To Mulch or Not to Mulch? That is the Question!

The Lime Thyme Did Well

The Lavender Thyme Did Well As Well

So Did the Golden Sage and Berggarten Sage

The Compact Sage is in Decline in this Bed

Well, as all of you know, I garden with The Herbal Husband.  He, of course, has his own rules on gardening.  We butt heads ALL of the time.  He always asks my opinion and, of course, does his own thing in the end.  It doesn't matter where they were born, ladies, men are the same just with an accent!  And I say that in the nicest way possible, really I do.  Back to the subject, to mulch or not to mulch particularly thymes and sages.  My opinion is that once we get snow and it stays on the ground and gets cold enough, it becomes an insulator.  Leaves on the other hand can collect around the crown of the plant and rot the crown.  So as you see in these photos, The Herbal Husband has buried my thymes and sages and I have tried to move the leaves away so they can have drainage and still have some protection.  The same with the sages.  He buried them.  I'm exposing them just enough that they won't rot, but hopefully so they will survive.  We have had temperature swings, but it looks like we are going to be more seasonal in the 30's and 40's through the holidays with some snow.  So hope you are having a great day.  I will talk to you later.

Garden Railroad at Longwood!

Well, without permission I took a video of this little boy at the Garden Railroad at Longwood.  He was just so excited.  I think you will enjoy it.  It is just raining cats and dogs here.  I think we got the California rain because it is still mild but the cold weather is on the way.  Hope your day is going well.  Talk to you later.

Just One More Post-A Longwood Christmas-Nighttime Continues and Ends with Breakfast!

The 18 footer lit up!

That Spectacular Table!

The Acacia Passage

The Mediterranean Garden Tree

The Agave Tree in the Silver Garden

The Succulent Wreath in the Silver Garden

The Trees Were Beautiful

Even Had Ornaments

I Think I Moved My Hand So This Tree Looks Fringed!

I Must be Getting the Shakes!

The Main Fountain and the Lights Made it Look Like Water

An Allee of Brillant Trees!

A Great Place for Breakfast in Kennett Square

Kennett Square Eggs with Rosemary Polenta!

Dragonfly Lights at Sinclair's

OK, so we didn't spend the night at Longwood.  The lights, of course, got better as the night went on.  There was a full moon either the night before or the night we were there.  Couldn't find it until after we left the grounds.  We did go to Hank's Place for dinner in Chadds Ford.  Friday morning we packed and went into Kennett Square and had breakfast at Sinclair's Sunrise Cafe & Tearoom.  The Kennett Square area is known for mushrooms.  Who knew?  So my eggs had mushrooms and smoked Gouda cheese.  Delish!  Then that rosemary polenta!  It was really good.  Bonnie and I really enjoyed our breakfasts and tea.  So that finishes our trip to the east.  Hope you enjoyed it.  I'm going to start working on some wreaths and other holiday items.  So I'll share what I'm doing with you.  I hope you are having a great day.  We heard today about our friend's ex-husband who suddenly passed away in October. They introduced The Herbal Husband and I 29 years ago.  Also my dear blogging friend, Flower Lady in Florida lost her dear DH this morning.  Blessings to Kate and her daughter, Sarah and Lorraine.  I'll talk to you later.

A Longwood Christmas-Nighttime!

The Floating Trees at Dusk

Lots of Lights for this Tree

A Landscape of Lighted Trees at Sunset

The Landscape is Lit

One Magnificent Tree Lit for the Holidays

The Main Fountain

Garden Path at Night

The Main Conservatory

The Huge Christmas Tree in the East Conservatory

The Blue and Silver Wreath

The Blue and Silver Tree

Another Beautiful Tree

I really need to buy a better camera for special shots.  I went cheap and you get what you pay for!  I really like Nikon, but I need to buy a better one.  These are some of the best of the shots I took.  There will be another day tomorrow.  So maybe I will have captured your favorite tree, wreath or ornament.  Really this show is on until January 6, 2013, so don't miss it if you are close to Kennett Square, PA.  A very mild day here.  I think the bulbs are coming up in the front garden!  Working on the piles of laundry since of the plants in containers can go outside.  So I hope you are having a great day.  Talk to you later.

A Longwood Christmas-Daytime Comes to an End!

The Chimes Tower

I Just Liked the Statue of the Woman!

Main Fountain

Peirce-du Pont House

Addition to the Peirce-du Pont House

Decorated Tree in the Atrium

Decorated Staircase

Those Traveling Trunks Are Even Decorated!

A Lovely Basket Filled with Greens!

Another View of the Atrium or Courtyard

A Simple Decoration with Ornaments of Different Sizes

A Portrait of Pierre du Pont

An Afternoon Shared Snack of Pecan Tart and Tea

OK, OK, I'm done with the daytime photos from Longwood.  As you can see we had a very full day and we ended right before it got dark with a bit of afternoon tea and a share Pecan Tart.  We are going to get to the night views tomorrow.  Raining and gloomy here.  Hope you had a great day today.  Talk to you later.

A Longwood Christmas--Daytime Effects Three!

My Mother Grew a Poinsettia Into the Summer Months Once!

A Beautiful Orchid Wreath

A Decorated Agave Tree in the Silver Garden

A Succulent Wreath in the Silver Garden!

Every Alcove Was Decorated

A Decorated Tree Outside the Ladies Room!

I Think Boxwood with the Special Mulch

Pinecone Mulch!  Very Clever!

Garden Railroad and a Replica of the Conservatory!

I Loved these Steps

Barn or a Carriage House

Maybe the du Pont House

I Just Loved that the Buildings are Made Out of Natural Materials

Finally I Got a Train in the Photo!

Well, you asked for it.  There are still a few more daytime photos for tomorrow.  Sorry for those of you looking for the nighttime ones!  Not quite yet.  Hope this gives you a sense that every nook and cranny was decorated at Longwood.  I took a few short videos around the railroad with some children.  I'll share those with you later.  We are going to the movies to see "Lincoln" with our friend, Mike later today.  Need to work on my Christmas wreath for the front door.  Maybe that will get me in the spirit.  The temperatures are finally seasonal here.  Rain coming tomorrow.  Glad it won't be cold enough for snow!  Hope you are having a great day.  Talk to you later.