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

Sunshine Lavender Farm

The Sunshine Lavender Farm in Hillsborough, North Carolina had an open house this weekend. The weather was perfect except for that humidity we are dealt on hot summer days. We try to ignore it best we can. The sky was ultra blue and a few wispy clouds offered some welcome shade ever so often. And the color lavender was everywhere.

I tried very hard to stay clean and presentable until Helen Yoest from Gardening With Confidence arrived. I was at the farm early and she came about two hours after I’d already laid on the ground shooting pictures of the lavender against the ultra blue sky. I had also walked all over the farm several times and participated in the hands on activities.

So when Helen got there, I was in a mess. So she took a picture right away. She’s going to post it on her blog soon. You’ll have to go check it out. Helen was fortunate to have Tina from In The Garden visit her in Chapel Hill and you can read about that visit HERE. It is loads of fun to meet fellow blogging buddies and I couldn’t wait to meet Helen.

I was so impressed with Helen and her children. Her 3 children are mature and engaging. Helen is a tall slender lady with a real Southern genteel personality. I expected her to be professional and she was. She’s in the know about everything and made my head spin as she caught me up to speed on who is who is the gardening world. You can follow her tweets @GWConfidence so you can be in the know too.

So we walked around the farm admiring the hens and rooster . We talked about her couple of next projects. She’s going to see Les @ A Tidewater Gardener. I want to go see Les too. So I was jealous when I found out. Look out Les, she’s going to pick your brain about woodies. What is a woodie? Should you be worried. Helen is obsessed with weepers so if you could find her a woodie weeper, she’ll talk about it for ages to come.

Here is a really funny story on Helen. You can tell she’s a true gardener. Not more than a few seconds after we met, she exclaimed there was a tick on her back. I said what? She said there is a tick on my back and she then proceeded to pull it off and squash it. I never in a million years would have expected this very proper well spoken lady to act like this was pulling lent out of a belly button—but she did. The she said—-oh good—it’s not a deer tick. I said Helen—you smashed it to pieces–how can you tell it’s not a deer tick. She just smiled and we looked to admire the Sunshine Lavender Farm homestead. Helen got out her camera and took pictures and we forgot all about the tick.

The homestead is a two story craftsman with big front porch and screened in back porch. The house is a buttery yellow with a most attractive red front door. The front looks very Americana with it’s flag and blue accents. I loved the two potted petunias planters on the front stoops.

Tents were set up around the farm with folks advertising and selling their goods. There was a lavender barn chock full of lavender stems to purchase, a gift shop that sold all things lavender, a little ice cream cart that sold vanilla lavender flavor, and so much more.

Helen and I stood by the chicken coop admiring how it was made. Helen made friends with two little boys who were tormenting the chickens with a stick. She was able to talk with them and guide them toward better behavior without them even knowing they had been corrected. It was a true show of her kind and loving approach to kids and nature. I loved that moment. I thought–she really is who she says she is.

We had the best time and I’m looking forward to visiting her some time in the not so distant future. She’s got a teasing twinkle in her eye that makes you think every visit will be one to remember. I stayed on at the farm a bit more. The lavender smelled really good and I was enjoying watching the ladies in their hats. It’s good to be around gardeners even if you don’t know a single one. There is something good and wholesome about that sort of atmosphere. I never tire of it.

More tomorrow!

The Perennial Beds at The Briar Patch

Come go with me and see what’s  blooming at the nursery with all the know about new and sought after landscaping plants for my hometown.There are hundreds of blooms at The Briar Patch and Sweet Pea’s Fresh Market on Stratford road in Winston Salem, NC. Every year Deidre and Damien Johns march in to Spring with an explosion of color.  While looking for some bedding plants, I snapped a series of pictures from the Perennial beds to the fresh market. For this post, we’ll take a look at the perennial tables which are outstanding and irresistible.

Moss

Did you know this picture got a lot of attention when I first posted it a couple of months ago. I posted it again when I moved my blog back to wordpress. You can see the post here. But the second posting was not as good as the first. Seems like you can’t write a good article over and make it sound as good. Is that your experience too? Recently on wordpress, I’ve been able to post larger pictures. I wanted to show you this moss growing under the tables at a local nursery. It is growing there quietly and I wonder how many people notice it. 

 It’s one of my favorite pictures in my plant album. I took it one day last Springish time. It was on a visit to LA Reynolds Showcase Nursery in Winston Salem, NC. I was taking pictures of the flowers when I suddenly caught the sun streaming down to the moss that was growing under the tables. I have been in awe of this picture and not so much because it is such great photography. I’m in awe because it was an unexpected surprise to find something so beautiful growing under the tables of the nursery. The tables were full of beautiful flowers. This was just as grand as any cultivar or special display. This was nature doing something more grand than man could ever create.

Has a photo that you have taken ever affected you so that you never forgot it? 

Strawberry Candy, Scott Crowley, and Mini Pearl Lilies

She is called Strawberry Candy. I think that is appropriate! Linda over at Tradgar has some beautiful lilies.

Scott Crowley

Mini Pearl

Here is a wonderful site that list different types of lilies. North American Lily Society

The photos above are from my LA Reynolds Showcase Nursery catagory.

Hydrangea Blooms Marching Across Camera Lense

Nikko Blue taken from Wikipedia Images

This is my hydrangea photo collection. Some of the pictures were taken at LA Reynolds Showcase nursery, some from my former home, and some are taken from the Proven Winners Site. I do not know all the names  but most are from Monrovia and Proven Winners. I love hydrangea blooms. At my current home, I have Nikko Blue, Limelight, Pinky Winky, Quick Fire, Let’s Dance Starlight, and Little Lamb.  

Quick Fire®
Hydrangea paniculata
Hardy Hydrangea

‘Limelight’
Hydrangea paniculata
Hardy Hydrangea

‘Shamrock’
Hydrangea macrophylla
Japanese Hydrangea
PH Sensitive

Cityline™ Paris
Hydrangea
Bigleaf Hydrangea

White Dome®
Hydrangea arborescens
Hydrangea

‘Claudie’
Hydrangea macrophylla
Japanese Hydrangea

Pink Shira™
Hydrangea macrophylla
Mophead Hydrangea

Cityline™ Berlin
Hydrangea macrophylla
Bigleaf Hydrangea

Cityline™ Venice
Hydrangea macrophylla
Bigleaf Hydrangea

Cityline™ Vienna
Hydrangea macrophylla
Bigleaf Hydrangea

Let’s Dance™ Moonlight
Hydrangea macrophylla
Bigleaf Hydrangea

‘Little Lamb’
Hydrangea paniculata
Hardy Hydrangea

Let’s Dance™ Starlight
Hydrangea macrophylla
Bigleaf Hydrangea

Pinky Winky™
Hydrangea paniculata
Hardy Hydrangea

The following hydrangeas are pictures from my files and the names were not documented but I thought you would enjoy seeing them.

What Grows Under The Flower Tables? Beyond first glance.

On my recent trip to LA Reynolds Showcase Nursery, I stopped to look under the tables full of flowers. There is always beautiful moss growing there and the light makes patterns that are magical. I could stand there all day and photograph life most people never stop to notice. Hovering over these little mini canvases are hundreds of beautiful annuals and perennials which would be beautiful photographed from any angle. I find it just as interesting and inviting under the tables.

This fern was growing nicely in the rich and mossy forgotten areas. Next time you go to your favorite nursery, don’t forget to look under the tables. There is so much activity just waiting to be discovered. I think it adds to the character of my shopping experience. Going to the nursery is just as much about the textures, smells, and obvious beauty as it is the hidden things you find tucked away that aren’t so visible.

This looks like a nice place to take a nap. It’s protected and never been disturbed. There is something fascinating about going where no one has gone before. To be the first to touch and fell the quiet.

I love the undisturbed areas of a nursery. When I see something like this and I have my camera along, I go into that zone that only trained athletes attain. It’s the zone where you block out all noise and distractions causing you to pull away from the moment. I don’t hear a sound around me and then it becomes emotional. I could cry or laugh and do so quietly. When I become aware of those passing and going about the process of buying and inspecting plants, I think to myself that I just witnessed something they did not. I’m privy to a world that most take for granted. I’m thankful to my great aunt who taught me to pause and look at what is beyond first glance.

Beautiful Containers and Statues From One of My Favorite Garden Shop

LA Reynolds Showcase Nursery in Winston Salem, NC is a favorite on my nursery list. They have some of the best plants in town and their product is displayed nicely. They are a Proven Winners nursery and today I was there to purchase one of these gazing balls for my friend @ Lavender, Lace, and Thyme. I took some pictures to share with you.

They have some of the best containers!