Plantation View

This would have been the view from the home at Middleton Plantation.  The original home is gone but was perched at the top of this gentle rise.  You can see the Ashley River and to the right is the mill house pictured below.  The little ponds are called the Butterfly Lakes. 

Plantations

Down by the Ashley River are the old rice fields and the mill house of Middleton Plantation.  This view is of one of the ponds on the property with the Ashley River behind.

Plantations

Now is a great time to visit one of the lowcountry plantations.  This is Middleton Plantation, perched majestically above the Ashley River for all to see when you come around the bend in the river - and that is how most people arrived when Middleton was in it's hay day.  I love the plantations so much.  If you want to see more, please click HERE.

Parking Lot - Southern Style

Can you believe this is the parking lot at Middleton Place Plantation and Gardens?  We were early and not many cars were there yet - besides it is the middle of winter here in the south.

Lovely Lady

As promised in the last entry, here is the lady in the garden.  This was taken in the dead of winter.  The picture below was taken in June when everything was blooming.

 Someone had placed the bright red bloom in her hand so I just played with it.  Kind of fun.

Spanish Moss

I couldn't decide which picture I liked the best so you get 4 of my favorite Spanish Moss pictures.

The picture above is one of my all time favorites.  I call it a Spanish Moss Tree!  Actually it is a Crepe Myrtle tree in the winter covered with Spanish moss!  All of these pictures are much better if you click on them and enlarge them.

Above - I called that on 'Dripping Moss'.  I love the way it drips right into the water.

The shadows of this one make it very interesting.

Do you see the gentle lady in the background, framed by the moss?  I will have a picture of her next.

Interesting information on Spanish Moss - Spanish-moss, also called Florida moss, long moss, or graybeard, is not a true moss. It is an epiphytic plant, which grows on another plant, but does not rely on the host plant for nutrients; epiphytes make their own food. While the plant is not parasitic, it can sometimes damage the host tree by over-shading the leaves, thus reducing photosynthesis, or by weighing down and breaking the branches.

The plants have very tiny seeds that are dispersed by wind and birds. Birds may also carry off small fragments that easily reproduce new plants.

Spanish-moss was harvested for years as a stuffing material in automobile seats, furniture, and mattresses. The moss-stuffed mattresses were said to be cooler and more comfortable due to the natural insulating properties of the plant. This was especially important in pre-air-conditioning days. Moss pickers were hired and used long poles to pull the stringy masses off the trees. The plants were then dried and cured before being used.
Information copied from this site.

The Day Lilies Are Coming!

 When we were at Middleton Place Gardens last weekend the camellias were out in full glory and the day lilies were on their way.  Some had already put forth their beautiful blossoms but most were still wondering if winter was really over or are they being tricked into thinking that spring has arrived.  I feel the same way!

Camellias

The Camellia were in all there glory when we were at Middleton Place last weekend.  (But, in case you are thinking of going, they were still also loaded with more buds - GO!)

I took so many pictures and even Kirby got into the excitement of the moment and was finding perfect blooms for me to photograph.  The one above was his!  The way the early morning sun was shining on it was awesome - it glowed.

There are so many different varieties of camellia but I just call them Beautiful!

The camellia is the first of the flowers to bloom each year and they were just a little early this year due to our mild winter.  Their stark beauty next to the harsh brown of winter is so refreshing.

The plants at Middleton are old and mature.  That means they are BIG. 

Some of the blooms were already spent due to the warm weather.  This bed of fallen petals looks like an artist pallet doesn't it?  I love it!

The Spring House

I took so many pictures of this old Spring House and I do each time I am at Middleton.  It is so picturesque.  So, you are lucky that I have chose to share only a few of them!

This is the classic view of the Spring House as you approach it on your tour. The lower level is where they kept food items that needed to be kept cool.  No refrigeration like we have.

I liked this upside down Spring house with all the turtles crawling around it.

And some different panoramas.  I couldn't help it.  It was beautiful from so many angles!

I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did!!

Pink and Moss

I could not get enough of this tree on our recent trip to Middleton Place.  Just look at it!  Magnificent pink blooms, no leaves and dripping with Spanish moss.  Stark beauty!  Someone please tell me what the tree is!!

Middleton Place Gardens

We took a winter trip to Middleton Place this past weekend.  They were running a special for local folk - $10 admission instead of the usual $25.  We couldn't pass that up, especially with the warm winter we are having.  The day was perfect - warm and sunny.  So unusual for this time of year. 

What amazed me the most about this visit was how beautiful it was even in the dead of winter.  It will take me a couple of weeks to share all the pictures I got.  We were early and the light was wonderful.  Just look at what greeted as we entered the gardens.

 The camellias grow like trees here.  These grew right next to the tree that is covered with Spanish Moss so the moss has mixed with the camellias.  I love the effect of it!  And look at that sky.  It was an awesome day!

Farm Animals at Middleton Place

Middleton Place is such a wonderful replica of a real working plantation.  The farm animals are everywhere just as you would have expected them to be in the early 1800's.

The Cooper

Meet the Cooper (a person who makes or repairs wooden casks or barrels) of Middleton Place.  This wonderful man has been there every time we have visited and we ALWAYS make a point of going to see him.  He is totally in character and he knows everything about Middleton Plantation and the local area during "his time".  When you go, don't miss him!  I have posted another picture of him here - The Cooper.