Gardens of Beaufort

Actually a better title might be "Flowers and monuments of Beaufort's gardens." Following are some photos of flowers and yard art found in my last walking tour of Beaufort.

Next week we will returning to Beaufort to visit the Victorian Parlor. We are anxious to see the new 'old' house and will be taking many photos, I'm sure.

Life's Blessings

"The butterfly is a flying flower, the flower a tethered butterfly." (Ponce Denis Ecouchard Lebrun)


I followed this butterfly around while he was feasting and he seemed very amenable to having his picture taken. I believe he is some sort of Skipper but there are so many types and after looking at about thirty photos I could not figure out which one he was. If anyone knows, please comment.

Patience

Have you ever heard the phrase 'patience is a virtue'? Patience is important in everyday life and is required with almost anything or anyone - children, jobs, diets, basically life in general.

Before my dad died in 1999, he gave me a small hydrangea bush from his yard. I planted it in my backyard and each year it grew but only produced one or two small blooms. I would drive around and see beautiful huge blooms on hydrangea bushes and wonder why my hydrangea barely survived. It seemed to have the right amount of sun and the right amount of shade and was in well-drained soil. Little did I know that the only ingredient missing was patience.

This year, my hydrangea has really surprised me.

The beautiful purple flowers are amazing!


I know the acidity in the soil determines the color. I love the pink and blue blooms next to each other...

The blue and cream are especially attractive

And what's this peeking from inside some low lying leaves next to the bush?
Whether this is a one-time occurrence, only time will tell. Perhaps my hydrangea bloomed because of all the rain we had last year, or perhaps the snow we had. Or perhaps it just needed patience. Whatever the reason, we are enjoying its beauty tremendously!

Life's Blessings - Patience

"Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius!" (Comte de Buffon, 1707-1788)"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them - everyday begin the task anew." (Saint Francis de Sales, 1567-1622)

Fences of Beaufort

For the past few weeks we've been strolling through Beaufort's Old Point where gates, trees and gardens abound. The subject of this post is fences.

We begin our walk by descending ivy-covered steps.
Fences come in all shapes and materials...

Brick with a lattice design is common. I especially like it when homeowners place objects atop the walls.
A combination of wrought iron and brick...
Does the fence surround the garden or the garden the fence?
Another brick fence but its post is covered in some form of stucco, maybe a coquina?
Flowers and bushes continually peek through
I love the parallel between the house veranda and the fence
Some houses have walls for fences, but blooming plants continue to accent them

This was one of my favorites. I'm not sure what this type of fencing is called, but I remember it from the, uh-hem, 1950's? Anyway, notice how the bark from a bush or vine has been woven in and out of it...

The design is much more impressive in person
More brick and wrought iron plus a small retaining wall
You can tell this house is on the water. Note the encrustation that has formed on the top of the wall


These appear to be older bricks due to the curvature of their corners. I can't help but wonder, is the wall supporting the plants or the plants the wall?