Aren't they amazing?! I agree, I can't imagine the stress getting ready for it. An open HOUSE is one thing - you can clean up and paint, etc. - but you can't force Mother Nature to behave!
Here are the (abbreviated) descriptors:
St Joseph Catholic Church - This garden was designed to create a warm, inviting and informal setting for meditation and prayer. Tucked into a protected area of brick adorned buildings and fence is a garden of bright daylilies and vibrant lime to blue-green hostas, blue iris, and many other perennials and ground covers (more than 1,000 in all).
Foster - Cynde calls her gardening sytle "eclectic cottage gardening." The garden is a hodgepodge of plants and colors with garden ornamentation everywhere. Her garden art is unique in that she recycles ordinary and antique found items into containers and statuary.
Hoxworth - With 15 years into her Cottage American style garden, she strives to have interest in all seasons. There are many varieties of Viburbum. She has a fire pit, ponds, arbors, a fountain and waterfall as well as benches with panoramic views of the colorful displays.
Harvey (my personal favorite!) - It is primarily a shade garden blended into a natural wooded lot. Actively gardening for teh last 10 years, they were influenced by an interest in hostas and being outdoors. Their collection of hostas numbers more than 200 varieties. Many woody ornamentals including a paw paw patch, a pond with a waterfall, garden areas accented by stones and bolders, container gardens, a trellis, a pergola, and fire pit and architectural features are incorporated into this beautiful setting.
Bauserman - She started out in her backyard with plantings around the house and fence area. Things kept getting bigger. With a lot of shade in that area, she became a hosta collector and has over a hundred different varieties. They are intereplanted with other shade loving perennials including ferns, ornamental lilies, foam
flowers and astilbe, some in a hear shaped garden. A sunny front yard includes a kidney shaped
rose garden with 18 varieties of
roses outlined by a mini boxwood hedge. Everywhere you turn is a spot of beauty and places to sit and ponder.
Hansen - The natural ambiance and a touch of the tropics reflects the owner's native Philippines origin. With a cottage style in mind they planted around all sides of their home incorporating a small waterfall, perennials and exotic annuals. Accents in the garden are a gazebo, benches and water fountains. The finishing touch is Tiki torches around the swimming pool.