When a gardener goes to the Outer Banks

When a gardener goes to the Outer Banks of North Carolina,

She chooses a route that will take her through Charlotte, North Carolina.

In Charlotte, she fulfils a long-time dream to see the gardens of Elizabeth Lawrence.

It's just down the street from Wing Haven, so she of course checks those gardens out, too.

Finally, she makes it to the Outer Banks and the first thing she does is go back

Wildflower Wednesday: Wing Haven

I really don't think I can do an adequate job of describing Wing Haven, the nearly three acre garden of Edwin and Elizabeth Clarkson, who lived down the street from Elizabeth Lawrence  in Charlotte, North Carolina.

For me, Wing Haven started out as the place to go to pay the entry fee to visit Elizabeth Lawrence's garden. 

When we had finished visiting Elizabeth Lawrence's garden, if one can

The safest place for a plant during a drought

The safest place for a plant during a drought is in a container in a slightly sheltered location that keeps it out of the hot sun. Ideally the location should also be near an outdoor faucet which has a hose hooked up to it so that the gardener can water the  plant the minute it looks like it might need a little drink.

In my garden, there are three plants in containers that occupy such a

A pleasaunce

I must tell you that Elizabeth Lawrence's study contains some rather large rabbit holes.  A few evenings ago, I fell into one and came up with a brand new word -- pleasaunce.

Let me start at the beginning.  When I came home from my vacation and looked at my photos of Elizabeth Lawrence's study, I didn't feel I had done it justice, or that I had asked enough questions.  For example, the wall

Elizabeth Lawrence's Study

What fun it was to go inside the house of Elizabeth Lawrence after touring the gardens.

I wanted most to see her study, which features a large window that looks out over the garden.

When we entered the study, I could see that Andrea, the Wing Haven staff member who works in Lawrence's garden, sets up the vases to display samples of what's blooming in the garden, just as Lawrence was known to

The Gardens of Elizabeth Lawrence

Have you ever been in a garden for the first time and felt like you had been there before?

After reading many of Elizabeth Lawrence's books and gardening columns and devouring all the information that the Wing Haven Foundation has posted online about her life and garden, it all seemed so familiar to me as I entered the gate to her garden on Saturday, June 30. 

My photographs, taking during the

Journey to Elizabeth Lawrence's Garden: Part 3

Part 1      Part 2

I woke up in the hotel in Charlotte and looked out the window to see that the sun was shining, a promising start to the day.  As we drove to a nearby restaurant for breakfast, I marveled at the trees and shrubs planted along the roads, especially the crepe myrtles in full bloom.

Charlotte, as far as I could tell from the areas I was in, is a pretty city, with landscaping

Journey to Elizabeth Lawrence's Garden: Part 2

Part 1

After a brief stop at Starbucks to fuel up with some iced green tea, my travel companion and I were on our way to the Outer Banks via Charlotte, NC and the garden of Elizabeth Lawrence.

I was fearless and intent, the GPS was programmed for Charlotte and the forecast was for temperatures above 100 F all along the route.  We drove down I-65 heading toward Louisville. All was well on the

Journey to Elizabeth Lawrence's Garden: Part 1

Where to begin?

I could say that my journey to Elizabeth Lawrence's garden began on Friday morning, June 29, when I backed the car out of my driveway and headed with a friend to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, via Charlotte, North Carolina.

Or maybe the journey began on January 2nd when we made reservations to stay for a week on the Outer Banks of North Carolina?

I did have to convince my