Come Drive With Me

So, we're going for a little drive today. The temperatures are freezing, but the skies are blue, and you'll be fine if you bundle up. Besides, my car has heated seats which, as far as I'm concerned, are the greatest advancement in automotive technology in... well, in forever.

Our first stop is the USGA Golf Museum (above) or the Golf House, as it's known around here. Despite having lived down the road since well before it's inception in the 70's, I've never before visited, and I know nothing about golf. But isn't the main building gorgeous? It was one of the finest estates in the area, and used to be home to former Secretary of State Cyrus Vance.

I'll have to actually go inside someday and learn about golf. :)

Next stop is my favorite park, called Natirar. This was also the site of a former estate. It once belonged to New York socialite Kate Macy Ladd. After her death, the house was used as a convalescent home for women, and was later sold to the King of Morocco.

How's that for hoighty-toighty? ;)

The house (shown here) has since been acquired by a group of investors including Sir Richard Branson. It is being developed as a luxury restaurant, spa and cooking school. The land, however, has been donated to the county park system and is open to all. It is one of my favorite places to walk, and to take pictures. :)

A few minutes away we will stop at my favorite thrift store, housed in the basement of this beautiful little church in Gladstone, NJ. I've been cleaning out our guest room, which has really gotten to be more of a junk room, and I've got to deliver some donations. But the little church is so lovely against the blue sky that I just have to snap a picture or two. :)

Of course, you can't just donate and not go in to browse. Or at least I can't. (Those words sound vaguely familiar. I think I've written them before.)

Oh, what do I spy?! Aren't these gorgeous? Be still my heart! And actually, the individual plates are marked at $6. apiece. So that's really just $24., right?

I hope you enjoyed our little jaunt. I'm thinking soup will be on the menu soon, and these beauties will be showing up in my next Tablescape Thursday post. :)

Have a beautiful day, dear bloggers!

Beautiful Autumn

I snapped this through the car windshield a few weeks ago, driving home from my favorite park. Before you go and get your panties in a twist, let me say that my husband was driving at the time.

Sorry, I just couldn't resist saying "panties in a twist" -- it's not exactly something that comes up often in daily conversation. ;)

Anyway, I hope you are all having a nice fall weekend (or spring, for my friends down under). It's quiet and rainy here this morning, and a lot of leaves came down yesterday in the wind and rain. :(

I hope you will join me for Mosaic Monday this week. Mr. Linky will be up by 8:30pm Sunday. :)

A Fall Garden

It was such a beautiful day yesterday, and I had my camera in the car, so on a whim I stopped at a nearby garden that is open to the public. I wrote about the Leonard J. Buck Garden in the spring here, but it has a very different look in the fall.

Years ago I used to devour seed catalogs, and knew the Latin names for many plants. Nowadays, I have forgotten most of it, and my powers of identification aren't what they used to be. I think this may be tiarella, but frankly your guess is as good as mine.

Of course this is a redwood tree. I know it's probably small compared to some of the huge ones in California, but it seems mighty large for New Jersey. :)

Um, I'm guessing wild ginger? Violets? What do you think?

The Buck gardens were built on the site of glacial rock formations, and there is a meandering stream leading to a beautiful pond, crossed by several wooden bridges.

At the entrance to the gardens, there are benches and several large planters filled with wonderful coleus and other foliage plants.

Oh how I wished my planters were this beautiful!

There was also a rock garden trough with these sedum, which look like some kind of strange landscape when viewed through the macro lens of my camera.

All in all, I spent a beautiful half hour wandering around the garden. I hope you enjoyed it, too. :)

Perennial Beauty

I have some more garden photographs for you today.  These were taken at the Cross Estate gardens, which I showed you here earlier in the week.  In addition to the shade garden I showed you, there is also a beautiful formal walled garden, filled with gorgeous perennials.  Don't you love these soft yellow iris?

Yes, the garden has  very formal bones, but the plantings billow out over the paths in a very romantic style.  Love it!

The brick pergola is covered with wisteria.  In early May, it is alive with the drone of bees, visiting the long purple racemes.  It is a wonderful spot to sit and contemplate the whole garden.

Isn't this peony beautiful, with it's soft pink colors?

I think I've already said that blue is my favorite color in the garden.  Isn't this beautiful?

Mmmm, gorgeous columbine.

Oh how I love this large Italian pot, surrounded by dianthus and lamb's ears and other beautiful flowers and herbs.

Dictamnus -- old fashioned gas plant.  Such a funny name for a pretty plant.

Oh how I love that stone wall, too.  Gorgeous!

A gate out through the pergola leads to a rhododendron walk.  I hope you enjoyed our little tour.  Have a wonderful weekend, dear bloggers.  :)

A Garden Romantic

OK, first you need to know that I'm a sucker for enclosed gardens --  anything with a wall, be it stone or brick or wood, and a sense of enclosure.  Isn't this wonderful?  It's one of my favorite local gardens, the Cross Estate Garden.

Just look at this sea of beautiful white anemones.  You have to love anything that spreads with such abandon.

I guess I have a thing for blowsy, too.  Just a little too full, definitely overabundant.  Am I a garden  romantic?  Absolutely.

I have no idea what this flowering shrub is, but it smells wonderful!  And the variegated ground cover below?  Sorry, no idea what that is either.  But isn't it pretty?

So tell me, what is your garden style?  Enclosed or wide open?  Formal or informal?  Regimented or chaos?  

Are you a garden romantic?

Yet Another Garden Post

Hi everybody!  Another garden tour for you today.  Do you remember my post last week about garden ornaments?  This is part of the same garden.  It's a charming little water garden, with some really cute inhabitants.

Look closely at the edges of the pool.  Do you see who I'm talking about?  Wait,  I'll show you a closer peek in a minute.

In the meantime, don't you love this little garden structure?  What fun would it be to sit here and listen to the water, and gaze at this lovely garden?

See who is peeping out from under the fountain?  Frog and Toad!  (Or maybe Frog and Frog...  I'm not really an expert here.)

And look at this charming fountain in the surrounding shade garden.  I guess someone in this garden loves frogs.

And really, what's not to love?  ;)

Garden Ornament

I thought I'd show you some garden ornaments today, all photos taken last weekend on a tour of a garden called Hedgerows, in Chester NJ.  The tour was a part of The Garden Conservancy's Open Days program.  

Hedgerows is a beautiful country garden, surrounding a nineteenth-century farmhouse.  There is a formal herb garden and perennial borders, along with a lovely woodland garden and reflecting pool.  These different gardening styles are reflected in the types of garden ornaments displayed.  The two charming statues (above and below) guard the walkway to the front of the house, which is a formal area.  They are reminiscent of something you would find in an English Country garden, which is why I love them so much.  Sadly, they are probably a little too formal for our Little Red House.  :(

This simple but lovely formal birdbath (below) stands near the pool garden.  Can you see the miniature lilac behind it -- what a heavenly scent!

Look at this whimsical iron frog (below), near the barn/garage.  How cute is that?  Someone has a sense of humor here.  :)

These charming squirrels (below) overlook the path to the rock garden.  Formal in style, but casual in subject -- they are totally charming!  Now these, I think, would look really great at our Little Red House.  :)

And for all you rooster lovers out there (and I am one of you), how do you like this handsome fellow (below)?  Unfortunately it would seem as though he is a favorite with the birds as well.

And how about these two little piggies (below)?  How cute are they?

Finally, a collection of watering cans (below) -- straight out of an English cottage garden.  Love them!

So tell me, do you have a favorite style of garden ornament?  What pretty things are peeking out from behind the leaves in your garden?

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I hope you will all join me in another Mosaic Monday next week.  I'll put up Mr. Linky by 8:30pm Sunday night.  I can't wait to see your creations!  :)

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Wow, this is my 500th post!  I feel a giveaway coming on...   stay tuned!

Sunken Garden, Kennelston

I'm beginning to think I should have dubbed this "Garden Week" here at Little Red House.  With the exception of Tablescape Thursday, I think we are going to be seeing a lot of gardens.  :)

This is the sunken garden at Kennelston Cottage, the same garden that I showed you yesterday.  Let's go through the garden gate, and down toward the entry.

This is a wonderful garden, surrounded by a trellis and stone fence.  The design is formal, but softened by moss edging the stone pathways.

So beautiful!

As you can see, the trellis fence gives way to a stone wall and hedge on one side, creating a terrific sense of enclosure.  I love the feeling of being surrounded by a garden.  Is it a sense of security, a sort of going back to the womb, I wonder?

I love the allium peeking out from under the hostas, too.  The stone bench looks like a wonderful place to sit and contemplate the garden.  I could have spent hours here.

This hosta is about three feet across, I swear to God.  Gorgeous!  They obviously don't have to worry about deer here.

These succulents are growing in the top of one of the stone fence posts.  An unusual and charming addition to a very beautiful garden.  

More gardens on Friday.  :)

Kennelston Cottage

First of all, thank you SO MUCH to all of you who participated in Mosaic Monday yesterday.  I was thrilled to have so many participants for the first week, and I LOVED seeing all your wonderful mosaics!  

I hope you all had as much fun as I did, and that you will join us again next week.  Tell your friends, too.  The more the merrier!

If anyone else would like to join but needs instructions on making a mosaic, drop me an email at mrcarroll(at)optonline(dot)net.

I wanted to show you a few photos from The Garden Conservancy Open Day I attended on Saturday.  These photos are from Kennelston Cottage in Far Hills, NJ.  Not really a cottage at all, but an English Tudor style house built in the early 1900's. Kennelston is a series of garden rooms, many organized along axial lines.  The two photos above show the ornamental potager, with it's very formal design.

This beautiful bank of early perennials surrounds the pool.  Don't you love the allium and iris?  Blues and purples are my favorite garden colors.

Finally, here is the courtyard garden.  These photos really do not do it justice.  This garden is SO beautiful!  I have some more photos to show you tomorrow, of a wonderful sunken garden.

If you are interested in finding Open Days in your area, visit the Garden Conservancy.