GARDEN AND ART TOUR
This is one of my favorite posts I’ve done in a while. I have been trying to schedule this walking tour with my friend for a couple years now, and I finally was able to go today. The good news about waiting is there were even more art installations to see!
The drive into the expansive property is stunningly beautiful and there is a surprise around every turn. The heads below literally took my breath away.
A few years ago when Shane Connolly came to Omaha as a speaker for the Lauritzen Gardens Antiques Show, he visited this property to gather cuttings for the arrangements for his floral demonstration. He wanted to include native plants, branches and flowers. The late September timing offered unusual but absolutely gorgeous options. Shane truly appreciated the beauty of these gardens and grounds, and now I understand why. I only wish he could have seen some of the incredible art installations that have since been added.
There are so many different plant varieties that make up the gorgeous scenery as we walked the expansive property. Let’s take a look…
A small section of the house can be seen above, nestled into the hills and trees.. . The glass front as shown below showcases the scenery from every room. It’s absolutely magical!
These steps are a charming entrance up to the house. ..
More plant varieties and gorgeous fall scenery as we continued walking. . .
Little bursts of color are a delightful surprise here and there. The bumblebees were sleeping in the cool morning temps, still as can be. They will be buzzing around this afternoon when it warms up.
Sorry, I think I photographed the heads from every single possible angle. They have lighting from underneath that make them seem ethereal. Absolutely unreal.
This next art installation is lovingly referred to as “The Volcano” which is what I was thinking in my head as we approached the massive hill of grass.
I was told we could climb on the back side, and there is a surprise at the top, so yes, of course we did that.
The most incredible large “dinosaur eggs” await whoever is determined enough to make it to the top! I was imagining myself sliding down the slippery grass from the front, but you can see the back side, where we climbed to the top, has a sturdier section. Coming down took even more patience!
Further we went into the trees…
The scale of these rabbits was absolutely incredible..
These amazing Kaneko pillars were next on the walking tour…
Again, the scale is overwhelmingly beautiful.
Next up is an extremely tall “tin man” who’s official name is appropriately, Looking Up.
The walking paths continue even deeper into the trees.
You can peek back through and spot the heads in the water and the rabbit sculpture!
We climbed several steep walkways to reach these incredible views.
Another Kaneko overlooking the incredible sights.
In addition to the incredible views up this high, there was yet another art installation, a bronze masterpiece!
I was told it’s even more beautiful lit up at night, the top in red.
This collection of Kaneko tanukis is extraordinary.
I mean it’s so fantastic. I still can’t get over it.
Here are a few more candids I took on the property.
This hibiscus collection was other-worldly, and will be moved inside very soon.
Yet another Kaneko…
After three blissful hours, I left feeling so inspired! It was truly therapeutic to spend the morning in nature and experience art of this magnitude. Thank you to my dear friend for making this happen. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed it, and thank you for allowing me to share the experience here. It’s hard to capture the scale and grandeur, but I hope some of the beauty will translate on some level. This is the midwest, my friends!
