14 September 2009 by Robert.

During a recent trip to the Hampton Roads area, my wife and I decided to visit the Norfolk Botanical Garden for the afternoon. Being this was my first visit even though I lived in the area for nine years, I really didn’t know what to expect. Just let me say that I was very pleased.

The Garden consists of 155 acres and 12 miles of paths so don’t expect to see it all in one go. Especially since there are many hidden jewels throughout the area! There are more than 30 themed areas ranging from their Japanese Garden to the Hofheimer Camellia Garden to the WOW (World of Wonders) Children’s Garden. And be aware that the gardens change with the seasons!

You have different ways of seeing these different areas, too. I would recommend you take the boat trip that journeys through the waterways giving you a general look at the layout of the park with a guide who is both knowledgeable and friendly.

After the boat excursion, take the time and ride the guided land tour that takes you through the interior of the park. This way, you can see a lot of the plantings up close and will help you narrow your focus for later.

Then, you can start out on your own and walk the paths deep into the gardens.

The next time you are in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk area, plan on spending at least a day at this wonderful place.

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22 June 2009 by Robert.

On Saturday, June 13^th, my wife and I visited the small Hill Country town of Blanco to enjoy the brutal heat and the celebration of lavender.  We began our discovery of Blanco by visiting the old courthouse square and all of the booths set up selling just about anything you could think of buying.

After a refreshing lavender lemonade and seeing several artisans at work, we decided to get back into our air conditioned car and visit some of the lavender farms in the area. The first farm we visited was the Heron’s Nest Herb Farm. There, Melanie and Fred Van Aken showed off their farm to us and others. Fred spoke about his rainwater collection system that provides water for both his large garden and the gardens around his home. He also uses a solar-powered pump to provide the energy to move water through his drip system. Then, he spoke about the organic solutions needed to successfully raise his lavenders.

We moved on to the next farm on our listing, the Hill County Lavender farm with Tasha Brieger. Tasha spoke extensively about everything you would ever need to know about farming lavender. She has at least two different French lavenders and three different English lavenders available on her farm. Lots of folks were there taking scissors and making their own bunches of lavender flowers to take home.

The next farm we visited was Karen and Don Roets’ Miller Creek Lavender farm. Don greeted everyone at the parking area reminding us to sample the lavender margaritas at the store! The great part about this farm was the Texas Master Gardener who was available to talk about how to plant and maintain your lavender. She spoke to folks from the Hill Country, North Texas, and the Gulf Coast about the specific needs of these plants. Here, we also learned the differences between culinary and presentation lavenders. It was really cool to see another Master Gardener who was helping to educate the public about these wonderful plants.

After this farm, we returned to the courthouse square to enjoy local wines, beers, jellies, jams, and other great food items. The live music was wonderful and the local population was working hard to make sure all the visitors were having a great time. We even ran into another Master Gardener who was taking a well-earned rest. What a great place to be a Master Gardener!

I’m looking forward to visiting Blanco again. For sure during the next Lavender Festival but probably even before. I had a great time and came back with six different lavender plants, two different jams, souvenir cups, a new hat, and great memories!

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