In your opinion, how famous is the lily pad?

And Mrs. Frog sat Thumbelina down on a lily pad right in the middle of the pond.

When you arrive at the lily pad pond and see how enormous the lily pads are–well–you feel small. You probably feel like Thumbelina. Your mouth gapes open and no one says a word. The guide is still talking but you’ve stopped listening. All your senses have gone to focusing on what’s in front of you. Unless it’s a normal part of your day to gaze at gigantic lily pads then you are ogling over such a spectacle as these. I mean look at the picture. How many of you have even read this far?

So I was wondering what poor Thumbelina thought when Mrs. Frog sat her upon the lily pad and told her she must stay there until she agreed to marry her ugly son. Apparently, the fish sided with Thumbelina cause they had seen frog boy many times. Mrs. Frog had kidnapped poor Thumbelina and hoped she would marry the poor boy.

Do you know how Thumbelina was born? Was she born in the lily pad?

The fish began to eat the roots that held the lily pad in place. Once the lily pad was free, it drifted on down the stream. Do any of you know the rest of the story? Shame on you if you don’t. And more importantly–do your children know?

Thumbelina is a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Anderson. It was published in 1835 and was not well received at the time. Thumbelina was almost forced in to marriage not once but twice. First to a frog and second to a mole. She rescued a bird and then the bird rescued her. The bird carried her away to her prince. The bird then flew to the windowsill of Hans Christian Anderson and tweeted to him while the fairy tales were being written.

What’s not so obvious above is the illustrator’s name which is Thomas Vilhelm Pedersen. He was the first to illustrate Anderson’s fairy tales. Anderson’s tales had been published prior to Vilhelm’s works but were made much more popular as they were added. Today the two are inseparable. They are part of an original 5 volume book with 125 illustrations.  Vilhelm died at age 39 but his work has made the lily pad more famous than any other artist.

Here you see the giant lily pads at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Raleigh, North Carolina? Do you think of Vilhelm’s Thumbelina when you see a lily pad?

Kitties make walkways more friendly

This street has it all. It has a brick sidewalk, attractive plantings, beautiful homes, and mature trees. You know this took several generations of people planning and caring about how it will/would be for them and those who pass on the street. I wish this sort of thing was mandatory. I don’t mean to make a person go beyond their money and means—but everyone can keep a welcome yard. I think a pathway is one of the most important features. Don’t you?

Straight or winding? The above brick paved walkway is winding—- which I think leads your eye from one side of the garden to the other. The owners made the walkway stand out by planting liriope down the sides. It makes a subtle contrast.

That walkway above is slightly off center. That’s clever cause the door is off center to the left. Nice balance.

With a curved path, you look to the end first and then work your way back.

This home is so confident that it can split the sidewalk and dare you to look beyond.

Mossy green paths with a bit of the basketweave showing is perfectly attractive.

Maybe we’d all be in shape if this was our choice of pathways.

Before modern plumbing, the well was a treasured functional part of the landscaping. It was important to show it off properly. Some folks didn’t have a well and would have to go to the town’s approved public well.

I love the curves, the interrupted mixed brick, and the size. Some would call this a patio but what gives it away as a wide path would be that it draws you around the center planting and invites you continue walking beyond the inner circle. See the walkways that come off the main square? I would imagine that those 4 little bushes were probably vegetables or herbs back in the 1800’s when this home was built.

There are lots of ways to build a path or walkway and you’ll have to decide what suits your personality, lifestyle, home architecture, and needs.

Now this straight path needs no other explanation.

A Podcast on The Sunshine Lavender Farm

I added this podcast to my Charlotte History Examiner site. Thought I’d share it here too. You can use my search feature to read more about this farm or you can head over to

Sunshine Lavender Farm’s site and check them out for yourself.

Do Tell Me That Hollyhocks Are In Heaven

After watching the podcast, can you tell why I must grow hollyhocks?

Valle Crucis North Carolina and The Mast Farm Inn

I love North Carolina more than there are apple trees in one seed. Which means, it’s endless. As far back as my memory will take me, I’ve come to these mountains to celebrate the beauty in every season. You can see from the picture above that The Smoky Mountains are named appropriately. I’ve rarely seen my mountains on a clear day but rather it is the norm to see them cloaked in this magical misty presence. The picture was taken today about about 3pm. MrD and I drove up to Valle Crucis, Vale of the Cross, for the day. My destination was

The Mast General Store and The Mast Farm Inn.

The Porch Is Ready For Sit ‘N’

I worked all day yesterday to recover the front porch cushions and make throw pillows to match. I bartered for this chicken fabric long time ago. I made the containers for the front of a fabric store and she gave me some pretty fabric in return. I want to paint the pots yellow.

We are out here several times a day and almost every evening rain or shine. There is ceiling fan to help stir the air on the muggiest of days like today. I’m sure to take a rest from gardening and get a glass of sweet tea. Some days I bring my laptop out and chit chat from the swing.

All the cushions come off easily for washing. I don’t like to sit on dirty or mildewed cushions. Mildew hasn’t been a problem the last two years cause of the drought but this year is a whole new ballgame. We’ve had more rain than sunshine. Today it’s really humid and a perfect set up for mildew. I can nip that in the bud with a good trip to the washing machine. I like my stuff to smell good anyway.

Here is one of my Bee Balms, the Lo and Behold Blue Chip buddleia that is one of my all time favorite shrubs from Proven Winners. It’s a dwarf that will never grow any taller than what you see. But oh the blooms it puts out. A butterfly magnet. I’ve also got Coconut Lime Coneflower there too.

As a reminder to some, I planted my gardens later this year. I work my annuals hard and I wanted them to last longer. They kept fizzling out on me before the season was done which can be November around here. Now it’s all starting to bloom nicely and perfectly timed for a long season of enjoyment.

Cameron wrote about this monarda not long ago if you care to get technical about it. She’s the techy expert. I’ll just plan on going over to her blog and seeing what’s she writing about so I can steal all her hard work. It’s called Raspberry Wine.

I like it with Coconut Lime Echinacea.

Blooming its little fool head off. You know I’m going to divide this next season and have loads more. It stands out the most in my garden.

Blue Satin Rose of Sharon by PW growing as a neighbor to the monarda

And a phlox

Life is so grand from a good old southern porch!

Just sitting out here swatting flies and swapping lies Hugs to everyone. Ok, I’m really going outside now. I’ve got about 30 plants to get in the ground. I’ll need some tea of course.

Painting The Barn Where The Lavender Is Drying

I have so many pictures from my visit to the Sunshine Lavender Farm that I thought I’d post some of the best. Hope you enjoy.

That’s Tom Heggie above and he was painting the barn where the lavender was drying.

I saw Tom giving a few pointers to the sweet lady painting with him. Tom was offering lessons and I would sure enjoy hearing about what he sees as he puts his talent to paper.

This is one of two horses on the farm. I like the cool sunglasses.

At the barn where Annie has some lavender drying in the loft.

I like the rock chimney.

Annie’s Vegetable and Herb Garden

Annie Baggett has a beautiful lavender farm in Hillsborough, North Carolina. I visited there this past Saturday for their 2009 open house. Annie had a dream that she would own a farm like this one day and she has made that dream a reality. The Sunshine Lavender Farm is making a positive difference in their community with organic practices and a give back attitude.

Annie has a back door garden that beckons you to come inside the gate and explore what might be served for supper.

There is a bright sunny face on the garden gate that gives a warm invitation to come inside.

Everywhere you look there is something good to eat. Just look at those colorful poles she uses for her vining plants.

Being inside the garden sheds light on Annie’s love of organic wholesome living. The scents inside the picket garden are just as grand as those in her lavender field. A little path leads from the front gate to the rear gate. It’s all very charming.

This fabulous back screened porch looks out over the picket garden. So much charm and personality is featured in this area. I would love to drink a glass of her lavender lemonde while enjoying Annie’s company on this cute little back porch. Wouldn’t you?

She has a rain barrel and look at her flagstone patio. Most folks forgot to look in this little area but not me! I was learning to appreciate Annie from her back steps. Her farm is wonderful from the long drive up the road to the back pastures where the horses grazed all day. But this little garden got the most of my attention. It held Annie’s heart and was the soul of the farm.

And as I closed the back gate of the picket garden, the little shovel knocker gave a friendly clanking shout to have a nice day. Thank you for having us Annie. I had a wonderful day!

Sunshine Lavender Farm

My First Post on The Sunshine Lavender Farm

Annie was a guest on Cameron’s Blog, Defining Your Home Garden, and wrote about how to grow lavender. See it HERE

Helen at Gardening With Confidence met me at Annie’s Sunshine Lavender Farm and she wrote about it HERE