Friday, November 21, 2014

A Blues Dispeller ~ part 1

Good Friday morning to you all from s.e. FL. Thank you all for comments on flowers, needlework and my email/computer problems.  Still don’t have the latter quite figured out but life goes on.

Yesterday morning I was really depressed, (computer woes, missing Mark, holidays coming, gray days, and a couple of other things that have me feeling down). I was going to do errands, but needed to DO something out of my everydayness, so, with the weather being a perfect day for it, I visited the Mounts Botanical Gardens, which is about 20 minutes away.

I took a back route to avoid heavy traffic, and just pulling into the parking lot was a respite from everyday life. Walking through the entry, I put my donation in the box and was blasted with scents, sounds of splashing and colors.  Gentle cool breezes.  It was wonderful, and I kept oohing and aahing and telling God thank you, for it was just what I needed. A quiet, lovely break. This fountain greets you right off with its gentle sounds.

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This is another fountain, very soothing too.

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I took 59 pictures. I’ll go again for more, maybe next week if the weather is still good.  But in this post I’m going to tantalize you with ‘long views’.  This place is so nicely kept.  Lots of work by volunteers. There weren’t many people around which added to the peacefulness.  This is right next to the flight path of the big international airport, so there are planes flying over now and then. This was just a small jet that was heading in for a landing. The airport is across the highway from the gardens.

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One thing I was looking forward to was the ‘nursery’ at the back of the gardens where baby plants are sold very reasonably. I’ve been hearing about it, just never made it there.  The last time I visited here was March for my birthday last year.

Below is the entry way into the area.

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I bought 2 Yucatan daisies, a red Porterweed, a Mexican blue sage, a Cuban yellow buttercup, and a beautiful Hydrangea tree, Dombeya burgessiae (Seminole), only about 8-10 inches tall with buds on it already.  I was given a baby African Blue Basil. One thing about going here is you can see what is growing in the gardens, then see if they have any outback for sale.

Below is a picture of the flowers of the Yucatan Daisy. It is fast growing and can get huge and full of flowers. I’ll show the other babies as they grow and bloom. The next time I go, I want to get a couple of Barbados cherry plants.  The flowers look sort of like crepe myrtles, but these get very beneficial cherries for humans and birds like them too.  They are very high in Vit. C, and are antioxidant. I’ve read they have a sweet/sour taste.

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After I got home, had lunch and a nap, I repotted the plants. It will be fun watching them all grow and bloom, adding more beauty to my little, humble ‘Plum Cottage’ gardens.  I walked around a bit and was very appreciative to God for all that He has blessed me with. Working in my own gardens are therapeutic for me.

It is a gray, drizzly morning. Yesterday was the perfect day for my outing, and my blues were chased away on the gentle breezes.

FlowerLady

"There is a calmness
to a life lived in gratitude,
a quiet joy."

Ralph H. Blum

10 comments:

Ruth Hiebert said...

The gardens look amazing. I can't wait to see more pictures from there. I am so glad you knew just what was needed to chase the blues away and then you did that.Way to go!

Terra said...

You found the ideal prescription for the blues; walking in the botanical gardens and being surrounded by beauty. I like the deck with the fence near the water. You bought some plant treasures to bring home, how fun.

Nancy J said...

This was what someone ordered for you, beautiful, serene, perfumed plants, colours, greenery, mown lawns, and best of all, the plant nursery. You always find the best in your day, and this was one very best place for some plant therapy. Hugs, as you repot and wait to see them grow at Plum Cottage, Jean.

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

That's a great place for a get away! Thank you for sharing it.

KathyB. said...

Isn't it amazing how a garden can be a haven of restfulness even when under an airport flight path ? Telling of the restorative abilities of gardens.

What a beautiful place, and what a haul of treasure you brought home. I am looking forward to seeing your plantings and the blooming and flourishing of your treasure in the coming months.

I am especially glad to see you had a day out that lifted your heart.

Gary said...

Good morning Lorraine,
I'm so glad that you managed to still your mind from all of your troubles. Gardens are such special places. I particularly like the wooden sculpture in the seventh picture. Pieces of art can either work or not for me in a garden. I suppose for me they have to either make a bold statement, or blend in some way. This is a 'blender'. Hope you are feeling more upbeat today, and thinking of you.

Rebecca said...

I' glad you came up with a way to get out of your "everydayness". (I definitely need to do the same thing.) What an ideal place this is. Alas, nothing up here - outdoors anyway - would work at this time of year...

I particularly was intrigued by the huge blossoms in Part II. My goodness! Hope all your new plants grow to their maximum.

Darcie said...

What an absolute perfect place for our Flowerlady. :-) I am so glad you had that time, and so glad it helped dispel your blues.

Debra Howard said...

What an awesome respite from the blue and grey! Oh how I wish I had the time to do the same. Enjoyed yours in the meantime. Looking forward to seeing your new plants grow

M.K. said...

Perfect combination: gardens and shopping! :) I'm so glad that you took your discouragement in hand, and did something about it. So many folks will just sit at home, getting sadder and sadder. You got OUT, outside, and looked at beauty. Gardens like that are so totally calming. We have nothing like that here, that i know of, but then I live in a very rural area, so everything is vaguely gardenish :) But not as pretty as your photos, that's for sure!