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Games, music and themed activities highlighted the whimsical event
The Gardens of Southeastern North Carolina transformed into a whimsical wonderland on Saturday, hosting its first “Alice in Wonderland” Gardenpalooza. Families explored flower tours, created bouquets, played inventive yard games, and met expert gardener Karen Root, who volunteered her design expertise after earning a professional horticulture degree from the world-renowned Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.
At the gardens’ first Gardenpalooza, several people sat and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere, commenting on how relaxing it was. Others played yard-game versions of checkers, Jenga and Connect Four. Other popular yard games included cornhole and cro-putt. Cro-putt is a yard game of the owners’ own invention that mixes putt-putt golf with croquet. It uses small plant-pot holes to create a golf course throughout the garden and is played with croquet balls and mallets.
Concession stands sold drinks, fire-roasted pretzels and pizza. Light music played throughout the gardens. As it got dark, fire pits were lit, and s’mores were sold. At 6 p.m., the film “Alice in Wonderland” was shown on a large inflatable screen in the gardens.
According to the owners, David and Jill Johnson, the gardens are in their fourth year and are “just getting started.” The Gardenpalooza event was their first themed event. Next month, they plan to host an event around “Mary Poppins.” The gardens are an extension behind the Johnson Nursery, which has been in Willard, N.C., since the 1980s.
