My Tropical Garden

I've been working on my tropical garden.  This year I had the beds dug, and planted this area with lots of bromeliads, agave, and ti plants.

My air plant is in bloom.  First it blushes, then it blooms.

I got this lady at the Naples Botanical Garden. I planted a variegated jade in her head.

Still have room to 'play ball' with Emily.

Visit to Charleston, SC

Charleston is a great city to visit.  In the morning, we took a horse carriage tour, and in the afternoon took a House and Garden Tour of Montagu Street, part of the Fall Tours of Homes and  Gardens put on by the Preservation Society of Charleston.  Here are some of the things we found most interesting.

Here we are with Bill waiting for our tour to begin.

Single House Architecture - a one room wide house provided good cross ventilation.  The porches were built on the south and west sides to catch the sea breezes. 


 


Door to the "piazza", a 2 story veranda along the side of the house.  When the door is open visitors are welcome.

   


Many of the homes were built with bricks, since the slaves made them during the winter months when they weren't in the fields.  The bricks were then covered with stucco.  Lines were added to make them look authentic.





Many older homes have round plates - the end caps from the metal rods that pass through the joists and connect by bolts on the outer walls. These earthquake bolts were added after a severe earthquake in Charleston in 1886 destroyed much of the city.  They can be adjusted to straighten the walls after they shift.

Most houses had separate kitchen houses in the rear for fire protection - during the late 1800's and early 1900's they were re-joined to the main house by a “hyphen.”   We ate lots of crab cakes!

Common Ground Country Fair

The Common Ground Fair in Unity, Maine is my favorite fair.  I have been going every year for the last several years. 

Garlic Braids and Japanese Lanterns in the Farmer's Market

Carriage Rides - So Much Fun!

I loved these felted purses

Funny Bird Houses

These guys loved posing for us!

The food is one of the best parts!

I do love pumpkins!

Fall Vegetables

Common Ground Country Fair 2011

My Late Summer Garden

Caladium

Coneflowers

Acorn Squash

Fuchsia & Euphorbia 'Jack Frost'

Festive Mums

Jack-Be-Little Pumpkin

Phlox

Springtime in Ocala, Florida

The Magnolia in Bloom

The Pond at Shalom Park

Iris Growing in the Pond

Mi Pet Dancing Speakers

Society of the Four Arts Garden, Palm Beach, FL

The Four Arts Garden is a fun place to visit.  It is maintained by the Garden Club of Palm Beach.  



The gardens were designed in 1938 to show the tropical plants you can grow in South Florida




A good place to rest



So inviting

There are interesting sculptures

The Bismark Palm (left) - one of may favorites, but too big for my yard

Sior Maschera by Philip Jackson

Spring comes to Florida

Here's a little Florida Sunshine for everyone stuck in another snow storm.  Spring is coming to Florida.  You can see new growth on some plants, and flowering trees are starting to bloom.  These photos were taken at Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach last week.



Yellow Tabebuia



Also called the trumpet tree -  bursts into bloom.

It blooms before it leafs out.



Peach Tree - you don't usually see these in Florida





BeautyBerry  (Callicarpa americana) - a Florida native with the most beautiful berries.



Seuss Landing

Another fun place to visit at Universal'sIslands of Adventures is Seuss Landing.  It is so colorful!  What a great place to bring the kids.

You can't help but smile when you are here...

Signs point the way

All the favorite characters



Circus McGurkus Cafe - wouldn't you like to have lunch here?




The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride.  A nice calm ride after the wild rides at Harry Potter's Wizarding World.




Lots of cute topiaries




Looks ominous




The Cat in the Hat




Truffala Trees and the cutest garbage cans




The Lorax