Scarecrows in The Garden

Scarecrows in The Garden is an annual quirky exhibit.

Local families, business, organizations and classrooms can create a scarecrow to display at the Robert Mills House in the Historic District of Columbia, SC.

I neglected to take photos of the tags hence I only remember the names of a few. You may have guessed this one, Frida.

The Addams Family.

This amusing one is Stand Up Comedian. Around him are family friendly jokes like "Was out to dinner with a scarecrow the other night, he didn't eat much. He was already stuffed!"

This pretty one is titled Of The Earth.

 The originality is marvelous here.

Here is Poncho.

A couple of them were having difficulty staying up right like this unicorn person.

I hope you were amused by these!

We also went to the zoo this weekend. Decorations were up for Boo at The Zoo.

The witch hats are lanterns which must look really cool at night.

The dinosaur exhibit is still here so this big guy is appropriate.

Thank you for stopping by! ~Val

Spingtime at the Seibel House and Gardens

My favorite local garden is not the amazing botanical gardens, but rather the charming gardens at the Seibel House in the Historic District of Columbia, SC.

It is my real life fantasy garden.

 

We were here back in the fall and I blogged about it then. It is completely different in the spring.

It has beautiful nooks and crannies to enjoy.

There are even bananas growing, giving us hope for fruit on our growing banana plants!

There are carnivores pitcher plants in the fountain water.

The agave has southern magnolia pods resting in its massive leaves.

How fun are these bell flowers below? 

This is the Chinese Lantern Flowering Maple. There is another type I am just as enamored with at the botanical gardens that I will have to share in another post.

I love the red drops before the flower opens.

This will not be the last you will hear of this garden.

I hope you enjoyed this stroll through my favorite garden.

For locals, this house is at at 1601 Richland St, Columbia, SC. Open daily, free of charge, during gift shop hours.

Thank you for stopping by! ~Val

Hampton Preston House and Gardens

The Hampton Preston House and Gardens are in the historic district of Columbia, SC.

We were here early in the season so color was limited, although still quite pretty.

This is a site where couples can marry.

It has darling areas for photo ops.

We were here twice in 2 weeks so this is a combination of photos from both viewings. Things became so much more lush in that short period of time. 

The house is currently under construction so I presume weddings are no happening at the moment.

 

We have 4 babies of this shrub below. I can't wait for them to grow large like this one!

I love these baby Chinese fir trees. Adorable.

I also love that cactus-like one in the middle of the photo below.

I hope you enjoyed this garden stroll. We will come back in the summer to enjoy more flowers and lushness as plants grow in.

The garden is free to stroll daily during gift shop hours at:
1615 Blanding Street
Columbia, SC 29201

Thank you for stopping by! ~Val

Robert Mills House and Gardens

This garden is not full of color in March but is still quite pretty.

This is the Robert Mills Gardens in Columbia, SC which has charming statues.

Waiting for the crepe mrytles to bloom. We have one in our front yard which we are still waiting to bud. Some varieties are already showing leaves so it will be soon.

There are nooks and crannies to sit down and relax.

We will come back in the summer to see more color.

The house is beautiful and is used for weddings.

Here is the back where the gardens are.

Below is the front. 

That funny looking tower in the background? After some research I found it was built by Southern Bell (telephone) decades ago. It is now owned by AT&T and is being used for wireless services. Well that is re-purposing. Initially, being from the north and clueless, I thought this was a tornado siren!

I hope you have enjoyed this charming garden space located at:

1616 Blanding St
Columbia, SC

The grounds are open to the public, free of charge, 7 days a week during gift shop hours.

Thank you for stopping by!  ~Val