Gulf Coast Glory with Carol Zimlich Reeves

Coming up next Tuesday (9 October) you have the great privilege and opportunity to learn from Carol Zimlich Reeves.

The proprietor of Elizabeth's Garden (On McGregor near Old Shell), Carol Zimlich Reeves will be teaching attendees how to create home arrangements using heritage and garden-grown flowers and greenery. Learn how to see the beauty of your backyard in a whole new way.

The cost is $5 per person 

the event runs from 1pm until 3pm 

at the Mobile Botanical Gardens Larkins Learning Center

You don't want to miss it!

from elizabethsgardenmobile.com

Butterflies of Alabama

from mobilebotanicalgardens.org

This Saturday, 29 September, Mobile Botanical Gardens is hosting an Alabama butterfly seminar. The event is from 9~11 AM and costs is $5 for members, $8 for non-members. Children 12 and under get in free when accompanied by an adult.

Take notice, pre-registration is required so you can't just show up at the last minute!

To make a reservation, call Mobile Botanical Gardens at 251.342.0555

Info from the MBG website:

"Alabama’s butterflies are full of surprises: from possum-playing escape artists to Trojan horse aphid-eaters, their adaptive survival strategies never cease to amaze. A case in point: every autumn, our official state insect, the Monarch, wings its way through Mobile during its incredible annual migration to the high mountains of Mexico! Join us Saturday, September 29 from 9-11 am at Mobile Botanical Gardens as we take a peek into the everyday lives of Alabama’s butterflies.

Sara Bright and Paulette Ogard, authors of Butterflies of Alabama: Glimpses into Their Lives, will begin by looking at basic butterfly biology and end with glances at a few of the state’s most common as well as some of its rarest species. The seminar will conclude with a tour of the grounds to search for monarch butterflies, which should be migrating at that time.

Participants will also learn what they can do to benefit these fascinating insects in their own yards – information on butterfly care will be available, along with butterfly activity guides. Copies of Butterflies of Alabama will be available for autograph and sale."

Looking for something to do this weekend?

Don't forget the Mobile Botanical Gardens' Longleaf Wildflour Tour and Picnic is tomorrow!

If that doesn't float your boat. You can head to Biloxi to the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art for their Art Fair ExtraOhrdinaire!

from georgeohr.org

It's Saturday and Sunday from 10am until 6pm so there's plenty of time to swing  by!

Here's where you can find information on:
Vendors and DemonstrationsMusicBook and Poster SigningsFoodMap and Schedule

If you're feeling energetic, try to make it to both events! They're sure to be fun for the whole family!

Longleaf Wildflowers Tour and Picnic

Mobile Botanical Gardens is hosting a member appreciation event (open to non-members as well--seriously you're not a member yet?)! It's next Saturday (15 September) from 10am until 12pm.

It's FREE for members, but only $5 for non-members.

from mobilebotanicalgardens.org

Here's the information from the MBG website:

September is the season when the Mobile Botanical Garden’s longleaf pine forest begins to show its true colors. We’re anticipating waves of purple blazing stars, along with the lipstick red of wild basil, the earliest golden and blue asters, and some pretty spectacular blooming grasses, like purple love grass, which even has the Latin name Eragrostis spectabilis. These bloomers should also be attracting a lot of butterflies and even hummingbirds. We’ll examine how controlled burning has contributed to the beauty, park-like atmosphere, and unusual light characteristics of the longleaf forest. We’ll understand how one very special pine, the longleaf, made this community possible.

 After the tour, we’ll have an old-time southern longleaf picnic – bring a picnic basket, or sack lunch, and we’ll supply the drinks. Bill Finch will read excerpts from “Longleaf Far As the Eye Can See,” his upcoming book with Beth Maynor Young.

Details: Meet in the parking area at 10 am. Suggested attire: long pants and comfortable shoes. Hats and sunscreen optional.

Important Information:

When: Saturday 15 September 10am until 12pm

Where: Meeting in the Mobile Botanical Garden at 10am.

How: Wear long pants and comfortable shoes. They say sunscreen is optional, but remember, no tan is a "healthy tan." Hats are also recommended.

Why: Too many reasons to name them all, so here are our top 2. 1. It's a great way to spend time with the family. 2. The Gulf Coast has a splendid natural beauty. You owe it to yourself to enjoy it!

Fall Vegetable Gardening Seminar

Mobile Botanical Gardens is hosting a 

Fall Vegetable Gardening Seminar 

Saturday, 25 August. 

from mobilebotanicalgardens.org

The cost is $25 for members and 

$35 for non-members (seriously, you're not a member?).

The seminar will cover:

 a planting calendar, 

recommendations for the Mobile area, 

and a field demonstration (weather permitting).

Pre-registration required. Call 251-342-0555 or email mbg2@bellsouth.net to register.

Gallery of Gardens! See Planting the Seed Work in Person!

That's right. It's time for Mobile Botanical Gardens' Gallery of Gardens featuring 8 of the Mobile area's most delightful private gardens. Guess who designed the first one on  the list? ... That's right, Planting the Seed's very own Melanie Lobel.

As a teaser, here's a photo and description of the first garden on the tour (from mobilebotanicalgardens.org)

from mobilebotanicalgardens.org

Garden of: Mike & Phyllis Saxon
This hidden oasis nestled in the heart of Spring Hill features butterfly bush, bottlebrush, banana shrub, and agapanthus. The courtyard showcases a water feature encircled by Japanese magnolias, crepe myrtles, knock-out roses and angelonia. A custom pergola houses an inviting seating area surrounded by jasmine, while a Japanese maple provides shade for sasanquas, espaliered camellias, ferns and oakleaf hydrangeas. Stroll this garden slowly or you will miss variegated dwarf gardenias, quince, and  hydrangeas. Daylilies are tucked throughout with masses of seasonal color, providing surprise and bloom throughout the seasons.
Designer: Melanie Lobel, Planting the Seed


(Click "Read More" below to see pictures of the other gardens.)

• May 11-12, 2012
• 9 am – 5 pm Daily
• Tickets for this event are $20 in advance or $25 on tour days. 
• Group discounts are available. 
• Mobile Botanical Gardens will be open on tour days for the purchase of tickets.
• Ticket outlets include:
• A Bloom Nursery
• Carpe Diem
• Garden Gate Nursery, Gulf Breeze
• Laura Kay’s Nursery
• MBG Office
• MBG Marketplace
• Old Tyme Feed & Seed, Fairhope
• Page & Palette, Fairhope
• Robertsdale Feed
• Spring Hill Ace Hardware
• Wild Birds Unlimited
• Zimlich’s Patio & Garden Center
• Call 251.342.0555 for more information

One Enchanted Evening! (Mobile Botanical Gardens)

Not to be confused with the iconic "Some Enchanted Evening" from the wonderful production South Pacific. No, this enchanted evening is a gala hosted by Mobile Botanical Gardens. 

It's tonight, so there's not much time left for tickets!

Here's some quick info (but you can see the flier, and a surprise, below):

April 19, 2012

$100 / Person

Cocktail Attire

Call 251.344.0555 for Information

Don't Miss Out! Mobile Botanical "Secret" Garden Center

OPEN SATURDAYS ONLY APRIL 14 – JUNE 30

9AM ~ 11AM

Get help from Master Gardeners!

from mobilebotanicalgarden.org

Plantasia! Spring Plant Sale at Mobile Botanical Gardens

Plantasia! The spring plant sale hosted by Mobile Botanical Gardens begins Friday March 23 and ends Sunday March 25.

"Thousands of Plants for your Gulf Coast Garden"

Mobile Botanical Gardens is located at 5151 Museum Drive (see map below).

Admission is free!

from mobilebotanicalgardens.org

"This annual benefit serves as both an educational tool and a fundraising event for the ongoing growth and maintenance of the Mobile Botanical Gardens."


View Larger Map

TOMATO-PALOOZA - One Day Sale!

Don't miss Tomato-Palooza at Mobile Botanical Gardens

One Day Only

Saturday March 10, 2012

9am ~ 2pm

Love Orchids? Don't Miss Out!

Starting today is the Mobile Area Orchid Society Annual Show and Sale!


It lasts until Sunday February 19th. So if you can't make it on Friday, be sure to check it out over the weekend!

Here's the schedule:


Friday
8 am Exhibit Set up
Noon Sales Area Open
4 pm Show Closes

Saturday
8 am AOS Judging
Noon Show Opens
5 pm Show Closes

Sunday
Noon Show Opens
5 pm Show Closes

For more information, contact Show Chairman, Joe Paine at 251.209.1008 or joew6@aol.com

From windsormissouri.com

PT (C) - Planting the Community - No Garden, No Problem

Not everyone has the time to take care of a beautiful or productive garden.

If that's the case for you, then all you have to do to get your fix is visit local garden.

In Mobile, Alabama, for example, there are several great gardens you can visit.

• Mobile Botanical Gardens:  5151 Museum Drive, Mobile, AL 36689 "100 acres of native and exotic azaleas, camellias, hollies, magnolias, roses and ferns." Free Admission.
• Charles Wood Japanese Garden: 700 Forest Hill Drive, Mobile AL 36618
  "We are a not for profit organization that seeks to fulfill the vision of Mr. Charles Wood to create an authentic Japanese Garden in Mobile, AL. Mr. Wood has vigorously pursued his vision for the past fourteen years through significant sweat equity and the gracious contributions of individuals and governmental agencies alike." Free Admission.
• Bellingrath Gardens and Home:  12401 Bellingrath Gardens Road, Theodore, AL 36582
  "Bellingrath Gardens and Home was the creation of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Bellingrath.  The Gardens first opened to the public in 1932 while a national garden club meeting was taking place in Mobile." Admission (Garden Only): Adult $12.00; Children: (Ages 5 - 12) $6.50; Children Under 5: Free.

So, if you don't have the time or tools to make a garden of your own, don't fret. There are beautiful gardens that you can enjoy year-round.