Beautiful Holiday Arrangement

This beautiful holiday arrangement was made by The Frugal Florist at the Wellington Garden Club meeting. I love the balls of flowers and the colored oasis cut with cookie cutters.

Boca Raton Resort Gardens

The Wellington Garden Club visited the Boca Raton Resort today.

We enjoyed brunch at the beautiful Palm Court restaurant.

The resort was designed by famed Palm Beach architect Addison Mizner.

It opened in 1926 as the Cloister Inn, the most expensive 100-room hotel of its day.


Mizner lived here with his pet monkey.


The original Cloister Inn.We loved this bathroom.

Linda and Bernice don't mind a little rain.

Is it any wonder I love gardens?

Back in Florida

Its great to be back in Florida. To see Mom and Dad, and all my friends (some of them feathered).

To see the butterflies.

And the flowers.
And to visit tropical gardens. Especially when I just heard Maine had its first snow.

A walking tour of Savannah

On our way down to Florida we stopped for a morning in Savannah. We started our walking tour at Forsyth Park.
Beautiful fountains everywhere.

It seemed like every square has a monument.

Beautiful old homes.

In my landscape design course we learned how the city of Savannah was designed in a grid pattern, like many other planned cities. But, Savannah left open spaces in the grids. That's what makes it so beautiful.
I just love the spanish moss dripping from the live oaks.


We walked down to the Savannah River front.

And stopped at this lovely spot across from the Cathedral of St. John for a chai.

Biltmore Estate Gardens

After taking several courses in landscape design, I was so excited to visit the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. The gardens were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park in NY, the Emerald Necklace in Boston, as well as many other public parks.

The Lodge Gate is at the entrance of the 3 mile long approach road.


The estate was built by George Washington Vanderbilt III in 1895. There are 250 rooms, 33 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, 65 fireplaces, 3 kitchens, an indoor swimming pool and bowling alley.

Judy and I pose by the lion before we go in for a tour.


The views from the house are spectacular. The natural design, composed of rolling meadows and groves of poplar, beech, oak, and hickory trees, exemplifies Olmsted's "pastoral style" of landscape design. It is meant to be calm and soothing.


If you look closely you can see people on horseback, and can almost imagine a hunting party. Deer Park is 250 acres to the south and west of the house.

The gardens are located right next to the house. We loved this beautiful pergola.
The Walled Garden is planted with seasonal flowers in beds arranged in patterns similar to an Elizabethan 'knot garden'.Chrysanthemums, pansies, and ornamental grasses.

The beautiful conservatory.

Inside are tropical plants.
This beauty caught our eye - it is an Abutilon, 'Magic Lantern'

What a great trip! Check out the video below for a panoramic view of Deer Park from the house.