our natural heritage." East Multnomah Soil & Water
Conservation District

 🌱 🐦 ☀️ 🐝 🌳 

Last weekend, I had the pleasure to visit Black Cat Pottery's 9th Annual Summer Garden Tour, in Detroit.  Alas, there are no kitties in the garden, yet such beautiful plants!  Cheryl English, the owner and artist of Black Cat Pottery, is devoted to native Michigan planting in her yard.  To attract native bees and insects, birds, and furry friends too, she maintains a variety of flowers, shrubs, and trees, and encourages all to do the same.  Here are a few images:

Field Pussytoes (Antennaria neglecta), no blooms

Orange Coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida)

Garden artwork

Bird Bath

Sevenbark (Hydrangea arborescens), not yet blooming

White Flat-topped Aster (Doellingeria umbellata), just beginning to bloom

More garden art

Madame Julia Correvon (Clematis viticella)

Tree Peony pods (Paeonia x suffruticosa 'Kamata-nishiki')

And just to verify that Black Cat Pottery IS based on feline companionship, here are a couple of Cheryl's furry muses:

Shy but gorgeous Rufus

Friendly and petit Pandora

For more information on planting native, I've included the following links:

Native Gardening by the U.S. Forest Service

Native Plants by National Wildlife Federation

The Xerces Society Pollinator-Friendly Plant Lists

🌱 🐦 ☀️ 🐝 🌳