Fiery Hues of Autumn

This is the glorious season when the leaves of trees and even some shrubs turn to brightly colored hues of reds, oranges, yellows and mixtures of all those warm and vibrant colors. BUT, as most of you realize Florida -- at least coastal Florida --- doesn't have much in the way of seasonal color changes. It is regrettably one of the flaws, if there are any, of this great climate. We've published as many posts as possible revealing our year round autumnal colored foliage in order to provide a faux substitute.

Fortunately, I just returned from a visit with my sister, Marmee, in Franklin, Tennessee. We've both published extensively about our visit but I haven't yet shared with you all the fall colors I captured while we were traveling the scenic roads of Tennessee. Many of them are from our tour of Cheekwood Botanical Gardens.

Of course, you can imagine I was ooohing and aaaahhing everywhere we went completely enamored by the beauty of autumn as I only get to see when I travel north.

Enjoy the slideshow:

For lots more fall photos, Dave, who also lives in gorgeous Tennessee country started the Garden Blogger Fall Project from his blog, The Home Garden.

Linger Long, Talk Much, Laugh A Lot

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.

~Isadora James

Franklin, Tennessee is a wonderful little town made up in part of winding roads and magnificent countryside views. Besides Marmee's farmhouse and gardens there are a few other sites to see in the area. The day my sister and I planned to tour Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, she started out the drive on the Natchez Trace Parkway. We agreed right away the colors were more vivid in the trees along that roadside than even just beyond it for some unknown reason. We even saw deer grazing along the edge of the brush.

To tell the truth, we weren't sure what to anticipate in the way of flowers at the gardens since we were visiting on the heels of two (or three?) nights of below freezing temps. (Does anyone know what kind of salvia that is above--- I must see if it will grow here??).

It was important for us to know how the cold affected this public place dependent on the show of flowers, so the first grounds keeper we saw we had to ask. "Did you cover all the perennials these cold nights?" The answer was surprisingly, "no."
There was little evidence of damage. Some edges of leaves and blooms were burned by the cold and some coneflowers and zinnias were naturally spent. But for the most part, it is worth noting, the gardens were more like Florida-sized plantings than I expected... perennials billowing four and five feet tall was not what I anticipated.

We laughed at ourselves as we sauntered through the beautiful and peaceful settings with our cameras clicking away like mad. It was so nice to share our mutual interest in gardening, design and color. We were spending rare time together and determined we would take our time noticing all the elements.
Some flowers I didn't recognize like these delicate looking but obviously hardy Glossy Abelia. A perfect blend of softly colored petals and bright green leaves on long woody stems.

But then there was the familiar Mexican Bush Sage planted in more than one setting. I'm not sure what the beauties are towering over it but I definitely think they make a perfect combination. And the stunning grasses blooming everywhere had me mesmerized.

Water features throughout the gardens make for peaceful sounds, refreshing sitting areas ...

...and interesting architecture.


The extra large sizes and heights of the perennials was such a surprise to me. Then again, they do have grounds keepers to tend to every little thing. Wouldn't that be nice in our own gardens?
And this must be that stunning yellow salvia Gail asked me about a few weeks ago. She wondered if I grow this in my Florida garden. I admit I had never seen it for sale nor heard of it down here. Note to self: Looking for this next spring.

Resting from walking the gardens Marmee finds respite under the rounded pergola.

Another surprise for me was that there was an abundance of butterflies... everywhere. I took so many photos of them it was easier to show them in a slideshow.

If you know the identity of any of them (Update: thank you, Frances, for the help in comments) that I got wrong or that I left off... please help. I like to know I just couldn't ID some of them... I rarely can get the sulphurs sorted out. And the little blue fuzzy guy? Anyone?

The days following the gardens were chocked full of girly, fun stuff. We made every minute count with long lunches and trips to family members, driving to Franklin and Leiper's Fork popping in and out of very quaint and fun shops.

There aren't any mountains in this part of Tennessee. But for this Florida girl from the flatlands the very hilly countryside and the abundance of curving roads made me feel like I'd taken a trip to the north.

Deep into the horizon in any direction lay fields of golden stalks. We think it is soy beans. The frosty nights must have tinged their edges to the uniform beautiful golden-brown for they were breathtaking.

Early Saturday started out as one more brisk and chilly morning. I was particularly enthusiastic to join my sister's family on their weekly trip to the local Farmer's Market. She had talked so many times with great fondness about the fresh produce for sale by local vendors. So we bundled up and strolled through the market picking out very fresh and beautiful vegetables and fruits.
Yummy stuff.

We even managed to cook together a couple of times combining our love for good food.

We won't wait too long to spend this kind of time together again. As we grow older it is more and more important to realize the things most valuable in life and cherish them deeply. Relationships are of those precious treasures we realize mustn't be taken for granted. What many of you may not know is that in the past there were many years when Marmee and I let the distance and our child-raising, and just ordinary life get in the way of connecting.

Thankfully, we haven't waited too late to make determined commitments in our souls not to let that continue. Thank you, Marmee, for a most memorable and very fun few days in the beautiful state of Tennesee.

I would like more sisters, that the taking out of one, might not leave such stillness.
~Emily Dickinson

Things I Love About "things i love"

It was a fast four days. Franklin is a quaint small town south of Nashville, TN. My visit with my only sister, Marmee, was fully loaded with all the things that make for a great trip and a very fun girly- time visit.

The winding country road Marmee lives on is bordered with acres and acres of open fields and lined with trees in the midst of seasonal changes. It's a scenic drive in any direction and she is the kind to take the time to soak it all in even on a busy day.

Before I publish a post of our visit to Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, I just had to share another glimpse of a few of the "things i love" about Marmee's farmhouse and gardens.

Green Osage oranges litter the ground beneath branches heavy laden with many more of these wonderfully textured green orbs. A perfect addition to the autumn ambience seen throughout the gardens this time of year.

Nandina bushes drooping with deep reddish-orange berries flank the entryway to the picket fence that leads to the front door.

Even though three nights in a row temps dipped to the freezing point this week, there are a few flowers defying the early frosts and determinedly hanging on.

Yet others gave way under the frosty layer after delighting the gardener for several weeks with Cosmos blooms on lanky stalks of delicate greenery.

The gentle rocking of old iron chairs provided us with relaxing hours of endless conversation under the trees at day's end. The weather was better than anyone could have ordered up... abundant sunshine with cold temps to start and end each day but totally comfortable all the hours in between.
There are so many nooks and crannies in a sprawling garden on acres of land. Some more developed and finished than others. Each though with its own delights and special welcome.

Interesting lighting and unique decorations make each area useful for its own purposes.

To the west the summer vegetable garden and wildflower garden now spent for the most part lie waiting for spring's tilling project. Still, the sunflowers remain standing sentinel above the garden supplying the abundance of wildlife from their massive droopy heads of seeds. Silhouetted against the pink and purple sunsets (we ooooed and aahhhhed over every evening) they serve as another reminder of the changing season that is upon us.

One of my favorite things was sitting around the outdoor fire pit behind the barn. The crystal clear sky, full of bright stars, along with the crisp and cold air drew us as close as possible to the flames while family and friends told stories late into the night.

It's always fun to photograph someone else's garden areas. This one was especially exciting as I strolled around to take it in more than once not wanting to miss a single thing.

Thanks for coming along and stayed tuned for more on Cheekwood Gardens.

October's Frosty Visit

Brrrrr... It was a chilly night. Temps plunged to the freezing point overnight. I don't think it lasted long but enough to leave the icy crystals on the vast open fields.

As far as the eye can see, there is a frosty layer of crystals covering what was green grass yesterday.

Does anyone recognize this beautiful setting?


It certainly isn't Hoe & Shovel. Would it be a stretch to say it is kin to Hoe & Shovel?

There was lots of bird activity at the feeders this early morning... not at all bothered by the brisk temps.

Yesterday I arrived for a visit with my dear sister, Marmee, in (Leiper's Fork) or Franklin, TN. Many of you are regular readers of her blog also. Her country homestead is kind of like stepping into another world for this Florida girl. It gives me much excitement to come "north". The colors of the leaves are a treat for eyes longing to see the changes of season and to feel the crisp air of autumn.

My sister is gifted with remarkable natural creative genius. Her interests and keen eye for beauty and uniqueness of design are well expressed in every nook and cranny of her home and garden. I've shared with you a peek of a few of the vignettes I captured on my early morning venture outdoors.

We are off to visit a botanical garden in Nashville today. Whatever exploration the gardens bring us, there is no doubt the day is sure to provide many more hours of non-stop chatter.

Blue Ridge Mountain Images

At the very end of a windy mountain road in Blue Ridge, Georgia, with no neighbors in view, sits the cabin, with the name Tranquility, that was to be our retreat for a few days. And retreat is was. Four girls. Three generations. All family. Some from Tennessee. Some from Florida. We talked, we laughed, we cried, we prayed, we walked, we ate ... together ... and so much of it happened next to that wonderful outdoor fireplace on the expansive wrap around porch.

The initial post on this get-away trip is documented here.

So without too many words, I'll say goodbye for now, to densely treed woodlands, drier cooler air, afternoon hikes, candlelit fireside talks into the late night hours, sunrises and sunsets over the distant mountains, species of wildlife and wildflowers I'll not see until I return and the family I only see occasionally.

Great Spangled Fritillary on Butterfly Bush

Not sure of this pretty blue-tipped butterfly's name...

Tiny blue Summer Azure...

Profuse blooms of hydrangea with the just-as-pretty spent bloomheads of coneflower in the background ...

... pink sedum ... I'm wondering if this is Autumn Joy I've seen on so many blogs ... none in central Florida of course.

And a slide show of fungi specimens you might be as intrigued about as I found myself ... taking closeups of so many different varieties found along our walking trail.