SPRINGTIME IN LONGWOOD GARDENS, Part II

I only just made it - I planted my spring bulbs this year in the nick of time.  I am trying a few new bulbs, tulips, scilla, muscari - all in shades of purples, pinks, whites.  This is one small 8x8 growing box, but they are stuffed into a tiny area inspired by the sweeping walkway through bulbs and annuals at Longwood Gardens up in Pennsylvania.  I'm hoping for beautiful bulb abundance.  If you even remotely like gardens and walks in outdoor exquisiteness, Longwood Gardens is a must.  I have visited during each season, a number of times and I must say, spring delights in a way that only bright colors can, after the long cold and bleak winter.  As we approach winter, I hold on to memories of trips like this one on Mother's Day in May 2014, to keep me from getting total cabin fever.  

A walk around ANNAPOLIS - I love where I live.

Just a lovely day and a wonderful walk around Annapolis, Maryland - soaking up the beauty of this amazing "small town".  Summer strolling at it's absolute best.

Annapolis Yacht Club

The Yacht Club gardens!!  Or flower boxes.  Flowering trees are Crape Myrtle or "Pride of India", the bright lime green is sweet potato vine.  

A few of the lovely old buildings down at the City Dock, with abundant flowering containers everywhere

OB's, or O'Briens - at the bottom of Main Street

Another beautiful flowering Crape Myrtle, old cast iron clock, on State Circle.

In the grounds of the Maryland State House - a cute cottage, on State Circle

Down a side-street - I love the painted wall, it almost looks real

A few of the many magnificent old historic row houses down the side-streets of Historic Annapolis

Welcoming entrance walkway ablaze with color

Walk this way

A very patriotic lobster adorns a doorway

Great color everywhere you look

 I love the little personal touches everywhere, out on the cobbled sidewalk

It's all in the detail

Tea - anyone…..??

Sidewalk dining outside Federal House

An Annapolis institution - Middleton Tavern, down at the City Dock

Grow Annapolis - community vegetable garden

What an amazingly abundant Fall season this was.  I have watched the Grow Annapolis veg gardens being developed on a section of a sod farm that borders on our little community.  I drive by a few times a day, it feels like a trip into the country with sweeping lawns and a typical red barn, even though it is fairly newly built.  I decided to join the growing tide only in September and in two short months, have picked almost daily for the past 5 weeks, given so much away, and been amazed at how quickly seeds appeared and grew overnight, seedlings filled out and produced a bounty that I never imagined.  With full sun, the gardens grow!!  We have eaten freshly picked organic - turnips, radish, baby beetroot, chinese cabbage, bok choy, mustard greens, two different types of kale, arugula, spinach, two different colors of swiss chard and baby carrots.  Not bad for a 2 month growing period.  The growing season is now over sadly, it's getting too cold to grow anything outdoors, so I will have to wait for spring to plant again.

The compost bins (made from old wooden pallets)

A friendly visitor preys on bugs - a neighbors bok choy covered over to prevent being chomped.

All in a day's work - watering the newly planted seeds and seedlings.

About 3 weeks later, I am already picking

5 weeks of growing and I can almost feed an army

Dill in full bloom, growing next door to me

Turnips and radishes ready to eat

Fall begins, leaves change, the nights get colder

Okra growing in another garden, how beautiful are those flowers - okra a good in gumbo!

WEATHER MOODS - looking out from my office

We get some amazing storms rolling through Annapolis, and I get the best view.  My office faces NNW and sometimes I watch the purple sky approach spectacularly, and then the next minute a downpour passes over. At other times those clouds move over the city scape of Annapolis and we just watch then roll on by, staying dry.  For now, the summer storms are over as we approach an early winter in the late Fall.  Still, the view is spectacular.  I took these photos just a few weeks ago.

The draw bridge over Spa Creek, with the fall colors of St. Mary's as a stunning backdrop, the Annapolis Yacht Club across the water in front of the dome of the Maryland State House and the Marriott Hotel on the right - and those purple clouds.

The fuel dock - at the Annapolis City Marina - this is a great red building that makes any photograph look beautiful.

Through the masts and flags of sailboats, the United States Naval Academy - under a purple sky.