This blog began in the month of February, 2011. It was created with the intent of following the evolution of the gardens at Valley View.

But just as gardens grow and evolve, so do blogs. The Iris and the Lily has grown to encompass the wider, hidden and often overlooked worlds of Gaia’s garden.
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In recognition of growth and the organic nature of creating, this blog continues to evolve as have the gardens.
Now it encompasses more than her wider, hidden and overlooked worlds, it also embraces the inner world of thoughts and ideas of the gardeners and sojourners who share Gaia’s gardens.
A SHORT HISTORY OF MY ZOO IN MY SHOPPING BAGS
New ideas will be tested, some will be added others discarded.

Time will be spent obsessing over posts and weeks will pass by without contact.
Join me on this walk, this path and let me know what makes you smile…
Hi Bonnie
I love the Garden it is very beautiful and calming.
Lovely site and a garden seeded with love! I enjoyed viewing it: the flowers are so very different from those in my subtropical garden. They looked so exotic to me–after 50 years living away from Pennsylvania!
A beautiful and harmonious place
Gorgeous flowers, gardens, landscaping and I love butterflies! Thanks for visiting my site today and the “like” on my Wednesday Wildflowers post.
Congrats, Bonnie. You have just been nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award. To accept, read my post on sheilatphotography.wordpress.com
No wonder you are so nice, having surrounded yourself in this paradise. Lovely.
Congratulations! You have been nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by Cathy from http://wordsandherbs.wordpress.com. For details see Cathy’s post on 26th January:
http://wordsandherbs.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/versatile-blogger-award/
I’m really enjoying reading your blog, so played along with this award thing… feel free to do with it what you will! 🙂
Over the course of 11 years in Franklin, Michigan, we nurtured, arranged, and tended to an ever-expanding array of plants, shrubs, flowers, and trees.
Were blogging as easy then as it is now, I would have been doing exactly what you are doing; sharing the beauty of gardens with them who enjoy them as much as I do.
I had a nice visit, and thanks for liking my post.
Oooh, Bonnie! What a lovely blog, and fabulous photos! Thanks for the ‘like’, it’s wonderful to meet you, and I look forward to leaning and enjoying more. 🙂
“learning” to spell would be nice, too. haha!
Dear Bonnie, Thank you for visiting my blog, I am so glad to meet with you. What a great world this wordpress, I always meet with such a beautiful and interesting bloggers. Your blog title fascinated me and also your garden too… I have just come here and not visited the whole blog… But I want to share my thoughts with you. Thank you for sharing with us your beautiful and amazing world. Blessing and Happiness, with my love, nia
Hello Bonnie – I saw that you stopped-by my blog today…thank you so much for letting me know you were there…now I know that you are here…and I shall be following. It seems that we have similar photograph interests.
I do rather enjoy your site…you have some stunning photos.
Take care…and I hope to see you around.
Scott.
Love it, makes me just wanna walk around bare foot and enjoy nature!
I randomly found you and I’m so thrilled I did! What a stunning location..I’ll be checking in regularly, that’s for sure! 🙂
Hello Bonnie dear, Congratulations! I have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award, check it out here: http://allaboutlemon.com/2012/02/06/whew-more-versatile-blogger-awards/
Enjoy and have fun 🙂 You deserved it!
Dolly
Thank you for stopping by my blog. I looked at your blog. You have some beautiful photographs. I look forward to seeing more.
Maralee
throughmylens365.wordpress.com
hi, bonnie
I have enjoyed your blog so much you have great talent 🙂
Thank you so much! It makes me so very happy to be able to share my love of life and the world which surrounds us!
Lovely photos!!
Hi Bonnie, I passed on the Kreativ Blogger Award to you. Congrats! Check it out~ http://wp.me/p25eWM-7V 😀
Hi Bonnie, I have passed along the ” One Lovely Blog” award to you! Thank you for all your kind comments and encouragement! I am learning a lot about photography looking at your incredible pictures! Here is the link http://astrawberrypatch.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/loveliness/!
What an incredibly beautiful garden! Wow.
Thank you for the return view!
Thank you for the “like” on my “Indulge” photo. It led me to your blog, which is beautiful. You’ve poured your soul into your garden, and it is radiant with your love in these photos. I love your close-ups of the remarkable life around us. I’m going to enjoy subscribing to your blog, I can tell!
You are so kind. I find such joy in sharing the garden and life in and around it! Thank you.
Lovely site! Thanks for visiting mine!
Gorgeous!!!
Hello again, Miss Bonnie – I don’t know if you do anything with all the awards that have been given to you, but I have just nominated/honored you with the ABC Blogger Award. I admire your blog and the person who I see inside of it. If you choose not to accept the award, I will understand.
This is the link if you choose to accept it: http://seekraz.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/tokens-of-appreciation/
Thank you so much! But this is one of my personal issues. I have such difficulty asking others to respond to things. I am always afraid to have a party because I think no one will come! The idea of nominating someone to respond is such pressure! I hope you understand!
You are very welcome, Bonnie…and I do understand. Thank you for letting me know.
I would come to your party, too, if it were possible. 🙂
Hi Bonnie,
Just to say I have nominated you for The Verstile Blogger award. Please do not feel pressure to accept but you are very deserving of this accolade! Thanks for all your nice comments too! You can find details here:
http://taniajessicasmith.wordpress.com/2012/03/20/why-am-i-pouring-myself-a-shot-in-a-furry-hat-6-awards-from-you-lovely-people-thats-why-cheers/
Enjoy!
Tan 🙂
Thank you so much for considering me! Please know it is so difficult for me to follow through on these types of awards. But I really wanted you to know I really appreciate your support!
Bonnie, you have made me smile with your sweet comments and I wanted to recognise your kindness, tell you I really like your blog and send other your way. Of course I do not mind a bit because you are lovely and that is that. Thanks again! 🙂
This is really nice blog. It seems that we share interests.
Hello and congratulations! You’ve just been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award. I do enjoy reading your posts. There is no pressure to take part, but if you wish to know what it entails, click on: http://n0ts0creative.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/versatile-blogger-award/
Have a great weekend!
hiya, I have had a bit of a spring clean and moved my Blog address to http://antiquityandadventures.wordpress.com/ i,d love it if you fancy following my new site kind regards maenamor 🙂
Be glad too!
Hi Bonnie! I’ve nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award. There are no restrictions for this award, and whether or not you choose to accept it, you deserve it. Here’s my post about it. http://songsofseasons.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/new-post-one-lovely-blog-award/
Good morning. Just wanted to let you know I nominated you for the Versatile Blog Award. Love your photography and wanted to share it with others. Here is the link on the instruction for the award http://wp.me/p2n3MW-3m
Thank you for your support!
Great shots – I love your eye.
I have nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award! No obligation but I love your blog and you deserve it! See here: http://wordsandherbs.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/good-things/
😀
Because I enjoy your blog so much, I have nominated you for the Liebster Blog Award. You can read about it on my blog. http://humbledpie.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/musings-from-the-darkroom-blog-recognition/
Thank you for your consideration! Your blog is wonderful, I so enjoy your photos.
this is truly a great blog to read on
Thank you, you are so kind!
Thanks for stopping by!
Truly lovely, and rich, and thoughtful. Glad to have found your place here. Thanks for visiting mine, too.
Always a pleasure to find others who appreciate life as we know it!
Hi, thanks for checking out my blog. I love your photos. Inspiration abounds. 🙂
Hej from Sweden!
Thanks for stopping by my blog and liking my recent post !
Welcome back anytime!
Hey Bonnie, I was wondering if I could get your email address, I was hoping you might let me feature you photography on my blog tomorrow.
Been away please know whatever you need I am glad to help!
Would you mind emailing me, leanne@leannecole.com.au
I have a couple of questions for you, and I can let you know exactly what I want to do.
Thanks
Hej from Sweden !
Thanks for stopping by my blog and liking one of my recent posts. Welcome back!
You are more than welcome! It will be fun to follow your blog!
AWESOME BLOG! I think I may follow!
Thank you!
1
Bonnie, the Reader said I might like your blog, and sure enough, it was right! Your land and your photographs of it are quite heart warming. I’ll be back many times!
Thank you!
Greetings and salutations! We at Garden State-ments have nominated your awesome blog for the Shine On Award! Check it out here: http://wp.me/p2B6w4-74
Thank you!
Hej from Sweden!
Thanks for liking my recent post. Welcome back anytime. Happy New Year!!
Hi,
Thank you for visiting my blog and for liking one of my photos. You have great collection of photos in here. Keep it up.
regards,
Mel
So glad you liked one of my recent posts, otherwise I would not have discovered your beautiful blog 🙂
Congratulations!
I have nominated your blog for the Field of Flowers Award.
More on this nomination is at
http://aristonorganic.com/2014/02/08/field-of-flowers-award/
A well deserved award 🙂
Thank you! I will tend to and cultivate them! lol
my pleasure 🙂 I love that you tend and cultivate them too 🙂
I see that we have similar interests/blogs. I like your photos very much. The butterfly pics are splendid.
Regards, yvonne
Thank you! Checked out your space too! Yes we do view things with a similar perspective. have a daughter who lives in Austin, thinking of retiring there in the next 2 years, see you are in central TX, how close to South Austin?
My daugher also lives in Austin, west part since 1995. She is a veterinarian but had to give up her practice after becoming very ill with arthritis.
Going down I-35 I’m about 120 miles maybe less from where my daughter lives in the western area of Austin.
You will love the weather in central Texas Snow is a rarity. Austin has about anything that you would ever need. The traffic is a pain though.
Regards, yvonne
Hi, I have nominated you for an award http://coulddoworse.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/an-award-and-a-spot-of-crochet-plus-its-raining-again/
Rachel
Thank you!
What a lovely blog you have here! So happy I found you!
Thank you, the gardens are my inspiration! Can’t wait for the snow to melt.
Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and liking the entry on Max! Much appreciated. Your blog looks like it has a lot of great photos. What a terrific blog on connecting life in the natural world in and beyond on the garden!
Beautiful Selection of photo’s
Absolutely beautiful and classy blog! http://lilypupslife.wordpress.com/
Thank you so very much, your words inspire me to keep going
I love your blog, it is gorgeous! And the photo’s, I want to take pictures like this.
I have nominated you for the Infinity Love Dreams Award if you are interested in accepting or just checking it out go to: https://vagabonvelda.wordpress.com/2015/09/27/infinity-love-dreams-award
Thank you for stopping by. The garden is forever changing and lends itself to photographing these changes!