Springwells Park Garden Walk

Yesterday I went on what will probably be the last garden walk of the season. You never know what the weather will be like in Michigan in late September, but yesterday was absolutely perfect. It was neither too hot nor too cold and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There was a little bit of crispness in the air and we spent a few enjoyable hours walking through the Springwells Park neighborhood enjoying the gardens of thirteen different homeowners.

Springwells Park is a neighborhood in Dearborn, Michigan that was developed by the Ford Foundation in the late 1930s. The neighborhood has a charming "colonial New England village" ambience and it was given a historical designation in the 1990s. I always prefer walking through neighborhoods that have some character to them (something that I find lacking in the newer cookie-cutter developments springing up everywhere). There were thirteen gardens on the tour and there were also some vendors scattered throughout the neighborhood selling interesting items for your home or garden. One woman even set up a charming little cafe on her front lawn and was selling cider and donuts. We came across her about halfway through the tour, so it was nice to sit for a spell and enjoy the sunshine while having a snack to renew our energy.

This picture doesn't do it justice, but one home had a 300-year-old Elm in her front yard. We found that to be amazing because a few decades ago almost every elm in the area was lost to Dutch Elm disease.

Many of the homeowners were already preparing for the fall season and decorated their gardens accordingly. I just loved this terraced garden.

This pond had two Koi that weighed eight pounds apiece, as well as many other smaller fish. I really liked the various frog statues on the left.

This homeowner painted his Rubbermaid shed so it would blend in with the garden and add some beauty instead of being an eyesore. Isn't it pretty?

There were a few gardens where the yards from one house flowed into the yard of the next house, so it was like having a much larger yard to enjoy. I doubt many of us have neighbors who would agree on how to landscape our yards. One homeowner told me that he had nothing in his yard when he moved in and his priority was to install some beds with a similar look as his neighbors since there were no fences between their yards.

I fell in love with this squirrel. One homeowner had placed these squirrels on the caps of a few of his wooden fenceposts. It was all those extra special touches and decorations that made these gardens even more enjoyable.

I also liked this Zeus planter on the front of one of the homes. I have to find me one of those!

Many of the homes had gorgeous window boxes.

I loved this little hobbit house that I found tucked in one of the garden beds. They had even positioned a little statue so that it appeared as if she had just spied the hobbit house too. It was just adorable.

At the last home we got to watch a squirrel sitting down and having an afternoon snack. I think we spent more time watching him than actually looking at the garden beneath him.