A Trip to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

Great butterfly pics, enjoyed the tour.

VA_WILD_ROSE,

Thank you for posting all these pictures. I truly enjoyed every single one of them. Could not pick a favorite one if I had too. Your girls are beautiful. It shows they were truly enjoying the trip and your DH too. You have a very beautiful family. Keep on taking pictures. U got me hooked! I look forward to another family trip. Sooo...when is that going to be? LOL!

Ahhh Rose! Gorgeous, Gorgeous pics! And you have a lovely family! Thanks so much for sharing your trip--I had a wonderful time! ^_^

Awesome photos, I felt like I was there too. Thanks for sharing all of those beautiful creatures with us.

Amazing pictures! Thanks for sharing! And great to meet you and your beautiful family ! I also think the dark plant is a hot pepper.
Adina

Rose,Thank you so much for the tour! Love you photos. Richmond is definately going on the list of places to visit. If you ever get ear Pittsburg, Pa.be sure to have enough time to spend 1/2 of a day at the conservatory and gardens there. Holly may correct me but I think it is Phelps. Ric

Another place to put on my list! Those pictures just made my day, so glad I found the post, thanks!

Just beautiful, thanks for the lovely tour. Holly

Thank you everyone for the lovely compliments! That means so much to me!
And yes... we do have another trip planned, and we are counting down anxiously!
Next stop on the tour...

Chincoteague, VA!
A childhood dream of mine, never seen. Now I get to live it with my own children!

Thanks for all the great pictures and sharing your family, I really enjoyed them!!

Ric, it's Phipps, but you were close. Isn't that a wonderful place? Firm that DH works for has an office in Pittsburgh, so we've been a number of times, and spending a few hours at the Conservatory (and having a delightful lunch too) is my favorite way to spend time there, especially in the cold months! How is your hand coming along???? And you & Holly should definitely make a trip to Richmond to see Lewis Ginter! And allow time to stop at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD (not far off the Beltway) on your way up or down. ;-)

VA_Wild_Rose - absolutely wonderful photos and what a wonderful memory it will be for your family. So when are you going to Chincoteague? We spent part of our honeymoon (centuries ago - LOL) there - it's also wonderful, but if you're going in summer, be sure to bring mosquito/black fly repellent.

Loved the butterfly and orchid pictures, loved the up close and personal butterflies on the shoulder pictures too.

Please post Phipps conservatory pictures when you go, DaylilyD. That was one of my favorite places as a child, and the museum, I can still see some of the exhibits, like the mummy, with some of the wrappings coming off the hand, and the big dinosaurs. Mom and I would take the streetcar and the then bus and make an all day trip several times a year there. There was alway so much to do in Pgh. and we did it without a car. Mom never learned to drive.

Chincoteague--great place! I had a friend years ago that grew up at or near there--can't remember which--she loved it there! Will you see the ponies?

Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos of the gardens and BF's. AND hi back to the Mister.

Oh Wildrose,how absolutley beautiful!! Thank you so much for sharing ^_^.

Gorgeous pictures. Love the butterflies.

I have heard that about Chincoteague... that the mosquitoes are fierce! We are prepared, with multiple types of mosquito repellent!

I hope to see the ponies... in their natural habitat if I'm lucky. They say there are always some in corrals and fenced areas, but I really want to photograph them in the wild.

I can't wait to get there... we leave on the 18th! Four Canon cameras will be packed, charged and ready to go!

Daylily, write us a list for a 2 day trip to Va, I'm sure we would enjoy it as long as Holly gets to stop at the Willamsburg pottery on the way home. LOL Ric

Wild Rose - we'll be looking forward to your photos from the Chincoteague trip - have FUN!

Ric,

Hmmm - need some parameters here - like what you want to see on your trip - gardens, shopping, anything else??? And what have you seen before, and also what DON'T you want to see...

But for starters!

Here is a link to Brookside Gardens web site: http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/ Their butterfly exhibit (Wings of Fancy) runs through September 20th. As I've mentioned, this isn't in VA, but in MD, just outside the beltway near Silver Spring, MD.

Here's a link to Lewis Ginter's web site: http://www.lewisginter.org/ They're located in Richmond, not far from I-95. The Fall Plant Sale is September 18 & 19 this year.

Richmond's got other interesting spots to see, in addition to all the historical sites. Here are a few:

Maymont - http://www.maymont.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=217

Lavender Fields Farm - http://www.lavenderfieldsfarm.com/

Agecroft Hall - http://www.agecrofthall.com/

Also, re: making a special trip to the Pottery - I hope others will chime in, since I haven't been there in a few years. But if I recall correctly, the folks who have visited recently have been somewhat disappointed.

In Northern VA, there's River Farm, the HQ of the American Horticultural Society - http://www.ahs.org/river_farm/index.htm

Green Springs Gardens Park - http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgp/

And some nice Garden Centers:

Northern VA:

Campbell & Ferrara - http://campbellferrara.com/garden_center/index.html

Merrifield Garden Center - http://www.merrifieldgardencenter.com/

Betty's Azalea Ranch - http://www.bettysazalearanch.com/ (Note: the Fair Oaks Location of Merrifield is just down (or up?) the road from Betty's)

and in Richmond:

The Great Big Greenhouse - http://www.greatbiggreenhouse.com/index.html

Strange's Garden Center - http://www.greatbiggreenhouse.com/index.html

I'm sure many other MAG'ers will be able to add to this list. You might need more than 2 days. LOL!

Barb

Thanks for the list Barb, I'll be checking out those links. We have never really gone to Richmond, been to Williamsburg several times and you are right the Pottery Factory isn't what it was years ago but there are still some things that I do like to look for when I get the chance.

As I said, Holly, the list is just a starting point, I'm sure there are MANY more fun places to see and things to do! ;-)

And I certainly understand your wanting to go to the Pottery Factory. Just didn't want you to be disappointed if you hadn't been there in some time.

Wild Rose, LOVED the tour! Wonderful photos - Lewis Ginter has got to be one of my favorite places :) I've never been there in the summer but I don't think there's ever a "bad" time of the year to visit! I agree with Barb, the gift shop is dangerous! LOL

Beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing. I took my daughter to the Smith's exhibit. Unfortunately Hubby had run off with the camera. They didn't limit any one on time but it was quite small and a little too crowded. I think we may have to run down to this one soon. My daughter is named Kimimela which means butterfly in the Souix language so I probably overdo her with butterflies, but they are so beautiful.