I invite you to treat yourself with a visit to a delightful, playful garden in beautiful Homer, Alaska.
Artist Suzanne Alvarez created a place where you can feel yourself as a child in a fairyland.
Garden decorations, stepping stones, leaves and plaques welcome you and make it difficult to go home without at least one of them.
Two impressive rock gardens and a little pond are just a beginning.
There are treasures on every step. A propeller, driftwood, old garden and fishing tools and even musical instruments…
You know the water is close when you see a life saving ring. But, what is that ball made from?
Pieces of driftwood! I’ve never seen anything like that.
Here it is!
There are nooks and crannies everywhere, and they attract us like magnets.
Rustic garden chairs are awesome! Think next time when you want to get rid of your old boots!
Do you have a stump in your garden? Is it ‘bold’? Look at this charmer!
An Alaskan garden wouldn’t be finished without moose antlers:
The ‘kitchen girl’, with fork-eyelashes and spoon-earrings, charmed everyone.
Suzanne’s cast leaves are resting among grasses, lush ferns and perennials.
The variety of ferns growing in Alaska is surprising. Among them, there are Oak Fern, Deer Fern, Northern Beech Fern, Lady Fern, Maidenhair Fern, Licorice Fern, Green Spleenwort and Maidenhair Spleenwort Fern.
Kids love this place!
Ah! What a view!
Are we allowed to go to the beach? Yes, we are! It’s an additional treat!
Walking down the steep stairway lined with apple trees:
Who is peeking between the stairs? Is it baneberry?
Clean fresh air. No noise, just gentle lapping of waves. A lot of driftwood to sit on.
This grass looks like Beach Rye. Correct me if I am wrong. It is tall, about 6 feet, pretty coarse and grows on gravel.
Time to go back.
Do you like an old wood, so warm and pleasant to touch? And that view… It’s a long walk, because you want to stop and look back again and again.
One more look at the magic ball:
I want to come back one day…
If you find yourself in Homer during the summer, check if the local garden club has its garden tour. You won’t regret it!
Thank you Suzanne and Rene for allowing us to tour your fantastic woodland paradise!