This year on Mother's Day weekend, a friend and I went on a garden tour that we've been going on together for years: the Atlanta Botanical Garden's, Gardens for Connoisseurs tour. It's always an amazing tour with around 12 gardens and some are absolutely spectacular! During all the years I've been attending this tour, I've been through some absolutely amazing gardens, some belonging to folks whose names … [Read more...]
Moonlight & Magnolias, Romantic Table Setting for Two
June 5, 2014 by 80 Comments
Welcome to the 299th Tablescape Thursday! The magnolia trees are in bloom here in Georgia, I love their sweet "lemonade" scent. It was warm out, but not too warm for a tablescape for two on the deck. I cut a few magnolia blossoms for our centerpiece and tucked them down inside a white pitcher. Rarely do I find two magnolia blossoms really close together … [Read more...]
In The BNOTP Library: Cottages By The Sea
June 4, 2014 by 6 Comments
After our Carmel cottage tour this morning, I had to share a book I purchased about the area several years ago. If you love Carmel, this is definitely a book you'll want in your library. In addition to photos inside many of the homes, it really goes back into the history of the area, so it's an interesting read. In the BNOTP Library: Cottages by the Sea, The Handmade Homes of Carmel, … [Read more...]
In The BNOTP Library: Feather Your Nest
June 3, 2014 by 24 Comments
A few times a year, Mary Carol Garrity, the owner of Nell Hill's, a well-known home furnishings store, opens up her 130 year-old Greek Revival home for tours. One of those times is always around Christmas. Her home is absolutely beautiful any time of year, but at Christmastime, it's over-the-top amazing! I've noticed a few other bloggers posting tours on their blogs after attending one of her home tours … [Read more...]
Tour Beautiful Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana
June 3, 2014 by 51 Comments
You can't visit Louisiana without a trip to iconic Oak Alley. It's the plantation home that so frequently appears in magazines and almost any advertisement for Louisiana tourism. You may also recognize it from having appeared in a number of movies, music videos and other productions. It's this view! Oak Alley's famous "alley of oaks" captures your heart and draws you toward the beautiful, Greek Revival … [Read more...]
How To Keep Squirrels Away From Flowers & A Hungry Visitor
May 31, 2014 by 61 Comments
I am cautiously optimistic I've found the cure for keeping the pesky squirrels living in my backyard out of my flowers here on the deck. This may even save my hibiscus from being denuded as it has been in past years. The last two years I've been putting Knock-out Roses in the tall urns under the pergola but after two years of having them prick my shoulders and arms with their thorns as I … [Read more...]
In The BNOTP Library: Mario Buatta, Fifty Years of American Interior Decoration
May 30, 2014 by 8 Comments
I discovered the designer, Mario Buatta, kind of late in life but loved his work as soon as I saw it. I immediately Googled to find a book by him and couldn't believe there were none! What?!! I was beyond excited when I read someone finally convinced him to do a book. Of course, when you're an Interior Designer for 50 years and never write a single book, when you do, it's a whopper! A 432 page … [Read more...]
Dining in Beautiful San Francisco Plantation, Garyville, Louisiana
May 29, 2014 by 23 Comments
Welcome to the 298th Tablescape Thursday! While on vacation in Louisiana and Mississippi a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to tour San Francisco Plantation in Garyville, Louisiana. Linda and I were really lucky because the day we toured it was the absolute last day it would be open for the whole summer. San Francisco is going through a restoration all this summer and will reopen for tours on … [Read more...]
In The BNOTP Library: P. Allen Smith’s Container Gardens
May 28, 2014 by 12 Comments
I love container gardening during the summer months because it let's you grow your fave flowers where you can really see and enjoy them, right on your porch, patio, balcony or deck. After this morning's post filled with lots of container gardening, I thought I'd share a book I've had for a while on this subject. It's another one by one of my favorite authors...can you guess who? In the … [Read more...]
Tree Form Tardiva Hydrangea Adds Privacy and Screening To The Deck
May 28, 2014 by 62 Comments
Every year I spruce up the deck a bit for the spring/summer season. I've delayed this year because I've been getting estimates for having the porch and decks pressure washed and painted and it didn't make sense to buy plants and fill up all the pots if they were all going to have to be moved, come painting time. Once plans for a Memorial Day cookout got underway, I threw caution to the wind and started … [Read more...]
