Jamie and I had a very quick trip to North Carolina; while we were there we squeezed in as many local attractions as we could. One of our stops was at the Asheville Botanical Garden. It wasn’t a very large garden, but it was a really pleasant stroll. It’s filled with native plants and I knew that several of you out there would really enjoy seeing them. This is the type of place where you want to sit quietly on a bench and enjoy your communion with nature.
Mountain Laurels have long been a favorite of mine. Every time I see them I'm whisked back in time over thirty years ago. I instantly envision the old creek where our swimming hole used to be. There were shallow areas in the creek where you could walk for great distances thru tunnels of cascading mountain laurel.
Though I’m not a big fan of whimsical things in our garden, I absolutely fell in love with the fountain in this pond. I thought the idea of the huge hands pouring water out of a cup was absolute genius. The feature was turned off while we were there, but I loved the idea of it.
The garden has a wonderful stream flowing all thru it. Down just a few hundred feet from this shot children are playing with water guns in the water while the mothers relax on large rocks.
Jamie has a fascination with Trilliums and he was thrilled to find these.
How’s this for a dogwood bloom? This is Alternate-leaf Dogwood Cornus alternifolia.
Eastern Goats-beard
This was my third encounter with this plant. First our friend Jimmy dug some up from the woods to plant in his garden, then it was identified on Clay and Limestone and finally here in the Asheville Botanical garden. Three times in one week, is someone trying to tell me something? This is Indian Pink.
This is called Fringed Indian Pink. Why do they call it pink anyway? It looks red to me.
After a long day of traipsing around the woods and other places we figured we had burned enough calories to deserve a treat. I heard at the Fairegarden that the best place for homemade ice cream is The Hop so we gave it a try. This shop is owned and operated by Frances’ family and it was a real pleasure to have a sweet treat there. If you are every in Asheville you absolutely must stop by and enjoy the ice cream.
21 comments:
Glad you made it to Asheville and the Botanical Gardens and had a lovely stroll. The native flowers are more prevalent in spring, although the rhododendron display is quite heavy at nearby Craggy Gardens (wild growing) in June.
As for "pink" used for "red" color, it is the same with those "pink coats" worn by equestrians on the fox hunt, too. The coats are a red, but called pink.
Cameron
I enjoyed the tour, and how fun that you got to sample the ice cream at The Hop.
My former husband was from that area. Don't remember the botanic gardens when we visited. They certainly are serene and beautiful.
I've seen The Hop featured on Frances' posts and it looks like a cute place to stop for an ice cream treat. Hope I have a chance to see both these things sometime.
Marnie
What a nice grden tour!
My goodness, such beauty and a wonderful place to visit. Love the hand fountain. That is awesome. Thanks for taking us along :-)
Cameron,
I'm glad we got up there too, but I would have really enjoyed just a little more time. We will make another trip soon.
Pam,
The ice cream was delicious! And in HUGE servings too!
Marnie,
If you get there definitely check it out.
Darla,
It's a short tour, but it's worth the trip.
Lozza,
I'm so glad you came to pay us a visit again! It's nice to see you here. I'm on my way to your blog now.
Oh Randy and Jaime, you are too sweet! Hope you enjoyed your ice cream, it should have been on the house for this nice advertising. :-) The little botanical garden was a favorite spot of son Brokenbeat when he was a student at UNC Asheville, just a short walk to the gardens. It is peaceful and family friendly. The paths and wildflowers are a nice escape from the downtown festivities. We grow the Indian Pinks here too, and yes, I think the cosmos are telling you to add some to your garden. We have only a small clump, a gift from Claude, da mailman, but will be happy to share if they ever grow large enough. :-)
Frances
Frances the ice cream was scrumptious! We were happy to have a chance to visit; it was only about six miles from the hotel. We got ice cream after eating at Asiana, which was the largest Chinese buffet I’ve ever seen in my life. Thanks for the offer on the pinks. :-) Jimmy found a bunch of them growing wild so we should be able to get them pretty easily. I’m still so amazed at how often synchronicity appears in our lives.
The Asheville Bot sounds wonderful. The speckled trillium is fab. I love goatsbeard, too! And ice cream, well, nom nom. But the pressing question is, what flavors did you have?!
Monica,
I had the vanilla parfait with caramel, fudge and butterscotch topping and Jamie had the the Big Banana!
You took some wonderful photos of the Botanical Garden. I have a Indian Pink too & it's red as well. ;)
The big hands holding the cup makes a great sculpture even if it isn't pouring water. This botanic garden is a treasure. I can see why you enjoy touring there. Yes, the red Indian Pinks are a must for your garden.
I love that garden and try to make it every time I am in Asheville...great pics btw
Thanks Racquel,
It’s really odd that so many people have this plant in their gardens and I’m just now seeing it.
Lisa,
I love the sculpture. I wish we had one for our garden.
Cims,
It’s kind of neat to think that you, Frances and I have walked the same paths even though we’ve never met before.
*Love* Mountain Laurel. The flowers look just like lace.
Sounds like you had a nice but quick trip to NC. Next time I recommend trying to get to Craggy Gardens in June if you can. The Rhodies are truly spectacular!
I hope to visit this garden sometime this year...and I may have missed the best time with the Kalmia and wildflowers in bloom! I love whimsy in the garden, especially if it's done as nicely as this cup in hand. That is fine art! I've had The Hop ice cream and it is delicious! Thanks for the great tour. The first photo is fantastic, btw!
Thanks Jamie and Randy for shairing such a inspirational garden with me today. This is truly a special place. Love your post, awesome! Bill and Jenny
The hands are really cool! I love things like that(-: I enjoyed the other pictures as well!
The botanical garden looks wonderful and relaxing. Love the stream. I have an obcession with flowing water. Thanks for sharing your trip!
Thank you so much for the tour. It is simply beautiful.~~Dee
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