Hi all-
I'm driving down to Asheville and Charleston in a few weeks, and would love to know what dangerous plant shopping I might find : )
Should I drive a van? : D
Recommendations for S/N Carolina nurseries?
Hmmm, where to start, where to start......... Is there anything in particular you are looking for? Any special plant interests?
In Asheville, I like BB Barnes, they always seem to have a good variety of material. There are lots of smaller and less expensive places but I have never had the time to go exploring and find them. The greenhouse at the Biltmore Estate has also yielded some special finds.
On your way between Asheville and Charleston you will go through Newberry, SC and Carter and Holmes Orchids is only 10 - 15 minutes off I-26. You can drool for hours in their greenhouses.
In Charleston you will have fun at Hyams, Abide A While, Secret Gardens, and a couple of others I can't think of right now. Someone else will chime in I am sure.
When are you coming? There are lots of wonderful garden tours coming up in Charleston.
ohhh if you come thru Newberry let me know...I will show you around as it is where I live...I also believe you would find Park Seeds Trial GH a big treat...although not as beautiful now as in the summer...I went last week...picked up a TON of bargains...bring your van!! they also have an outlet...I got 6' tall pergolas for 30 and 6 tall topiaries for 15...they have a ton of seeds for 50cents a pckt right now too....Greenwood is only 45 min from Newberry....
How exciting a road trip!
oh and Ardesia is right you must stop at Biltmore...it is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth (next to Hawaii of course LOL)
I am taking the kids to Disney second week of March so if you come before or after that I would be honored to show you some southern hospitality yankee style...( I am a NY'r who moved here 4 yrs ago...trust me...the gentileness of the south is addicting!!!)
If you come near Raleigh, Plant Delights Nursery is a "delight". See the thread near this one about it. Great and huge display garden to see...
rednyr you are so great to offer a personal tour! The only glitch is that we're on a tight schedule, so we would only be able to stop by on the 18th- will you be around then?
The Biltmore is the reason we're stopping in Asheville, so never fear! Sadly, Raleigh is way too far off our route. It could be for the best, though, because I would definitely go broke at PD!
Garden tours in Charleston? Heavy drooling action! We'll be there the 16th and 17th only . It's a pain to have so little time, but my friend works for a St. Louis school district, so we're bound by spring break dates.
But always good research for future trips.... : )
You've picked a fine time to visit the low country, plantaholic! The Charleston Historical Foundation has a whole bunch of House/Garden tours scheduled from 3/13-4/12 which you may find of interest. Go to www.Historiccharleston.org for a full description/timeline. I've got to be "garden docent" at some of these...wouldn't it be weird to bump into each other this way? We survived the year of the great blizzards (think it was '78-'79) in Marengo, Ill., escaped, and haven't look north since)...cured me forever!
18th is a monday right? I should be here...we are coming back from FL on the 17th
You know red there are horticultural tours at Epcot? There is one in the morning before the park opens and you ride around on the two wheel things. Can remember the name but they have to wheels and a handle bar to steer etc. There is also a tour of the Hydroponic Gardening. It's in the Land Pavilion. It's worth it to go look around the polynesian resort.
Think I'll do a little searching and see if I can find some info.
Found the first thing. http://www.quantummuse.com/Segway_Human_Transporter.html
I've try one of those out and they are easy and fun to ride.
http://i27.tinypic.com/2jz3ab.gif
That was easy.
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/parkListing?id=EPToursListingPage
This message was edited Feb 29, 2008 8:52 PM
Thanks Core! Chefmike who is running the Pluemeria co-op works there too..I am hoping he will provide all the info on whats the best to see...LOL plus I get to pick up my plumeria down there...I doubt I could convince the kids to go on that ride...they want roller coasters and cinderella and mickey mouse...I can hear the groans already if we go on a botany tour LOL
Sorry link wasn't right.
I thought that girl with no top on looked kinda outta place LOL JK
No don't bring the kids. LOL. Can you pick me up a plumeria and drop it off here? I'm only 20 minutes at most from I-95. I don't know anything about that co-op you have a link? I might hit Disney either in two weeks or in May. I don't want to get caught up in spring break. I'm not a big fan of crowds.
I bought enough plumeria cuttings that I am sure I can wrangle out a few for you....the co-op closed last month...I'll have to find the link...
rednyr, the 18th is a Tuesday- is that okay? We'll be coming from Charleston, so I can't imagine we'd be there before 10. (No gardening weather now, so why get up early?)
StonoRiver, I'm bummed because we're going to be in Charleston only for the 16th and 17th, and that link doesn't show any garden tours on those days : ( But thanks for the lead- I'm ashamed to say I hadn't even thought of looking for tours. My only excuse would be that no one would dream of having garden tours in my area before May, since we usually get a hard, late freeze in the beginning of May : (
I'm getting so excited!
Maybe I'll drive a van with a trailer......
By then Charleston will be in full bloom, you can just walk up and down the streets and see the most beautiful gardens and window boxes to die for.
The heirloom roses should be in bloom at Hampton Park and somewhere in this messy house I have a map of a walking tour through public garden areas downtown. I will try and find it and send you a copy if I am successful in the search.
Thanks! All this Southern Hospitality, and I haven't even gotten in the car yet : )
Hi _ I will mark my calender so I don't work that day...be glad to take you to Carter and Holmes and if you like up to Park seeds...truly if you like to plant from seeds or get a head start on some smaller perinneals I think you'd love Parks...just let me know what you are up for...we will probably have to do one or the other (trust me you can spend hours at either one - I spent 7 hrs at the two Parks places last weekend and then had to go back again on Monday LOLyou can get so much garden ornamentals (containers, trellis's, birdhouses etc at their outlet store besides the plants at their trial seed park...just let me know!
I should pay attn. to the co op thing. If you're serious red I work out of my house so I'm always around. From my door to Disney is 4 1/2 hours so it might be a good break time for you. You don't have any arrests for stalking or anything like that do you? Last 3 husbands had "accidents"?
Are you staying at a Disney resort or just somewhere in Orlando? Last fall we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and I really liked that. Kid friendly and close to all the parks. A few years ago I stayed at the Animal kingdom hotel and it was to far away from everything but animal kingdom. I was wondering how they were going to get animals to hang out around the hotel and now I know. They don't. LOL. A few water buffalo or something like that were wandering around near the rooms but not much else. I did get up and personal with some sort of bird in animal kingdom. We were walking through a netted in place and this bird attacked me. I grabbbed the bird then called him a wierd looking chicken. The attendent was not amused. First rule don't grab the anrgy chicken. Big no-no even if your being attacked. Rule two, don't call the exotic bird a chicken. They were not amused by the chicken reference.
OMG core roflmao...angry chicken...HA...
nope all the ex's are alive and well.....I have no arrests for stalking because I paid all the tickets up front...LOL
we'll get you some plumi's somehow..
Oh, I've already had lots of fun with Park Seeds! I've already started some Asclepias and Nigella I got from there (I have a greenhouse for a holding area). It would definitely be dangerous : ) Garden ornamentals would be great- I know both my friend Michael and I have spots to fill..... I'm actually not much into Orchids (one of the very few that don't interest me,) but I'm not sure about him, so I'll check. I think we'd both like Park Seed plenty!
Thanks so much!
well very cool...I will send you a dmail with my info so you feel free to call me along the way! Have fun!!
You'll love the Park Seed complex, plantaholic, and it's nowhere near as financially dangerous as Plant Delights! You see things at PD that you've never seen before, but just "have to have"... I'll extend the same offer as rednyr for the Charleston area. I know where a lot of the cool gardens are located (I've docented them, or I never would have known they were there!). It's a "walking city", so you don't have to use a car to see a lot in a relatively short period of time. DMail me if I can be of help...
You have all been so helpful!
If any of you are ever in the Chicago area, I hope you'll let me return the favor!
Stono - my mom would like me to take her to Charleston some weekend...where exactly is Plants Delights? trying to think how to leave the kids at home with the dh so I have more room for plants...hmmm let me think how to bribe everyone to stay home while I go LOL I went to Charleston once 3 years ago when my daughter was in FBLA and running for a state post...we had a great time walking down by the waterfront and all the shops...
Deanna, Plant Delights is in Raleigh...Actually about 10 minutes from where I live. It's a terrible, wonderful place to visit. We had a ru here last summer to coincide with a PDN open house. Tony gave us use of one of the decks in the garden to meet. (Terrible because I always wear out my plastic when I'm there, lol!)
http://www.plantdelights.com
This is just the catalog, the gardens are free to wander at open houses and will amaze and mystify. Sometime you just gotta go when the amorphophyllis is blooming:-)
Bev
LOL, bring a clothes pin for you nose tho..........
They may look cool but they do not smell pretty.
So true ardesia! I once ran into a woman under one of the waterfall who was rushing over to wash her hands! What a silly woman, she touched it, LOL!
Do you want to hear about plant collecting masochism? I'm growing Amorphophallus bulbifer from seed : > I'm thinking of placing the pot right next to my neighbor's driveway hehehe
red, since you are going to get your plumies, would it be ok at all to pick mine up too? i live in the same place as Core.... maybe we could all 3 meet
tggfisk is right, rednyr---PDN is in the opposite direction from Charleston---it's in North Carolina. But on your first visit, don't bring any money or credit cards. Walk through it, make a list of all the plants you "have to have" (bring a big notebook!) along with their prices, go back to your room and tally it up. Then, and only then, go back and buy those things you truly "need", and don't just "lust for". It's the only way I've been able to survive a visit to PDN!
Charleston is a whole different gig. It's not about plants, although plants are a real and large part of it's history (Micheaux, Noisette, Poinsette, Lutrelle Briggs, etc.,). Lot of architectural stuff here too. If your mom wants to visit, tell her to do it soon. The current crop of politicians are actively selling it off...They're going to build a mega hotel (ugly as sin!) right smack in an area that aesthetically/historically doesn't warrant it, but economically does. DMail me if I can be of any help...But you both should see Charleston before they destroy it!
Oh Stono that is such a shame...
DHS I can surely pick yours up but getting back I will have a def. timeline in order to get the kids able to have a normal bedtime for school the next day (I know I'm such a mom) Let me talk to my family who is meeting us in FL and try and work out a time frame...
Bev - I think you, I and KW need to go on a road trip there...let me know and I'll bring my scissors for your credit cards! LOL
Too late, Deanna! KW and I have already been there together, and I think the cc's are still complaining about the rough treatment, LOL! But hey, there's always THIS year...we could be persuaded to go again. Matter of fact, I usually go more than once during a spring/summer period. It's worse when I go alone...scissors needed:-))
oh boy, enablers, here we go....
Deanna, I (love my man for this one) got a gift certificate this year, and I need to put my order in for pick up. tggfisk, when you have gone when there isn't an open house, did they let you walk around and keep shopping? lol
Don't know about that one, Trop...Never attempted it. 'Fraid I'd get lost in the splendor and never return, lol!
well pick a saturday and lets go!
I see that open house for spring cooincides with our ru in Asheville. Now it is open on Friday the day before if you're Daniel Boone and able to do the whole thing, lol!
The next Saturday is on July 11. If Tropicanna sets up a day to shop before then-you know- appointment only...then I'm in:-)
if it isn't convenient for you, PLEASE dont feel obligated
Bev - she's checking on it for us...lol...perhaps it's a good thing it is at ru time - it will keep us more focused and keep our money in our pockets LOL
BTW Plantaholic - I like the way you think! Can see the neighbors now - constantly checking their shoes for doo LOL
DHS sending ya a dmail