In Sonoma, a collection of gardens not to be missed

We stumbled upon Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma over the weekend, drawn in by a flying fence. Like something from the Wizard of Oz, the white picket fence appears to twist and float in the air. Once in the parking lot, we found a small shopping center, with upscale home and garden decor, sculptures, food and wine for sale. Past the stores, though, was the real draw. The gardens.

I'm not sure how many there were, maybe 20. They were small partitioned lots, each installed by a different landscape designer. It was heaven for a yard junky like myself. Many of the ideas were cool, but not something I would adopt in my own garden. 

For example, the big concrete rock-thingy with holes was fun for the kids to play on, but not a reasonable play structure at home.

Then there was the tunnel, which the kids ran through with echoing shrieks of joy. I tried to imagine the truck that could navigate my driveway to place such a tunnel (really just a gigantic tube of corrugated metal, like a drainage pipe) in my yard, and decided that wasn't such a good idea.

There were plenty of ideas I might copy, though.  I found this fence made out of posts, rebar, and rough branches. This is something I can do, and I love the rustic look of it.

It was well worth the stop, and best of all, touring the gardens is free. Ah, we like free.

Cornerstone Gardens is located at 23570 Arnold Drive in Sonoma.