14th Annual Connoisseurs Garden Tour

 Tickets are now on sale for the
14th Annual Connoisseurs Garden Tour presented by Art By Nature Garden Center
Mounts botanical Gardens

Saturday, May 12
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Sunday, May 13
11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Tickets are $20 for members; $35 for non-members and FREE for Steward Members and above and children 12 & under

For a list of houses on the tour and to purchase tickets online visit www.mounts.org

Or at the following ticket outlets:
-Art By Nature Garden Center - 5155 Northlake Blvd.,
  Palm Beach Gardens
-Amelia's Smarty Plants - 1515 N.  Dixie Hwy., Lake Worth
-Delray Beach Garden Center - 3827 W. Atlantic Ave,
 Delray Beach
-Giverny Gardens - 550 Center St, Jupiter
-Green Garden Supply - 1100 Northlake Blvd,
  Palm Beach Gardens
-Mounts Botanical Garden Shop - 531 N. Military Trail, WPB
-Uncle Bims Garden Center - 926 Belvedere Rd., WPB
Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County | 561-233-1757 | tneil@pbcgov.org | www.mounts.org


 Saturday, May 12 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM Sunday, May 13 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM Tickets are $20 for members; $35 for non-members and FREE for Steward Members and above and children 12 & under For a list of houses on the tour and to purchase tickets online visit www.mounts.org Or at the following ticket outlets: -Art By Nature Garden Center - 5155 Northlake Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens -Amelia's Smarty Plants - 1515 N. Dixie Hwy., Lake Worth -Delray Beach Garden Center - 3827 W. Atlantic Ave, Delray Beach -Giverny Gardens - 550 Center St, Jupiter -Green Garden Supply - 1100 Northlake Blvd, Palm Beach Gardens -Mounts Botanical Garden Shop - 531 N. Military Trail, WPB -Uncle Bims Garden Center - 926 Belvedere Rd., WPB Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County | 561-233-1757 | tneil@pbcgov.org | www.mounts.org

Richardia Scabra - the flowering weed

This weed is all over the place out here on Lake Osborne Drive due to it being uncontrolled by the county in John Prince Park. It flowers...gets cut...goes to seed...seeds blow across the street. Once it's in your lawn, it's difficult to eradicate and it spreads quickly, smothering your grass.

I had Nozzle Nolen out here to kill it. But it might be a futile attempt as the seeds will fly from John Prince Park and germinate on the lawn and the cycle continues year after year.

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2107 Annual Native Plant Tour October 1

The Florida Native Plant Society Palm Beach County Chapter presents its

 2017 Annual Native Plant Garden Tour

Sunday, October 1st from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit Eight Unique Gardens Landscaped with Florida Native Plants in Hypoluxo, Atlantis, Lake Worth and West Palm Beach

Despite the beating all gardens took from Irma, these gardens are resilient and still shine!

(Rain or shine. Tropical storm date is October 8)

For the time ever, native bird & butterfly plants (Corkystem Passionvine and Firebush) will be given to the first 300 households on this year's tour. This has been made possible through a partnership between In partnership with Audubon Everglades and Atala Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association and the Florida Native Plant Society Palm Beach County Chapter.

The eight gardens on this year’s Native Plant Garden Tour include:

Roberts Garden
6708 Pamela Lane, West Palm Beach 33405

Wasser Garden
1511 20th Ave North, Lake Worth 33460

McVoy Garden
1514 15th Ave North, Lake Worth 33460

Renninger Garden
1629 North N Street, Lake Worth 33460

Eden Place Healing Arts Garden
1423 North Federal Hwy, Lake Worth 33460

Isabell Garden
412 South L Street, Lake Worth 33460

Hypoluxo Hammock (in Town Hall parking lot)
7580 South Federal Highway, Hypoluxo 33462

Judd Garden
509 South Country Club Drive, Atlantis 33462
** plant giveaway location **

New Flower shop soon to open in Lake Worth

We used to have a florist on Lake Avenue, Lake Worth Florist. That shop got in a political entanglement with one of our former mayors who was running for re-election when the owner put up a political sign in her window supporting his opponent. The state imposed a public censure and reprimand with a civil penalty on him in the amount  of $2,000 for strong-armed tactics. I have never thought it was smart business for store owners to erect political signs in their windows. You are always going to tick off a certain percentage of potential customers.

I miss our old flower shop that closed. As I recall, there was a sickness in her family. But soon we will have a new one moving into our city.

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Glay Glass Exhibit - Flowers

CLAY GLASS METAL STONE Gallery

15 South J Street

Lake Worth, Florida 33460

Poinsettia Center Piece

This plant is on my coffee table and is the focal point of my room.

Taking care of your Poinsettia

Katie's Cattleya

Mounts Botanical Gardens Orchid & Plant Sale

Until 3pm today--

Color of Purple - The Beautyberry

Callicarpa Americana - Beautyberry

This is growing directly across the street from me in John Prince Park--
another of life's amazing things.

A little trivia: Native American Indians used the roots and leaves to make a tea to treat fever, dysentery, malaria and rheumatism.

God's Beauty

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- Tabebuia chrysantha (Ipê-amarelo, Golden trumpet tree)

More of God's wonders

In bloom up and down Dixie Highway

Gorgeous Bougainvillea off of 18th Avenue North

Beautiful weeds at John Prince Park

Flower at Lake Worth Beach

Our Beach - The Beauty and the Beast of it

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Beauty

and the Beast

and one Dead Tree among several

How does the city overlook dead and dying trees?

Mounts Botanical Garden Show - Everything Orchids

The Mounts Botanical Garden of Palm Beach County is the county's oldest and largest botanical garden situated on 14 acres off of Military Trail in West Palm beach. It has more than 2,000 species of tropical and sub tropical plants. Today is the last day of their sale of orchids and shade loving plants. Hours are from 10am to 4pm.

Orchid Sale at Mounts Botanical Gardens

This is my desktop background photo and has been for 20 years. Because of their ease of growth and sheer beauty, cattleyas are the most hybridized of all orchids, and there are thousands upon thousands of registered hybrids.

From 10am to 4pm September 14 and 15, there will be an orchid and plant sale as well as lectures at Mounts Botanical Gardens. 531 North Military Trail West Palm Beach, Fl 33415 561-233-1757. If you are an orchid lover, hope to see you there.

Beauty and the Beach

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Drove to the beach yesterday to see how the surf was doing...wondering if Andrea was churning it up.


On the way back to my car, noticed some beautiful flowers in bloom--

At Bryant Park there are a couple of trees that are spectacular... don't know what they are. Gael Silverblatt, help me out!

Day at the Antiques Fair, South Florida Fairgrounds

The Phalaenopsis orchid is a super popular orchid because of its big, colorful and long-lasting flowers.

Went to the Antiques Festival at the South Florida Fairgrounds yesterday (held monthly--fair continues through today)...tickets are $7 general admission and $6 for Seniors. They also offer a $1 coupon on-line for general admission attendees. One of my purchases was the above orchid. As you entered the fair, a vendor was selling all sizes of orchid pots but the one above was priced at 4 for $20.

All of our purchases were anything but antiques:  a necklace for me, a newspaper subscription to the  Palm Beach Post for one, and two in the group will get estimates on accordion storm shutters this week.  To tell you the truth, none of us knew the difference in an antique or someone's piece of junk.

Weeds and Wild Flowers at Lake Osborne

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Just proves that there is beauty in everything no matter what name you want to give it. Just look and you will find.

Orchid Society of the Palm Beaches

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One of God's beautiful creations

The traditional name is Cattleytonia Why Not and its known as a great little plant. It is compact, standing only about 8-10 inches tall. The flowers are small, only about 2 inches across, but clustered on 6-8” spikes, so they usually stand well above the foliage and are easy to see. Look to Spring and Fall for  blooms. Although there is no fragrance, the bright red colors will knock your socks off.

Someone brought this to the last Orchid Society meeting--spectacular, isn't it?

Rose and a Hibiscus

Spotted at Home Depot today, a stunning Rose and a beautiful Hibiscus. I am assuming that this is a Hybrid rose. The colors were unusual: three colors with white surrounded by red on the outside, and yellow in the center. The Hibiscus flower was also unusual with four distinct colors.