Today for throwback Thursday, I am taking you back to the summer of 2009 and the North St. Paul garden tour.

I find that there is nothing more inspiring than a garden tour.  You can get tons of ideas for your own garden this way.

They don’t have to be big ideas, they can be something as small as a clever combination of plants in a planter.

Or just a perennial that you’ve never seen before and you want to try yourself.

I planted some Jack Frost Brunnera in my own garden after seeing it on this tour.

Or perhaps you’re looking for grand ideas.

This garden even came complete with a painter in residence.

Perhaps you want to add a water feature.

Or maybe put in a Japanese garden.

Then again, maybe you just want to admire the beautiful gardens!  Being on a garden tour gives you permission to peek into some of the loveliest of backyard gardens that you would otherwise never see.

What I love about a local garden tour is that the homeowner/gardener is almost always available to answer questions and share tips about gardening with you.  They are always proud as can be of their gardens (and rightly so) and happy to share their knowledge with you.

Another plus is that no one is trying to sell you something.  This isn’t like a garden show at a trade center where there are people trying to sell you on a particular brand of mulch, type of herbicide, or landscaping material.

You can also get a good feel for what kinds of plants grow well in your specific area.

We have a multitude of local garden tours offered during the summer in the Twin Cities.  Some of my favorite garage sale neighborhoods also host garden tours, such as Tangletown and Bryn Mawr.  Many local garden clubs also plan tour events.  There are garden tours that specialize in water gardens as well.  So many options!

Take time to check out a garden tour near you this summer, but meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed this throwback Thursday post!  Check back tomorrow when I will remind you that I do still paint furniture on occasion!  Hope to see you then.