My husband and I have been spending a couple of days visiting our oldest son in Newport, Kentucky. I really wasn't planning on visiting the Krohn Conservatory since we were just there in the fall. I look... (more)

My husband and I have been spending a couple of days visiting our oldest son in Newport, Kentucky. I really wasn't planning on visiting the Krohn Conservatory since we were just there in the fall. I looked online to see what kind of exhibit they were having and it said it was an Early Spring Show called "Sparkle and Bling."  It sounded interesting because they were using glass and wine bottles in the garden.  They did use glass beads and when the sun caught the beads, it was very pretty.  They had three branches which they spray painted and put in the soil and then put a few wine bottles on the branches.  I was hoping the wine bottle idea was going to be a little more elaborate.  My husband totally missed the wine bottles.  The spring flowers were very pretty and now more than ever, I am ready for spring.  It was sunny and in the 50s here, so it did end up being a very nice day.  (less)

"The mission of Sherman Library & Gardens is to: (a) operate a research library devoted to the study of the Pacific Southwest during the last 100 years; (b) maintain botanical gardens which include tro... (more)

"The mission of Sherman Library & Gardens is to: (a) operate a research library devoted to the study of the Pacific Southwest during the last 100 years; (b) maintain botanical gardens which include tropicals, subtropicals, cacti, and succulents; and (c) conduct educational programs."  My sister, husband, and I really enjoyed our visit.  If we would have come earlier, we could have had lunch at the cafe in the garden. (less)

Roger's Gardens is a wonderful home and garden store in Corona del Mar, California.  It has interesting plants as well as ideas and products for the home gardener.  My favorite flower is now... (more)

Roger's Gardens is a wonderful home and garden store in Corona del Mar, California.  It has interesting plants as well as ideas and products for the home gardener.  My favorite flower is now the 5 inch anemone that comes in various colors.  I've only seen anemone flowers that were about an inch in size.  I also loved their heart shaped hypertufas and heart shaped clay pots filled with succulents.  My only problem was.....we were flying home!!  I'm sure my husband didn't see that as a problem! (less)

A walk in Dana Point, California in January is definitely more colorful than a walk in Monroe, Michigan in January.  The temperature was between 60 degrees and 80 degrees while we were there.  Ac... (more)

A walk in Dana Point, California in January is definitely more colorful than a walk in Monroe, Michigan in January.  The temperature was between 60 degrees and 80 degrees while we were there.  According to my sister, the prettiest time of the year for flowers is June. (less)

I took my camera with me to my niece's house in San Juan Capistrano.  I was going to take pictures of my niece's little girl while my sister was babysitting.  My sister suggested that we go for a... (more)

I took my camera with me to my niece's house in San Juan Capistrano.  I was going to take pictures of my niece's little girl while my sister was babysitting.  My sister suggested that we go for a walk and this is what we saw!  Wonderful ideas for any gardener!!  (less)

Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is located on Belle Isle in Detroit.  I have not been to this conservatory since I was a kid.  After visiting the Taylor Conservatory during the summer and find... (more)

Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is located on Belle Isle in Detroit.  I have not been to this conservatory since I was a kid.  After visiting the Taylor Conservatory during the summer and finding out that it is the "open air" rendition of the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, I wanted to go back to see this conservatory.  This conservatory is small, much like the Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati, and doesn't take very long to walk through.  It has a Cactus House, Tropical Exhibits, Show House, and a Fernery. (less)

The Krohn Conservatory and Eden Park are both located on the Ohio River not too far from downtown Cincinnati.  The Krohn Conservatory is a small conservatory in comparison to some of the other conserv... (more)

The Krohn Conservatory and Eden Park are both located on the Ohio River not too far from downtown Cincinnati.  The Krohn Conservatory is a small conservatory in comparison to some of the other conservatories that my husband and I have visited.  On the day we went, they were having a juried orchid exhibit. (less)

Yesterday, my husband and I went to the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.  We had not been there since we went to Ameriflora in 1992.  Ameriflora was like a huge flower and garden... (more)

Yesterday, my husband and I went to the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.  We had not been there since we went to Ameriflora in 1992.  Ameriflora was like a huge flower and garden show.  In 1992, there was no handblown glass art by Dale Chihuly on exhibit.  Now the conservatory owns many of his glass art pieces.  There is also an outdoor courtyard display of colorful glass pumpkins, gourds, and fruits by Michael Cohn and Molly Stone.  Glassblowing demonstrations can be seen daily at the conservatory's Hot Shop. (less)

The Taylor Conservatory & Botanical Garden is a gem of a garden I just recently discovered in my research of nearby gardens.  It is located in Heritage Park in Taylor, Michigan.  The conserva... (more)

The Taylor Conservatory & Botanical Garden is a gem of a garden I just recently discovered in my research of nearby gardens.  It is located in Heritage Park in Taylor, Michigan.  The conservatory is a "sculptural interpretation of the historic Anna Scripps Conservatory" which is located on Belle Isle in Detroit.  Unlike the Anna Scripps Conservatory, the Taylor Conservatory is an "open air conservatory."  The conservatory has many unusual plants and the terrace is filled with many plants to attract butterflies. (less)

Four Star Greenhouse is the home of the Proven Winners in Michigan. Today, my husband and I met my mom and sister at the Four Star Display Gardens. Their gardens are gorgeous and they group their flowers... (more)

Four Star Greenhouse is the home of the Proven Winners in Michigan. Today, my husband and I met my mom and sister at the Four Star Display Gardens. Their gardens are gorgeous and they group their flowers to put on a fantastic display. This garden is open to the public all summer long. Today, they also had a garden and greenhouse tour for growers from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. We were told we could join the growers for lunch and ended up sitting with two couples who own and operate greenhouses in the Lancaster area.  They were quite interesting and we ended up having a great free lunch in a beautiful setting.  According to my sister, I would be any greenhouses's "dream customer".....she is so funny!  And my husband says that she's probably right! (less)