BALCONIES OF THE FAMOUS FRENCH QUARTER, NEW ORLEANS

A great trip to New Orleans, vibrant, colorful, alive and buzzing again after the disaster of Katrina five years ago.  What a come-back.  Fantastic restaurants, crawfish gumbo and shrimp etoufee, street music and Hurricane cocktails, pre Mardi Gras beads and festivities.  A few photos of the balconies, some brightly bedecked with beads and potplants, masks and flags.

NEW ORLEANS - FRENCH QUARTER SIGNS

THE BEAUTY OF THE OUTDOORS IN WINTERTIME

Having grown up in a sub-tripical climate, and planting through four seasons, I battle with the winter - not being able to dig in the dirt, plant and pick vegetables, watch buds bloom, vines entwine and climb.  But when I stop and look around, the beauty of the winter grasses, grasslands, small miracles surviving and showing themselves through the snow, how can I not look around, endure the cold, breath in the chilly air and enjoy the beauty that is winter.  I am.................. 

On the Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis, Maryland

Out in the country, near Old Appleton, Missouri

Holly Berries, up close and personal

Icy beaches along the South River, Annapolis, Maryland

Looking across Spa Creek, Annapolis - St. Mary's steeple, Annapolis Yacht Club in the foreground, the beautiful old wooden domed Capitol building, standing proud in the background.  With a thin layer of ice on the water, an ice breaker discreetly and silently cuts a path

A stunning country scene along Route 66, Missouri

THINKING OF SUMMERTIME IN THE WINTERTIME

Photos from a few open gardens I visited in the summer in Washington DC.  Very inspirational, very colorful especially after the snow and winter storms we have had on the mid-East Coast this winter.

Not much color other than greens - but with leaf texture and different shades of green, what stunning movement and yet soothing and peaceful around a pond.  Only two shrubs adding something different are the pale pink Spirea and the hot pink Knockout Rose.

Aster and Lantana.  Colors opposite each other on the color wheel contrast and work together.  Purples, blues and lavenders planted with yellows, oranges and reds add excitement and interest.  They are not meant to be soothing and peaceful, but add a burst of wow.

A special piece nestled amongst the ivy, you stop to look, and whilst sitting there, he keeps you company.

Hot sub-tropicals alongside a swimming pool - these are not winter hardy in our Zone 7, but would survive a conservatory, or being brought indoors once the frost bites.  Or you could replant every year, as you would have to for the annuals like the Pentas, Potato Vine and Petunias that they have used to add interest in this garden.  The tropicals are Anthurium in the foreground, beautiful green, pink & white leaf Stromanthe tricolor, large green Colocasia (we called these huge leaves Elephant Ears in South Africa), and multi-color Crotons in the far background.  There are also a few Banana plants with their large tropical leaves behind the Elephant Ears, adding height and texture. 

Shade garden ideas.  Hardy Begonias which die back in winter, then come back each year in the Spring in our Zone 7, with a background of Caladiums, adding pink to the quiet, shady area, also dotted with Ferns and Hosta - old faithfuls in the shade garden.  Caladium bulbs can be replanted each year, add stunning leaf color to any shade garden they come in shades of pink, red, white and green.

New Zealand Flax, a focal plant, surrounded by brightly colored annuals and perennials.

ANOTHER SNOWSTORM, NO MORE SNOW PHOTOS

Photos from open gardens I visited in the summer in Washington, DC.  I can't wait, miss my gardens and flowers.

FEATHERED FRIENDS ON THE SOUTH RIVER, ANNAPOLIS

 SWANS, CANVAS BACK DUCKS, MALLARDS AND EVEN A LONE MANDARIN DUCK.

THE BEAUTY OF WINTER

A DUSTING OF SNOW, HOLLY BERRIES, WINTER GRASSES - THE COLORS OF WINTER.