That's a very CUTE pic, Bec, thanks for sharing! Nowhere near as scary as you implied. ;-) Ya looked like you & Chantell were having a good time.
nutmegnana, A stop at Lewis Ginter is always worth it if you've got the time. Their Spring sale does begin on Thursday 4/30, and goes through the weekend. It's not far off of I-95, so it's easy to find, which is definitely nice! It will be crowded on the weekend (heck, it's crowded on Thursday) so parking might be an issue, but they will have people directing you. They have a lovely Garden Cafe that serves delightful salads and other goodies.
Williamsburg Pottery March Road Trip...Interest
awww...looks like ya'll had way too much fun! Sorry I missed the fun but not the pottery. Has anyone been to my local Boulevard Flowers?
Thanks for the advice, daylily. Guess we'll sort of play it by ear. My DH does not have a lot of patience with crowds.
nana, I wish I could give more specific information re: Saturday crowds at Lewis Ginter - maybe Debbie (rcn48) can chime in - she sells there so I assume she'd have a much better idea of the numbers of people wandering around. The sales area is pretty spread out, so that's not usually a problem, but parking on site can be.
We made it into the parking lot last year, but it was close - I don't know if they have a shuttle from an off-site area or not. Maybe their web site will have more information?
The gardens alone are worth the visit, but again, there will be that pesky parking problem.
I've only been on Thursdays, so I'm probably not much help............Barb
Did someone call my name? LOL I really have no idea what the parking would be like on Saturday but oddly enough Saturday seems to be the slowest day! It's always busy in the morning, from about 9:00-11:00, but by noon the attendance seems to drop off. The sale closes at 3:00 on Saturday so maybe everyone figures all the best plants will be gone? Barb's right, the gardens are definitely worth the visit! The spring bulbs should still be in bloom and are outstanding :)
OH! Now I want to go there, too, and see all the tulips we were too early for in the Netherlands.
Thanks for hearing my call, Debbie! LOL. I never would have guessed there would be a lull in the crowds on Saturday at LG.
Critter, Yes, the gardens at LG are really gorgeous, and they've also got a huge peony collection that's usually in full bloom around Mother's Day, as well as tons of roses. Very worth a visit if you're ever down there. They have reciprocity with the American Horticultural Society, so if you belong, you get free entry to the gardens. You can eat at the cafe and go to the sale without paying an entry fee, but whatever the fee is, it's worth it!
If you want to see tulips, and not drive for hours, try Brookside Gardens in Wheaton. DS and DIL live very near there, so we've visited the gardens on Easter (when the daffodil show is going on inside the conservatory!), and the tulips and pansies are spectacular. It's really a beautiful spot. Here's one of the photos I took there - the colors at the end of the group of white and yellow tulips are drifts of pansies.
This message was edited Apr 3, 2009 2:03 PM
Wow -- thanks for the tip about lighter crowds in the afternoon. That should work right into my plans. At least I hope so -- have not really discussed this with DH yet but he knows we are going to Williamsburg then. Also appreciate the tip about AHS membership -- I'll be sure to take my card along with me.
I joined the PA Horticultural Society when I went to the Philly Flower Show, will have to check to see if there's reciprocity there.
Brookside is beautiful, and I haven't been there in spring... maybe we'll go next Monday when my folks are visiting.
Nutmegnana, Definitely bring your AHS card! I've gotten in to botanic gardens at no charge, all over the country with that. It MIGHT even get you a discount at LG's huge gift shop...
Critter, Good to know you found the right entrance for the PA Horticultural Society membership at the Flower Show! Even if there's no reciprocity at LG, the entrance fee is quite reasonable, and WELL worth it, IMHO.
You must visit Brookside in the spring! We really lucked out on that Easter visit a few years ago. Hoping for the same good fortune this time. The Daffodil Society show was fun too.
Here's another Brookside tulip picture to whet your appetite - I think these were all Angeliques...
