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Gardens at
Blue Skies Inn
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Gardens have always been an integral part of the experience here at Blue Skies Inn. More than a century before Sally built the inn, our land was a part of the gardens planted by Ferdinand Schneider on the Briarhurst Estate.
Fellow gardeners can see each other, even across a span of centuries, so when inveterate-gardener Sally arrived on the property, she immediately detected the efforts of Ferdinand. She was so impressed she named one of our suites in his honor. (For more on this, see our History webpage.
Our garden experience includes breakfast, which is served in a picnic basket so or guests can, weather permitting, enjoy dining al fresco in a variety of outdoor settings.
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Blue Skies is situated on 2.5 acres of streamside and wooded property that features several varieties of ecosystems, from giant littoral cottonwood and willow trees, to drywash copses of scrub oak, ash and elms, to high-desert cactus and scrub.
We tailored our construction to keep as much of the natural vegetation intact. In addition, our three B&B buildings have always been surrounded by small garden areas.
About six years ago, we put in the Secret Garden, a secluded spot behind our furthest-back B&B building featuring small copses of huge, century-old scrub-oak trees to the east and west. To the north is a spectacular redstone wall over twelve fee high built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression in the 1930's. |
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We have expanded the Secret Garden to include the hillside Waterfall Garden to the west. That garden climbs up wooden stairs into the high-desert scrub ecosystem at the top of the stone wall, then down along a redstone waterfall into the Secret Garden.
More recently, we have crossed into the ancient scrub oak copse on the east to build the Woodland Garden under the trees. This garden features pathways and isolated benches in a shady refuge for those seeking a quiet moment with nature.
The gardens are a continuing project here at Blue Skies Inn. We have yet to complete pathways down to Fountain Creek. We are also looking forward to xeroscaping and building pathways through the locust, yucca and spectacular cactus that grows in the high-desert ecosystem on our grounds. Those areas are still here, more or less in their natural state, for your enjoyment. |
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(click on the image for more photos)
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Of course, the best way to fully appreciate the gardens at Blue Skies Inn is to come stay with us. Enjoy breakfast in the Secret Garden, and have fun exploring the winding paths and hidden sitting areas in the Woodland Garden.
If you're checking out your lodging options online, you can still get a feel for the gardens at Blue Skies through our wedding photography. We have two wedding sites; one in the Waterfall Garden on our hillside, and one in the Woodland Garden back in the scrub-oak copse that borders our property line.
Weddings are a special time here at Blue Skies Inn. We enjoy hosting and photographing them.
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In between weddings, we set up tables and chairs set up throughout the garden areas for a quiet breakfast or afternoon relaxation.
To assist you in online exploration of the Blue Skies gardens, we have included two sample wedding photo albums here. The top wedding was held in the Woodland Garden. The one to the right was held in the Waterfall Garden.
If you wish to see more wedding popup albums, visit our wedding website, A Pikes Peak Wedding
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(click on the image for more photos)
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402 Manitou Avenue
Manitou Springs, CO 80829
(800) 398-7949
(719) 685-3899
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