Bonfante Gardens

On Saturday, we went to Bonfante Gardens, which is located on the outskirts of Gilroy, an area notorious for being warm and growing too much garlic . Fortunately, the trees and awnings provide plenty of shade to keep cool and the plants really mask any outside odors.

The park has developed so much since it first opened a year or two ago. It's not Disneyland, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your opinion of the Mouse, but I got some great landscaping ideas. I just have to figure out how to get a circus tree in my backyard.

Their target audience is definitely young families and older folks. There are merry-go-rounds, lush gardens and rides so slow that any self-respecting teenager would yawn. My favorite part of the park was Claudia's Garden, a sunken garden with paths that meander around sculpted junipers and tiered waterfalls.

If the park is still open next year, it would be cool to revisit and see how its gardens have grown.