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"Possibility and promise greet me each day as I walk out into my garden. My vigor is renewed when I breathe in the earthiness and feel the dirt between my fingers. My garden is a peaceful spot to refresh my soul." Meems






Welcome to my Central Florida Garden Blog where we garden combining Florida natives, Florida-Friendly plants, and tropicals.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Blue of the Blue Ridge Mountains



As a mini-get-a-way and a way to celebrate a milestone birthday for my mom, some of the girls in the family have come together in a most peaceful cabin setting in the Blue Ridge mountains. With no other cabins in sight and only the sounds of crickets, birds and the crackle of the outdoor fireplace, we are all finding ourselves winding down from our particular busyness and easily relaxing with the change of pace here.



My sister, Marmee, has more photos up at her site and I know she would be more than happy to welcome you and share with you, if you are so inclined to pop over and pay her visit.



Taking a mountain hike is a must to discover our surroundings up close and personal. With so many majestic views to capture I was certain you'd want to come along. The limelight hydrangeas dripping over the railing are at their peak. We can't grow them in my neck of the woods so I am drooling over their clustered limey petals with that soft blush of pink around the edges.


Wild flowers abound of which I do not know the names but the colors and textures are a delight to behold anyway.

... Bees buzzing everywhere doing their all important flower hopping.



Flowers growing tall above the brush in pink sprays (is this sedum or Joe pye weed or....?) of splendor adding to the mountain mystique.

Poke berries dangling from their vine helping me to realize autumn is in the air.





None of these flowers grow down in my part of the world. So its worthy to note my childlike feelings of discovery everytime I visit the mountains. I am in wonderment of the remarkably beautiful flora flourishing roadside without any help from humans.


... so many colors, forms, textures, and variety appealing to the gardener and nature lover in the deepest part of my soul.

A sea of white wild flowers lined an entire side road providing so much nectar for butterflies and bees in these woodlands.



It's been a treat for me to take you along on my photo journey. I hope you've liked sharing this special time with me on the first leg of my mountain hike. I've taken so many photos it seemed necessary to break them up into more than one post. We're not leaving until tomorrow so surely there are more adventures to be had as well.



Here's to hoping you enjoy your weekend. Meems

23 comments:

  1. Meems -- Thanks for taking us along on your trip to the mountains. Your photos are beautiful and it is so fun to see things that we don't see in our home habitats. Love the pokeberries - I've never seen them, though I've heard of them -- they're cute!

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  2. Oh Meems thanks for taking us along on your outing. Now you know how I feel when I see all of your beautiful flowers I can't grow. So glad you enjoyed the scenery. Those blue mountains are gorgeous.

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  3. diana: I'm so happy you came along... I've heard lots of talk of poke berries but only see them when in the mountains... I love the stages of color they seem to have.

    Lisa: I do know how you feel since most of the blogs actually have flowers and plants I don't grow... which is why I love to visit YOU. It is interesting how the Blue Ridge Mtns. actually appear to be blue most of the time. They are refreshing coming from the flatlands of Florida.

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  4. thanks for the post. i'm glad you took your camera with you.

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  5. Great pictures! I figured you might have some posted by this point. I bet you have to download photos several times to make room for all the others there still are to take! :) Hope you are all having a fabulous time together. Have a safe trip back.

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  6. it is so cool to see what was on your hike. even though we were walking together to see what you see thru your lens is amazing. i love it and am glad to be sharing it with you.

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  7. arissa mae: AND my handy-dandy laptop so I could sit on this porch and blog away to the sound of crickets (right now anyway).

    mjm: multiple memory cards is the answer. This trip has been too short but it has been a memory maker. We head home tomorrow and we're all wishing we had more time here... there's never a good time to leave the mountains.

    marmee: same road... different lens and yes, so fun to see what you captured too. So sad we have to end all this fun tomorrow... now you best get out of that hot tub before you shrivel up!

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  8. What a wonderful thing to be able to share with your mom! I should tell you I held a caladium in my hand yesterday...but put it back. I need to think more about where it could possibly be happy in my hot dry garden.

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  9. God did a really great job with those mountains! I love the serene peacefulness your pictures offer. Thank you for the delightful look at your trip. I know you had a lovely time. (And a Happy Birthday to your Mom!)

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  10. leslie: It has been a wonderfully memorable time I know we will all treasure forever.

    It is a wise thing to make determinations about where a plant will be happy before making the purchase. I do just what you described all the time. So often intrigued by a plant I know I don't have conditions to help it thrive, much to my disappointment, it's just best not to buy it. Caladiums do best in hot, humid conditions ... and unless you can create a micro climate for them planting them might cause more angst than joy. You can always just come visit me. :-)

    Beckie: Yeah, He's really good at that creation thing! :-) The name of our cabin is Tranquility... it is certainly a picture of peace and serenity here... of which we have been drinking in at every opportunity. Thanks for coming along.

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  11. It sounds like you had a lovely trip. Your photos were beautiful, and that looks like Joe Pye to me, but it might not be.

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  12. I love it when people post wildflower photos so I can see the wild side from different areas. I'll be watching for more from your trip.

    I won't try guessing any IDs except on my own blog - It's the best way to get an experts opinion if you're wrong and possibly a correct ID :)

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  13. Wow, I love that first pic! When I was a kid, we used to spend a week each summer in the Smoky Mts in eastern Tennesee. That pic brought back lots of memories. Thanks for letting us tag along! :)

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  14. Hi, I found you through Blotanical. WOW! You have great photos and information. My readers will enjoy visiting this blog, too. I've added your beautiful blog to my blogroll at Defining Your Home Garden. Cameron

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  15. So many lovely photos. Sounds like you're having a wonderful time. We're planning out own mountain getaway for October and are very excited about it all.

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  16. Beautiful photos...especially love the one of the mountains. God's creation is so awesome!

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  17. Beautiful photos Meems. My oldest brother lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains. So gorgeous there. Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos - I'm looking forward to seeing more!

    The pink flower head is definitely Joe Pye Weed. I grow it here too.

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  18. Beautiful pictures Meems. Looks like you got to see alot of lovely wildflowers & native on your trip. It's nice to see what plants grow in other areas of the country.

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  19. meems,

    Isn't it beautiful in those mountains? There is nothing quite like the air, the sun and wildflowers on a mountain. I am so glad that you had this time to be with your family to celebrate a milestone birthday for your mom! Thank you for sharing your photos; you've captured some of the best wildflowers and your trip.
    gail

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  20. meems, I meant to say, thank you for sharing your photos and the trip with us!

    gail

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  21. Meems, thanks ever so for the vicarious mountain vacation! I was just thinking about how long it's been since I was up there. Sounds like y'all had a wonderful time.

    I can't believe you don't have pokeweed in your neieghbourhood. I've heard poke salat tastes a bit like spinach, but have always been afraid to try it. 8-}

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  22. kim: Thank you. I do think it's JoePye but I'm only going for my memories from photos I took in NC last year.

    WiseAcre: I'm with you on letting others help out on the ID's... I'm not great at naming so many flowers...even my own.

    greenjeans: any of those mountains make me want to move there... that is until I go to the beach... then I want to live there.

    Cameron: Welcome and thanks so much for the kind words... Blotanical is a great place to find blogs.

    Amy: October is a great time to go to the mountains. You will love it then too.

    connie: I am always in awe of God's creation sitting right in the middle of a mountain ... probably because I don't get to see them until I travel... we are flatlanders down here in Florida.

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  23. Linda: Wow, between your mom and your brother you must have some nice vacation get aways. The Blue Ridge are just breathtaking. Thanks for the positive ID on JoePye.

    Gail: The mountains are a refreshing place to do some relaxing and rejuvenating. I wonder if I lived as close as you if I would go more often.

    Sophiemae: Glad you came along... blogs are great for vicarious "everything" aren't they? I cannot recall ever seeing poke weed... maybe it's in some of the woods around here ... I'll have to pay closer attention now that I know what it is. I've heard lots about the salad lately on other blogs but it takes a lot of work to make it safe (so I hear).

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Have a blessed day,
Meems


September 2010

Back Garden: October 2010

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