I've learned a lot about native plants and pollinators through my 29 years in the Garden Club of Virginia and the Garden Club of America.  Perhaps most importantly, I've learned how much I don't know.  

Pollinators are essential for maintaining vibrant ecosystems, and for the health of many of our food crops.   Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, birds, bats and other insects visit flowers in search of food, found in nectar and pollen.  While these small creatures feed, they transfer pollen from one plant to another.  From this, *cue the fireworks*, comes fertilization, leading to the formation of fruit and seeds.   As much as three fourths of the world's flowering plants and 35 percent of our food supply depend on pollinators.  READ MORE

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Hang onto your spring bonnets - this one's a big one.  Welcome happy Monday morning!   I arrived home from my Florida adventure last Monday to be greeted by a sea of hellebores, daffodils, forsythia, camellia and tulip magnolia in full bloom.  Mother Nature's welcome party - WOW thank you!   I dragged my "HEAVY" bags into the front hall, and out the back door I skipped, eager to survey nature's blossoming ladies in waiting. 

Strolling through the garden, I found myself in full conversation, "Oh my how you've grown Miss Camellia, almost halfway up the fence now aren't we?"   I had worried about her and her two sisters during our unusually frigid winter here in Virginia.   READ MORE

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Today's note is but a brief postcard.   It was my last weekend in Florida, and while I'm clothed in a wee bit more than the two gals above*, I am 100 percent embracing their vibe.   As you read this, I'll be on a plane home - and after a crazy successful and fun trunk show at the Gasparilla Inn, I took these last few days off (mostly) to kick back and soak in the sun.
 
I hope your week is soaked with sunshine, fair winds and following seas.   READ MORE

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