Cornus kousa (Korean dogwood) is one of my favorite trees. Can you see why? How about those berries? They will slowly turn reddish pink and will quickly be consumed by birds. I took this picture at Patti's Settlement located in Grand Rivers Kentucky. I love this place and if you are local and have not yet been, there is no time like the present. I had the opportunity to visit Patti's Settlement while my younger sister Joanne was here visiting with her husband, and two granddaughters. They all had a great time. Here are some pictures from our recent visit.
Patti's Settlement is based on an 1880's town. In it are several stores, a wonderful restaurant (Patti's), several gardens, a small zoo, a playground, and gardens. There were a lot of seating areas scattered around to make enjoying the garden absolutely delightful.
Here is Samone, Joanne's oldest grandchild and granddaughter. She is standing next to the largest wind chime I have ever seen. It made a really low and echoing sound when 'chimed.' It is easily taller than Samone and she is ever bit of four feet.
There were flower designs nicely displayed in creative pots. There were also a lot of fruit trees bearing fruit, and lots of hardscaping to make the settlement quite user friendly for all visitors.
I liked this display of trees due to the variety of color and textures. Wow.
In addition to visiting Patti's Settlement we also visited the Golden Pond Planetarium and the Woodland Nature Station located at Land Between the Lakes (LBL). We here in Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky are very lucky to have such a beautiful natural recreation area nearby. Each trip I make to LBL always delights me. Here are Samone and her younger cousin Carmen standing in front of an elk at the small museum located in the Planetarium. Also located at LBL is an Elk and Bison Prairie. This prairie is a 700 acre prairie that is very native and beautiful. I can see my Wildflower Hill becoming like this prairie-with time. There is a large herd of elk and bison who call this prairie their home. The cost is a mere $5 to enter the enclosure where you can loop around the paved road as many times as you'd like looking for the elk and bison. On the day we were there we saw several elk but no bison. 700 acres is a pretty big area so there is no guarantee you will see the animals. Even if you don't be sure to notice all of the natural and native vegetation and beautiful prairie plants visited by birds, rabbits, and all sorts of other wildlife and pollinators. You cannot go wrong with visiting Land Between the Lakes as the cost for all attractions is very low and the return immense. While we visited the Woodland Nature Station we saw a show that allowed us to howl to the coyote on display. Do you know he howled back to us??? It was SO cool! Add to that the fact that the momma and daddy red wolves also began howling along with us and you have a wonderful experience that is also a learning experience for families.
On the way to the attractions at LBL be sure to stop and explore Stewart County's historic past as the center of the iron industry in the 1800s by stopping by the Great Furnace. The above picture was taken near the Great Furnace and it shows my sister, her husband Gary, and her two granddaughters (Samone on the left and Carmen on the right). Thanks so much for your wonderful visit Joanne! I look forward to more and one of these days I might make it down your way too....
in the garden....
Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden
Have you ever been to Land Between the Lakes (LBL) before? It is a wonderful gem located in northern Middle Tennessee and Lower Central Kentucky. Mr. Fix-it, the Jimster and I took a one day trip to LBL to explore some attractions it has to offer. The planetarium was our main objective but we were able to take in other things as well.
Most attractions in LBL are historical unless you simply wish to camp and hike. Some very important attractions relating to the history of this geographical area are the iron ore furnaces. In the early 1800s mining and smelting iron ore was the main industry of this area. Giant stone furnaces were built to smelt the iron ore. Wood was the primary source of fuel for the fires that would reach up to 3000 degrees. That is pretty hot! Since LBL is rather rural and was heavily forested there was plenty of wood to burn in the furnaces. Consequently, hundreds of acres of old growth forests were burned off in the 1800s. Most all of the forested areas in LBL are second growth forests. They are wonderful ecosystems full of flora and fauna. But let me back up here a minute.
LBL is reputed to be the largest inland peninsula in the United States. It was created by damming two rivers on either side of this peninsula. The two rivers are the Tennessee River and the Cumberland River. The damming created two new lakes; Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. Unfortunately, when these two rivers were dammed many communities were flooded and 950 families had to be relocated. There is still evidence of the people who lived in this region but the entire recreational area is now publicly owned. It belongs to you and I!
LBL draws two million visitors per year. Our family makes ample use of the lakes to go boating during the summer months. One of the Jimster's favorite things to do is to ride the tube behind the boat. Mr. Fix-it fishes, and I swim and relax. Occasionally we bird watch. LBL is home to many types of birds that are easily seen along the river. Our favorites are the bald eagles and herons. They are simply magnificent and it is such a thrill to see them in the wild-or anywhere really. 
Now that boating season is over we thought we'd head up to the Golden Pond Visitor's Center and see a show at the planetarium. The show was fun and quite reasonably priced. We enjoyed it. The visitor's center had a great display of animals native to the area, along with a pictorial history of LBL. I also purchased a book at the visitor's center that I have found most helpful in my quest to identify more wildflowers in this region. It is titled Wildflowers of the Land Between the Lakes Region, Kentucky and Tennessee. It includes not only only wildflowers, but monocots, and woody plants native to this area. It is authored by a couple of Austin Peay University professors (Edward W. Chester and William H. Ellis) and is very informative. It includes color pictures as well as an in depth history of the region.
After our visit to the planetarium we came out of the building to a steady downpour. Not to be discouraged we decided to continue north from the planetarium to Grand Rivers Kentucky; home of the famous Patti's Settlement tourist attraction. They are known for their 2" pork chops and 6" meringue pies. The Jimster tried them both and was kind enough to share some bites with his mom and dad. We all approved of the food and the atmosphere in the restaurant-quiet with a super good ambiance. 
Just outside of the restaurant are several gardens, some petting animals, a wedding chapel, and this gigantic wheel. The Jimster enjoyed talking with the geese-who are not so friendly so watch those hands! I think we could've easily stayed there all day had it not been raining so hard.
I've only touched the tip of what LBL has to offer. There is also an Elk and Bison Prairie, many side lakes, campgrounds, a wrangler camp, hiking trails, off road trails, old cemeteries, a working 1800 era village called The Homeplace, a Nature Station, and many more fun and recreational things to do. Most attractions are free. If you are ever in the area and are looking for a great outing in Tennessee or Kentucky that does not have 'Great Smokey Mountains' in the name, check out Land Between the Lakes and discover this gem of Tennessee and Kentucky....
in the garden....
