My friend's Hydrangia and a preview of a garden in which I like to eat

 

I was surprised to be greeted by this lovely bush as I walked to her door last week!

This lovely setting is a favorite breakfast/brunch stop...I'll share more about it soon!

Sharing with CDP Theme Day for August, Gardens

Today's quote:

"Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the Great Mystery into which we were born.

~ Albert Einstein

Gardens around the lake

FLOWERS!

Have you ever walked through a Conservatory in winter?

Biltmore Conservatory, Asheville, NC

I remember seeing a wonderful exhibit of blown glass sculptures interacting with wonderful vegetation in Atlanta at the Botanical Gardens, maybe not winter, but still it was a great relief to see such beauty.  Chihuly glass is pretty wonderful all by itself.  So are flowers.

Chihuly glass at Dallas Arboretum

But this trip was to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.  The Conservatory had lots of orchids, palms, and spring blooms in pots.  Ah.

My only criticism was there were repetitions of the same plants throughout the greenhouses, (except perhaps for the actual orchid room.)  But I guess that works when the main focus of flowers at this estate is to have table decorations in hallways and banquet rooms inside.  The actual blooms from the Conservatory were not what I saw inside while walking through the rooms...rather they looked like they came from hot houses or were imported from a place where it's summer right now.

Conservatory, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC

And the gardens are still dormant, though the daffodils were beginning to peep up.  I'll show you them under the trellessed roses here...then more will come tomorrow.

Art in Bloom memories - 9

Yes, tomatoes in a container!

 Catch a drip or two of the fountain.

 A lovely stone wall, which looks pretty old, holds up a patch of garden outside the fenced area for dogs.

Thank heavens for a zoom.  I saw these Magnolia blossoms on a tree across the street in the shade.  I was surprised to capture them this well.

Crops gone

After harvest, the garden beds look so lean.  I think of all those jars of food that have been canned by dear sweet friends, sweating in hot summer kitchens, to be used when it's cold outside their homes this winter.

Quote for today:

Reverence the highest, have patience with the lowest. Let this day's performance of the meanest duty be thy religion. Are the stars too distant, pick up the pebble that lies at thy feet, and from it learn the all.

Margaret Fuller

Downtown gardens

 On the ridge between two parking lots, and the slope below, are great gardens by the Garden Club of  Black Mountain.  Last week I caught this iris smiling at me as I gazed toward the railroad tracks below.  To find this lovely area, look on Depot St. where it meets Dougherty...behind the Center for the Arts.

Garden: Peony

This is the first full bloom on the bush in my neighbor's front garden.  It's perfect.

Buds are all over the place though!

Quote for the day:

Sometimes I go about pitying myself, and all the time I am being carried on great winds across the sky.

Chippewa, translated by Robert Bly

 

Fishing floats

Thanks to Hank for collecting these and showing them off outside in his garden.  Do you think he will sprout some baby floats?  Or fish?  mmmm, unlikely.  I remember my ex-husband had collected Japanese glass fishing floats (all in green) which washed up on one of the Aleutian Islands when he was in the Coast Guard.

Garden Post

Another view of Hank's garden, showing a lovely painted post.  We used to call these Peace Posts (back in the 80's maybe) and they had all the words in different languages for Peace painted on them.  This one is all about gardening however, and is brightly painted.  It's a manufactured piece, but still costs quite a bit.  I think it's lovely and you sure won't see one in every garden!

I'm including this in Friday Fences, though it's kind of late.  Hope I can get it in this week. Come over there to see other beautiful photos.