Exploring Sarasota

This is going to be a busy week. School starts in three short weeks, and there is a lot to do before day one. I'm going to spend most of today on the phone trying to get appointments and closing out New Jersey business. You would be happy to know that the cable company here is just as incompetent as the cable company back home. 

Last Friday, my family surprised me with a trip to Sarasota. I was told to be ready by 8:30am ......somewhere around 9 am we left the house. Sarasota is just under a two hour drive from Naples. First stop...the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens.

The gardens have breathtaking views of the ocean throughout the seven acres of lush landscaping and rare plants.

These pink Caladium's look beautiful among the sea of ferns.

It was definitely time for lunch at the Koi pond.

From there, we had a lovely lunch and then onto the next event. A Segway tour of Sarasota. I am definitely buying one of these.....and I will NEVER show a picture of myself on one. It's like a moped, fun to ride, buy you would not want your friends to see you on one. 

An hour of shopping at St. Armands Circle.

On our way to dinner we stopped at Siesta Key Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in the Country. According to Travelers Choice, it's the thrid best beach in the Country second only to Hawaii. The sand was soft powder white, and felt like baby powder. 

We had dinner at the Carmel Cafe, just north of Sarasota. Each table is given iPads to peruse the menu and wine selection. You can order directly off the iPad or with the aide of the waitress. Each entre has two different wine pairings that are recommended to accompany it. 

And if that wasn't enough for the day....we had dessert at Subzero, an ice cream store featured on Shark Tank. What makes this place so unique is that the ice cream is made to order from scratch using liquid Nitrogen to freeze it immediately. 

It was a great day. 
 

Simplicity of Summer

I have been busy working outside on a project for the last few days.  Sometimes....most times....I get really focused on the task at hand and forget to look around. Yesterday almost slipped away from me.....and then....I looked across my driveway....I noticed that my hydrangeas are at their peak.

I wait all winter and most of spring in anticipation of this.

Next year at this time we might be on our way to Florida. I will miss this sight.

Tomorrow, I'll show you where I put this ornamental purple pepper....say that 3 x's fast!

I hope you take a moment and look up from whatever you are doing.

Hydrangeas & Happenings

Today's Monday, right? I can tell that summer has started because I was not sure what day today was...and it is going to be like that for the next few months.
My kids are still in school. I think they are working on next year's projects by now. It feels like the movie Groundhog Day. 
On the bright side, my hydrangeas are starting to bloom. One of these days, I am going to cut all of them and make a huge topiary like Preston Bailey does. Well, like his people do.

Preston Bailey

I do have enough to make a table setting like this one. 

Via

I definitely have white ones, and could do this.

Source?

Country Living

And on another note, my daughter had a birthday. I was shocked...almost fell off my chair...when she announced she would be keeping all the items I gave her! 
Could it be that I am now able to shop for my teen?....Probably not, just dumb luck.
Here are the items she loved.

this top
This one in mint that is now on sale! Yes, I will go back for an adjustment...wouldn't you?

Mint top now on sale
This Michael Kors wristlet

Available here
And a few other goodies. Have a productive Monday...if possible.
Was your weekend more exciting than mine? How did you fill your days?

Procrastination Updates

Last month, I shared with you how I updated my DIY's & Featured page. As I mentioned, it was incredibly time consuming....almost as bad as installing crown molding. Well, last week my daughter had the Flu...the real one...the one that causes the entire family to go on Tamiflu. Since I was home-bound, I decided to update the Garden & My Home pages. 
I think the Clorox bleach wipes made me high. 

I used the same program that I used for the DIY's page. The program is no longer free. It reminds me how our cable company gave us free boxes for all our tv's....it won't be long before they charge us for each box....now that we're hooked on them like caffeine. 
This is a sample of the page

Let's face it, garden pictures look better than DIY pictures. 

The My Home page has some of the areas I have shown you, and will continue to grow over time.

I also forgot to tell you about this adorable necklace I won. It was a giveaway from the Tiptoe Butterfly. 

It came from World Vision. That makes it is extra special to me. 

I'm counting this as my January Project Procrastination....Finish the Unfinished. I'll be pinning it to the board. Oh wow, I just noticed that some people are really getting things done and pinned.
Have you joined in? Do you want to?

Garden Catalog Time

It's that time.  For those of you who garden, or have ever accepted one garden catalog request... you are probably knee deep in garden catalogs by now. Just like weeds, those babies multiply. 
I have done my share of catalog plant purchases....like the time I ordered 9 white bare-root rose bushes. 
My own personal experience is price or patience.
If you shop price, and boy are the prices low....you need to be patient.  The inexpensive mail-order plants are small and will take a few years to catch up to the higher priced local nursery version.  
Here are some of the plants that are almost fool proof and great for mail-order.
Astilbe

These are shade plants. They will spread over time, and can be divided easily.
Hosta

White Flower Farm

Another shade plant. Unlimited selection, and easily dividable.

Ferns

White Flower Farm

Same as above, shade, large selection....easily divided.

My personal mail-order favorite are Lilies

I can't get enough of them. In fact, I think I have only bought these from mail-order. 

Lilies are much happier when planted as a bulb. If you purchase one from a garden center already in bloom, once the bloom has faded, cut it back to the bulb and plant that.

Do you have a favorite mail-order plant?

Friday's In the Garden....Coral

The color coral is everywhere right now. Yes, I am loving it, too. This morning, before the wall of humidity came, I realized that now is the blooming time for Coral Bells.

Google

This is THE easiest plant to have, well....other than hosta's. There are so many varieties and color variations, but there is something about this one, that I just love.

As long as we are designing a garden around a color....let's see what else we can add to it

You know, I love the idea of an outdoor wedding

source

Something to sit one

source

source

Another amazingly simple coral flower is from the Flower Carpet family

source

Are you adding any new colors to your garden this year?