Hello Fellow Gardeners,

I love to visit public gardens! They are a wonderful source for inspiration, ideas, and just general R & R! Through the years I have visited A LOT of public gardens, and have learned a few things that I want to share with you to make your experience the best it can be!

10 Tips for Visiting a Public Garden!

1. Make sure to follow garden etiquette! Don’t step on the plants, or pick the flowers, and don’t litter!

2. Bring a bottle of water, a snack, and a hat! It can get hot during the day so keeping hydrated and keeping yourself shaded with a hat is always a good idea!

3. Bring a camera, and a pad and pencil! A camera will help capture those beautiful ideas you want to copy in your garden. I find it helpful to take a picture of the plant and then the marker in the next picture! Otherwise use, a pad and pencil, they will be handy to write down the names of plants you really like and want to try yourself!

4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! In my experience, volunteers are more than happy to answer any questions you may have, and share any knowledge about the garden. They are a fountain of information!

5. Go early in the morning or on a cloudy day to get the best pictures! Although the sun may make the plants grow, it washes out your pictures!

6. Bring an umbrella, not for you, for your camera! If you have to go on a sunny day, use an umbrella to help shade the area you want to take a picture of. This will help ensure that your precious memories don’t develop all washed out!

7. Go several times! Instead of trying to see a vast garden all in one day, it may be better to go a few hours everyday. This gives you a chance to take a look at your pictures and make sure you have everything copied down that you want to. Also many public gardens offer a week or weekend pass, so it’s not really that much more expensive to take advantage of that opportunity!

8. Check out the events calendar of your public garden! Many public gardens offer areas for weddings and parties. You don’t want to miss out on these areas just because it’s occupied!

9. Check the rules of the garden. Some public gardens are sticklers for rules, not letting you bring food, tripods, or other items onto the property.

10. Plan ahead! Check out the garden’s website before you go! This way you will be able to find all the little nooks and crannies of the garden that you may otherwise miss! Also there may be a tour, or even a class you can take while you are visiting! And many garden websites offer helpful maps to help you navigate through vast gardens without missing a thing!

Also when I visit a public garden I always make sure that I bring plenty of film or memory cards, and extra batteries! You will most definitely be taking more pictures than you originally thought- be prepared!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

I had the privilege of visiting an incredible garden estate called Filoli. It is located 30 miles outside of San Francisco, and is a 654 acre estate with 16 acres of formal gardens! You may wonder how a name like Filoli came to be, well…

FIght for a good cause
LOve your fellow man
LIve a good life

FILOLI

The estate was originally owned by the Bourne family, the gardens were completed by 1917 and were designed by artist Bruce Porter and Mr. Bourne himself!

Picture of the knot garden: I know it looks tiny, but those are actually trees in there!

This is a beautiful peaceful garden meant to visit all day, there are many places to just sit and relax and take it all in!

Of course you may not want to take time to sit down, because there is always something new and exciting around the corner!

Cuttings of the Yew trees originally were shipped from the Bourne estate in Ireland! There’s over 200 hundred Yew trees on the estate!

As with any well designed garden, there is a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures!

And of course what garden would be complete without roses!?

Even the house is decorated with flowers…

I had a wonderful time at Filoli, it was truly beautiful! Best of all it was not over crowded, I was able to do my photography without interruption! Also I must say that the volunteers I spoke to were very nice and answered all my questions with a smile! I felt I was visiting a friends home more than a public garden!Filoli is open to the public, it only costs $12.00. In my opinion, the best time to visit is April or May unless you are fond of hot hot days! No matter when you decide to visit it will be a unforgettable experience!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Spring is only a few short months away for most of us. Now is the perfect time to start getting in shape!

Think about it … gardening chores requires you to lift, bend, reach, etc…

If you want to be ready and raring to go- and put on a good show, you must start your exercise regiment now!!!

So get out of those fuzzy pink bunny slippers!

Put down that mug of hot chocolate!

And loose the TV remote!

It’s time to do the gardener’s exercise!

While doing my usual late night surfing of the internet, I came across two timely articles on exercises to help gardeners!

www.progardenbiz.com, has an article entitled “The Back Care Workshop Stretching and Exercises“ by Judy Hale, R.P.T

and www.northerngardening.com has an article entitled “The Healthy and Safe Way to Garden” by Terry L. Yockey.

These articles have a lot of great tips, but some other common sense tips are…

Pace Yourself! Work in small amounts to start, take frequent breaks, and if it hurts just !

Drink LOTS of water!

Work early in the morning before it heats up! And avoid working on those super hot days!

And as always Check with your doctor before starting ANY exercise program!!!

Happy Gardening!

Marie Suzanne