Planting a Succulent Container Garden

I led a workshop this week for my garden club on planting a succulent container. I bought 80 of these beautiful succulents at the Mounts Botanical Garden Plant Sale.

It was so much fun to pick these out.
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You can buy directly from the growers. There is always a great selection of plants.

I got the terracotta bowls for $4.50 each at Home Depot. We used Miracle Grow Cactus Potting Soil which is a sandy soil.


I like to put a paper coffee filter in the bottom of the pot so the soil will not spill through.


The ladies busy at work. Glad they remembered their gloves.

Don't they look happy?

The finished product.

We topped each bowl with rocks.


These are easy to take care of - like full sun and to be watered sparingly.

Holiday Lights in Florida

There isn't any snow, but the lights are awesome. This display has got it all!

Happy 49th Anniversary

I celebrated Mom and Dad's 49th anniversary with them this week.

We had a delicious dinner at Stonewood Grill.


Right after the wedding they headed south to Florida. They got as far as Williamsport, PA the first night. It snowed and all the shoe polish Uncle Jim had written 'Just Married' with, ran all over the car. There was so much rice in the car, they never could get it all out.

I love hearing the stories about those times.

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.

A Drive Along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia

On our way to Florida we took the 'western route' instead of I95 all the way so we could do some sight seeing. Our first adventure was a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway which is 469 miles through Virginia and North Carolina along the Appalachian mountains. Since we only had 1 extra day to spend on our way south we could not drive the whole thing. We poured over the maps and decided to get on in Roanoke, Virgina. (Rte 220 off Rte 81). Everything is described by mile marker, so it was hard to tell the best places to enter and exit the parkway.

We stopped for gas here before getting on.


We couldn't imagine anyplace as beautiful as fall in New England, but we were most impressed.

There were great spots for picnics. Lots of families who lived in the area came for the day.


Farms by the side of the road.

Beautiful views everywhere.

The gristmill at Marbry Mill.
Views of Cahas Mountain, 3571 feet.



We even got to hear some music! I do wish we had a week.

We took rte. 77 back to rte. 81 to continue or adventure further south.