Who is P. Allen Smith, you ask?  Well, he’s kind of a PBS, male, Southern version of Martha Stewart. Except….he doesn’t preach perfection.  His gardens on the bank of the Arkansas river are sprawling and completely enchanting, but not at all contrived or unnatural.  I loved it!

My suburban front yard is exactly like all my neighbors.  The same guys mow all our yards perfectly every week in the summer and plant the same begonias in all our flower beds each spring.  Pretty, yes, but also boring.  I long for a garden like P. Allen’s, with it’s not perfect edges and little weeds in the grass (because they are natural and organic they have bugs and some weeds)….But then again, that’s a whole lotta work, and I don’t like bugs….

This fountain behind the house is exactly in line with the big oak tree in the front yard.  See all the potted plants?  I love how they are mixed with the landscaping.  I asked him how they water all those pots….I was thinking they must have some sort of hose system.  Nope.  They water them all by hand everyday.  Whoa.

Pulling weeds.

Know what that big plant is in the left corner? Asparagus.

This is kale growing in the big vegetable garden.

Miss Big Fig, the fig tree.

And the blackberries? So sweet! Loved eating them right off the vine.  My friend, Stephanie, captured my Willy Wonka moment when P. Allen told us all to eat as many as we wanted. I kind of ate a lot.