Tuesday, July 2, 2019, Powell Gardens, Kingsville, MO

Today we ventured to Powell Gardens in Kingsville, MO, just a little east of our park. Admission to the garden was included with our American Horticultural Society membership. The heat had broken a bit, it was only in the mid '80s with a few clouds so we decided to see how long we would last in the humidity.

The Visitors Center was designed by E. Fay Jones, one of Frank Lloyd Wright's students. You could certainly see Wright's influence in the architecture. Inside, the wide open spaces and a mix of wood and stone were very nice.

We were told an artist who worked with Legos built and installed his works around the gardens. I could have done without the giant Black Widow spider.

 Lego Garden Spider

number of bricks: 16,492

The Marjorie Powell Allen Chapel, dedicated in 1996 was also designed by E. Fay Jones. It probably was not practical in the least given the climate here but what a uniquely beautiful structure. The glare of the sun made it difficult to capture the shadow detail without overexposing the roof and sky but it was the best I could do.

 "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul." ~John Muir

There were quite a few dragonflies buzzing about and one posed for me long enough to get a clear shot.

Platycodon grandiflorus, balloon flower

This frolicking bear in bronze was titled "A Roll in the Junipers" by Dan Ostermiller.

The strange "flower?" on the tree below was just crazy. I think we have seen flowers something like this before but never a full tree.

Galanthus elwesii, Giant Snowdrop

I always love it when close examination of a flower seems to reveal a bouquet of flowers within a flower.

Close Quarters, bronze sculpture by Dan Ostermiller, 1990.

The heat and humidity started slowing us down and we headed indoors for a snack and something cold to drink before we continued our exploration of the gardens.

This had to be one of the strangest flowers we have seen. One in pink and one in yellow and no identifying tags. We thought it looked more like brain coral than a flower.

Toward the barn, what appeared to be an old grain silo was actually an observation platform. Of course, we had to play with unusual framing and angles in the spiral staircase.

From the top, we had a view of the entire gardens but we were so far from everything it was difficult to grasp the scale of the enterprise. I am certain we walked more than two miles to cover all of the separate gardens. Below is one of the quilt gardens that was being replanted.

I made Joani wave at me from the top while I headed back down the stairs for this shot.

Day Lilies are one of my favorites and this ruffled yellow specimen was a prime example of the beauties that graced the gardens. 

Hemerocallis, Daylily 'Erin Lea'

Joani caught this industrious bumble bee hard at work. She was close enough to nearly bump him once or twice but he was unperturbed as he continued collecting his pollen.

I don't know how many times we glanced at the guys below and thought they were actually working in the garden before we realized they were not moving.

Lego Garden Crew

number of bricks: 76,840