Garden Bloggers Bloom Day June 2009

Dolly’s Garden

About 5 hours away from my garden, I decided to share Dolly’s Garden with you. I’m in Branson and I drive past Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede most every day. There is a giant butterfly made of flowers in the lawn.

Long story short. So, I drive up to the Dixie Stampede, loaded with two cameras. I can not wait to see what flowers they have used in this gorgeous floral landscape.

Maybe some dwarf gerbera daisies, little golden sunflowers, red cocks comb?

I had to laugh. The flowers are not real. And it makes sense to me. I think when you are driving by on highway 76, the important thing is big bold color and simple clear design. From the highway, the butterfly is gorgeous.

Up close, as you walk up to the box office, the flowers are real.Stella De Oro are hardy, permanent and easy to grow in most any soil, and they do standout like little golden trumpets. The green mound shaped plant is about 24 inches tall and wide, making it a compact landscaping plant that will look good all summer.

There are a lot of these sunny plants used in the landscapes throughout Branson. Stella De Oro offers a profusion of bright yellow blooms in early summer, then flowers repeatedly throughout the season. The golden blooms are are trumpet shaped and flowers reach about 2½ inches across.

All the window boxes are filled with beautiful artificial flowers. As I was snapping photos of the these fake flowers near the horse stalls, there was a grey horse that looked bored and sleepy, but the minute I started taking pictures, that grey mare perked right up. A show horse to be sure.

The grey mare became lively and alert when the cameras started clicking. She did not know I was only taking photos of the colorful but fake flowers.