Olde Towne Gardens

My sister and I had fun touring the "Olde Towne Gardens of Mount Dora last month. We filed away in our memory good ideas from each garden. One garden in particular was a complete visual delight. I've saved that one for last because it's a real treat. So, I won't talk much while you sit back and enjoy the tour.

 See the ground orchids (above) planted beneath a shady oak. 

Great idea for a vegetable garden below.

A peaceful and tranquil garden.

Now here comes a real treat. This gardener obviously loves creating vignettes with a variety of containers and old stuff. So before you get started . . .  do yourself a favor and grab a cup of coffee cause you're gonna be here for awhile. I actually drank a cup of coffee (with a touch of nutmeg and whipped cream) and ate a few Christmas cookies myself while reviewing this post . . . it is the holiday season after all. Enjoy!

 See what I mean :-)

This area is immediately to the right of the front door. I like the way they created a sitting area in the front yard.

Here's a great idea. They turned a fountain into a bromeliad planter. Brilliant?

Part of the front yard is a mix of bromeliads, holly and bird's nest fern as well as other drought tolerant plantings. Very little turf grass in this garden.

Now, let's head to the side and back yards where their (husband and wife) imaginations really get going.

Here we go . . . through the arbor . . . a view to the left

And, a view to the right.

Isn't this cute?

They definitely like container gardening.

 According to the information in the booklet this couple attended lots of classes to learn how to create a garden suited for Florida. They wanted to eliminate turf grass and subscribe to the practice of "right plant, right place" golden rule.

You can see the driveway in the middle of this photo. You can't see it clearly but they've planted the right side of the driveway with lower plants first and then a tall hedge of podocarpus and crape myrtles for privacy.

More pretty containers on their back patio.

They've got LOTS of benches scattered throughout the garden. No room to sit for a spell here.

Another seating area with colorful containers.

This is a separate little shed in the far left of the garden.

Keep in mind their property is a typical sized neighborhood lot and they've been successful in squeezing a lot in without having it look cluttered.

More vignettes. Lots of old stuff . . . afterall this couple lives in Mount Dora which is an antique mecca.

I love this idea with an old picnic bench. This is to the right of the driveway which you can just barely see in the bottom left of the photo.

And, these are some of the plantings on the left side of the driveway.

Isn't it wonderful!

Look closely at the container these bromeliads are planted in. Yep, it's an old rusty dust pan. So many interesting surprises in this garden.

Did you enjoy the tour? I know that I enjoyed reliving it again while I created this post. And, the coffee and cookies were good, too. Hope your holiday season is off to a good start and that you're taking the time to relax and enjoy a treat along the way.