Grover Cleveland Thompson's Sunnyslope Rock Garden

First published: Fall 2005

Tucked away in a modest neighbourhood in the Sunnyslope area of Phoenix, Arizona, is a remarkable treasure of folk art created from concrete and seashells, pottery shards, fragments of clay tile and bits of coloured glass. Visitors to the garden stroll along paths outlined by fanciful arches covered with mosaics of blue glass and are delighted by a hodgepodge of head-high Dutch windmills, miniature Inca villages and whimsical human and animal figures all shaded by a leafy canopy of citrus trees.

This delightful fantasy is a tribute to two remarkable people: Mr. Grover Cleveland Thompson, the creator of the garden; and Ms. Marion Blake, its conservator, protector, and current owner.