Farmer's Market at Gardner Village

We live close to Gardner Village in West Jordan but we haven't been there in the last decade. We thought it would be fun to see how it has changed. 

The Petting Farm is a new addition since we were there last. Unfortunately, we couldn't enter that area because our chairs don't do well on gravel. 

Gardner Village started as a flour mill. They still have two old wheels. They aren't powered by the water anymore. They run on electricity. The part with the wheel is restricted to private parties. But we saw a man cleaning the area and he let us in to see it. 

The whole Village is old-timey and quaint. Some of the buildings date back to pioneer times. 

I think they are missing a bet by not having guided tours through the village. I would like to know more about the original buildings. 

There is a marker dedicated to the founder, Archibald Gardner, although he is actually buried in Salt Lake City. He was a pioneer who was born in Scotland and moved to Canada where he joined the Mormon church. Here is his marker listing his eleven wives.

My husband's ancestors, William Park and Jane Duncan were with Archibald's pioneer company when he crossed the plains in 1847. Wife #6 was Jane Park who is related somehow to my husband. 

Speaking of my husband, here he is by the witches' hats. We enjoyed looking at all the Halloween merchandise that is already up for sale in the village. A shop owner told me that August is none too soon to get ready for the Witch Fest in October. 

The village would be a beautiful place to take engagement or wedding photos. They want to know ahead of time if you plan to do that. 

There are several covered and open bridges over the creek that meanders through the property. 

We came to see the Farmer's Market but there was only one place actually selling produce. Maybe it's because of the Labor Day weekend.

The rest of the market were booths selling other items. 

We checked out all the booths. 

There was a singer, too, and he was really good. 

There are many regular clothing and food stores in the village. I was interested in shopping for chocolate and gelato  but I can't retain my girlish figure if I do that. 

It's easy to park and get around Gardner Village in a chair. I didn't check out the restrooms but there are four shown on the map.

This is a pleasant and easy place to visit for shopping, dining, attending an event or just strolling around. 

I am sure that the original pioneers could not envision that their flour mill would turn into a local mecca for entertainment but here we are. 

Sego Lily Gardens in Sandy

Have you ever wondered why there would be a water wise demonstration garden in the east hills of Sandy? That's a pretty pricey residential area. It's because everyone likes good water pressure when they turn on the tap. The east side of Sandy is 1000 feet above the lower section and building the tank into the hill partially hides it. The one in the center of Sego Lily Gardens resembles this one but is much larger and mostly underground. 

The top of the water tank is currently covered in decorative rocks. This seems to me like an ideal place to put a labyrinth. The view from up there would be really expansive. I think it would attract more people than butterflies and it would spread out the visitors more. 

I read that monarch butterflies were going to be released at the Sego Lily Gardens on Aug 4, 2019. I love monarchs.

 I called to ask if they could accommodate wheelchair users. The answer is yes but there is limited parking and a relatively small space. Also, this is not a public park so there are no accessible bathrooms just a port a potty in the parking lot. We waited until a few days after the big event to visit. 

These are demonstration gardens to help people conserve water similar to the Conservation Garden Park in West Jordan, Utah. There are helpful signs and suggestions along the path on how to plant beautiful low water landscaping. 

There are benches and shade structures throughout the gardens. 

 

The garden has been here for a few decades so the landscaping is mature. 

This is an example of a sustainable meadow. 

There is a water feature off to the left of the path. 

Next there is a little bridge into a Japanese style garden. 

We took each other's picture under the deep shade structure.

In the area behind the structure, there is a Japanese raked garden.  

Here is another view of the Japanese section from the little bridge. 

 There are signs next to all the plants. Bill was intrigued by the Pussytoes.

About half the paths are gravel, which we could use but they are not desirable for us. The little rocks get into the tread of our tires and are difficult to remove. 

Few plants are flowering in August but I enjoyed this little jewel of a plant. 

Each of the garden sections has a descriptive marker. This one sounds like a cemetery. 

This is a beautiful cactus. 

There are some really lovely plants and settings here. They are all familiar if you live in Utah. So it looks like the educational aspect of this garden has achieved it's goals!

This is a lovely quiet spot to learn about being water wise in Utah.