Northeast Gardening: Time to share some color in my Florida garden!, 1 by DonnieBrook

DonnieBrook wrote:
Interesting, Memory! I think Florida is virtually 3 different states - the lower third is very tropical; the central third is largely rolling hills of orange groves and cattle ranches and the northernmost third is hilly, not as tropical, lots of mossy oaks and some gorgeous horse farms in the lower end of that section around Ocala and Gainesville. The weather is very different in each of these sections.

Today we took a day trip to celebrate our anniversary up to Sarasota to the Ringling Art Museum, winter mansion, fabulous rose garden and Circus Museum. Actually, we spent most of our time in the gardens and walking the grounds, and it was a really lovely day. The mansion was a bit over the top in opulence, but the huge terrace on the Gulf was lovely. We only saw one wing of the art museum and the pieces there didn't appeal to us. Next time we'll check out the main areas of the museum. We had the pups in the car, so we were somewhat limited in time. Fortunately, the temps were very cool, so it was a good day to take the girls and park them in the shade with the moon roof open. We found a really neat little oceanfront park near the Ringling complex, so we walked them there before and after our tour. Here are a few shots: