A Quick Peek at the Azaleas and a Peacock Update

The azaleas are really starting to pop out with enough color now to distract us from all the frost damaged flowers and foliage. They are a sure sign spring is on our heels. Every February we start out with a few blooms and then each day the color increases into explosions of color that brighten up so many gardens down here in the south.

I was sure ya'll would want to see the start of this happening ... with more flowers sure to come.

Kylee and Meems Update

Meeting Kylee from Our Little Acre (in Ohio) was so much ... like finding a long lost friend. It was as if we had already known each other right from the start. I guess that is the one of the beauties of blogging. We really do make new friends virtually and then the added treasure to actually meet face to face is so natural. We chatted it up for hours and wished we had planned more time together... next time we will.

Truth be told, I haven't hardly come up for breath since my last post when I let you all know I was expecting visitors. Today I am on my way out the door again but I wanted to give you some quick updates.

You can read more about our visit from Kylee's perspective here. She is having lots more fun on her Florida vacation, too. So hang around her blog a while (after you finish reading this of course) and check out her beach trip and all the pretty flowers growing just south of here.

What's the Latest with the Peacocks?

So many of you have asked about the peacock situation. I snapped this photo as my sister and I were on our way out the door yesterday. This guy is looking to cross the street from my neighbor's over to my garden. I put Mr. Meems on 'shoo-away' duty yesterday while I was gone.

My phone has been ringing off the hook in response to the ad I ran for "free peacocks". No one has really stepped up to the plate to come trap them. I've even spoken to a couple of "licensed trappers" who were interested -- only they haven't followed up to actually come get started. It isn't as if you set out traps and all six peacocks will just come running. From what I've gathered it is quite a process and could take several attempts and many trips back and forth for the trapper.

Honestly I have been SO busy I haven't had time to do my own follow up like I should. When my sister heads back home I'll take the time to make sure I've exhausted all the possiblities with folks who have shown interest.

You know what that means? There will be more updates to come. LOL

Speaking of Chatting Non-Stop!
Marmee and I have had the best time catching up. We aren't getting much sleep but we are having a blast.

Our primary goal on this trip was to spend as much glorious time at the beach as possible. So off we went yesterday! Only it was one of those VERY RARE non-sunny days in Florida. Not only was the sun not shining but it was foggy. All day. At the beach, people! Do you know how strange that is? I don't think I recall EVER seeing it last all day long in my lifetime.

A cold front had moved through ... but very slowly. It caused the fog to set in early in the day and it didn't pass through completely until last night.

Not to worry. We walked on the beach and breathed in the fresh salty air, felt the sugary white sand in our toes, listened to the waves and chatter of birds anyway. The beach is glorious no matter what!

I took her to one of my favorite little beach shops on Anna Maria Island. It was relaxing and wonderful to take our time just hanging out. Marmee wrote more about it on her blog last night.

That cold front did cool us down to 50's at night and 70's in the day.

PERFECT FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK!

We are off to the beach again today! The world is already warm with plenty of golden liquid from above!

Have a great day,
Meems

Post Vacation Perusal of the Garden

What's the first thing you do upon returning when you've been away from your home for days? It is automatic. No thinking involved. When we drive up in the driveway I get out of the car and head for a look around the garden. Hubby starts to unload and I am long gone.

Now that I have a vegetable garden that is where I start my perusal. When we got home from our beach vacation this weekend, I was picking green beans within seconds of arrival. There were tomato plants to stake and radishes to pull. It is amazing how much growth can be seen after one's eyes have not been looking closely each and every day. All is well there.
Time to take a walk around from front to back to see how the garden survived without me. Fortunately, my next door neighbor (as I've mentioned in previous posts) is always willing and happy to keep everything watered for me. This time of year there is risk in overwatering. With shorter days giving less hours of sunshine most containers are not requiring as much water as previous months.

With pruners in hand I couldn't help but snip away at the spent and bushy pentas. Mr. Buzzing Bee flew in to welcome me home. I'm so happy they are still busy around here in spite of the unusually cooler temps we've been having.

Salvia coccinea knows how to keep the spark going in her corner of the garden. She's made several babies in some other areas, too, all from cuttings earlier in the summer and fall.

Our colder than normal temps have singed the edges of some of the more tender plants. I couldn't help myself but to prune away the pale-from-the-cold and burned branches of the coleus that just two weeks ago were blazing brightly in the afternoon sun. They actually have new growth towards the bottom of the plants. Now those are free to get more sunshine.
This is one of my favorite colorful combinations with the deep purple hue of purple queen next to the chartruese green of the potato vine. Add to that the contrast of the flax lily in front and the purple fountain grass, still blooming plumbago and lantana (not shown in this photo-sorry but they deserved a mention) mounding behind it.

Butterflies are still enjoying the leaves as a landing spot on the sprawling potato vine. This part of the garden is one of the few areas fully exposed without any tree cover. This closer shot of the vine reveals how the edges have been seared from the cold nights.

The end of hurricane season was Sunday and this part of the world breathes a sigh of relief. With that official announcement we got some much needed rain. A welcome respite after 3-4 weeks of utter rainless activity.

Overall, no great losses to speak of in the garden while I was gone. It's kind of funny how we think the whole garden will fall apart with out us.

I do love the cooler air we've been enjoying. I'm willing to give up some of the tropical foliage - I didn't say the whole plant - just some of the foliage -for the very pleasant daytime temps we've been loving to garden by these days.

Now, shouldn't I be getting all the Christmas decorations up? I'd rather be in the garden!

Blessings,

Meems

Thanksgiving Week in St. Simon's Island

Our family has congregated to St. Simon's Island, Ga for Thanksgiving week.

Our three grown children with their spouses and their children are all staying in the same house at the beach.

No time for writing much. We've been very busy having great family time.

It's going to be really strange to cook in a partially equipped kitchen but we'll manage.

Yesterday a photographer met us at this 1700's church to take family photos.

Here's to wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving Day and week.

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.