Women think of all colors except the absence of color. I have said that black has it all. White, too. Their beauty is absolute. It is the perfect harmony.

This week, Anne Sandler, photographer and creator of Slow Shutter Speed, challenges us to find and share photos on the theme of black and white. (Be sure to check out her post for marvelous information on how she creates her photo masterpieces.) For this theme, I’m sharing flowers in black and white. You may marvel, as I did, at all the processes Anne uses to create her masterpieces (and she tells you how!), but my technique is a simple one: I use a filter after downloading the photos to my computer. Easy.

Perhaps my favorite flowers that I’ve shared previously are the White Star White Magnolias that bloom each spring right at my back door. They’re the first blooms I see (sometimes as early as March), and I love to move in closely with my camera as if I’m getting to know them better! Seeing them with raindrops is an added bonus. Now that I look at them in black and white, I can detect even more details in the arrangement, patterns, textures, and sheer beauty of these petals and stems.

Looking side by side at color photos and then black and white ones, I can see benefits of both techniques. On the one hand, delicate colors grab my attention, but photographs in black and white reveal shadows and light in different ways, highlighting subtle details that aren’t as evident when I’m looking at color.

White is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black. God paints in many colors; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white.

G. K. Chesterton

Also interesting in black and white are Southern magnolias. So mysterious these blooms are — as if the broad petals remain folded to protect the beauty within. But then, when the time is right, they open wide, allowing us to see the hidden attributes previously unseen.

Black is the absence of all color. White is the presence of all colors. I suppose life must be one or the other.

Mary Balough

And finally, sunflowers — those sunny yellow petals and dark brown centers standing gracefully tall charm us all. Yes, I love the color – especially when I see a full field of these sunny gems — but they, too, are quite special in black and white. Dramatic. Stately. Poised.

So, when you look at flower photos, which do you prefer? Color? Or black and white? It really does boil down to personal preference.

Thanks for taking a flower tour with me today inspired by Anne Sandler’s beautiful post. And for more entries, please head to Slow Shutter Speed for great takes on the theme.

Next week, I hope you’ll join me as I kick off Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #156: Getting Away. If you’d like to contribute, start looking for favorite destinations near and far and things you like to do once you’re there! Looking forward to seeing you!

Travel in perfect harmony, in color or black and white,

Rusha

The world needs who you were made to be.

Southern magnolias have been a part of me all my life. From the time I was born in Louisiana and then moved to Arkansas and Tennessee, I’ve never been without these gracious gems of trees, towering over lawns and stately homes (humble ones as well) with their glossy green leaves and velvety white tepals unfolding for all to see.

And so with the Lens-Artists Challenge #101: One Single Flower from Cee Neuner, a photographer who has taught many the art of photographing flowers, I bring you the mysterious Magnolia Grandiflora.

Looking almost the part of a woman covering her face with a shawl or burqa, the magnolia remains hidden as it emerges from its budding state.

Almost too quickly, however, it reveals (coyly, as it were) the inner beauty and depth of color as the creamy white folds unfurl gracefully.

The anatomy of the carpels atop the stamen is a grand miracle of nature, revealing order, symmetry, and inner beauty surrounded by white clothing.

And then full on, Magnolia Grandiflora deserves its name, for it commands the attention of all who come within range, unable to resist a look inside, even if they have to stand on tiptoe.

Almost when the bloom has reached its peak, a magnolia will spill forth its beauty as it holds fast to creamy layers, knowing that browning will come quickly.

And those who are near are rewarded with nature’s most appealing scent.

“Like the magnolia tree,
She bends with the wind,
Trials and tribulation may weather her,
Yet, after the storm her beauty blooms,
See her standing there, like steel,
With her roots forever buried,
Deep in her Southern soil.”

― Nancy B. Brewer, Letters from Lizzie

Stop by Cee’s blog for more gorgeous floral entries in Lens-Artists Challenge #101, and join Patti of P. A. Moed for the next release on June 20, 2020.

Rusha Sams

All photos from iPhone Xs.

But mostly I thought about the intrigue of something barely open. Do we have more of a fascination with things that are only partly open to our eyes or open to interpretation? Does a cracked-open door have more mystery than a door fully open? Does the anticipation right before sunrise on a beach take our breath away more than the full open shining sun in the sky? And is there a time when being barely open with someone is preferable to the blatant openness that occurs when someone voices his opinion openly and bluntly?

And so I choose for today’s Discover Prompts challenge flowers in my yard that are interesting because they’re barely open. And it is this same “barely openness” that makes me return daily, sometimes even hourly, to see nature unfolding into full-blown spring.

Yes, for me, barely open holds as much, if not more, intrigue and interest than full-on, in-your-face, wide-as-wide-can-be open.

Rusha Sams

Day 2 of Discover Prompts: A new challenge for April is unfolding this week: Discover Prompts. With a one-word starter, we share our interpretation with readers and share photos. I’m looking forward to the challenges and to seeing all sorts of interpretations, pictures, and new ideas unfolding!

A very unexpected blossom from our White Star White Magnolia in the middle of February!

Every spring I look forward to seeing the one flowering tree I have behind my house come into its own.  With just a bit of nudging, my glorious White Star White Magnolia bursts forth before any other of its kin have even awakened from winter slumber.

Our damaged tree that doesn’t know what season it is!

But not this year.  You see, winter in our place of residence, Knoxville, Tennessee, was just downright warm: higher than normal temps in December followed by bursts of January winter with spring-like interludes sprinkled willy nilly onto the calendar.  And February couldn’t make up its mind either.

Damaged by frost, our White Star White Magnolia that bloomed too early.

Our White Star White Magnolia was confused.  Buds browned out.  Gentle petals drooped and then dropped. And not a single branch on the tree could decide what season it was even on a week-to-week basis.

But today is different.  A few remaining, unscathed buds opened, albeit ever so slowly — as if they wanted to test the air just a wee bit to see if conditions were right for revealing  their tender green middles.

An unseasonable beauty!

And then the gentle rains came, bathing those few-and-far-between tendrils in luscious spring-like drops.

A rain-drenched bud ready to open.

Who knows what season this is?  Certainly not our White Star White Magnolia.

A rare bit of morning sunlight on our unseasonable but beautiful White Star White Magnolia blossom.

For more great WordPress photos, check out the Weekly Photo Challenge: Seasons.

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

“Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley

For more entries in the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Vibrant, click here.

We pass by Cherokee Country Club on Lyons View Pike almost daily.  And sometimes, not all the time, we note what’s planted in the flowerbeds by the street.  Last year, a profusion of almost-perfect tulips caused us to pull over, risk getting hit by incoming guests, and squat down beside these lovelies to get some of the best shots of tulips ever. (Well, at least for us.)

Full plantings of pink tulips in bloom at Cherokee Country Club, Knoxville

While driving around town looking for redbuds this week, I saw this year’s plantings and immediately made a judgement call:  this year’s flowerbeds just weren’t as spectacular as last year’s. Or so I thought.

But pull over I did.  And squat.  And take a look . . . up close.

That’s when I realized the beauty in composition.  This year’s planting of pale pink, yellow, and white tulips was nothing less than spectacular: an impressionistic painting with light colors running together, one of the prettiest arrays in town. And maybe even better than last year’s one-color show of pink.

If you live in or near Knoxville, you may want to put this Lyons View address on your itinerary.  It’s worth the drive, especially if you enjoy taking pictures.

Collectively or individually, the tulips at Cherokee make a strong statement: there’s beauty in quiet colors.

For more information on the Dogwood Arts Festival 2015 (along with a calendar of events), click here.

To see the tulips, head to Cherokee Country Club, 5138 Lyons View Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee 37919.

Outside my back door, a White Star White Magnolia is the first sign of spring.

But it’s not until we get a close-up view that we know spring is here.  This treasured tree blooms for a week at most, and sometimes it has a hard time holding on even for that long. It’s easily buffeted by spring winds and weighed down by the gentlest rains, so blooms have little staying power given nature’s whims.

Early morning rain on a White Star White Magnolia

No matter.  Sometimes the fleeting nature of this tree makes it even more endearing.  The delicate while blossoms.  Subtle pink markings.  Pale yellow stamen.  Fuzzy gray calyx. We love it all, but have to get close to see its true beauty.

Just opening.

A hint of pink

The inside story

Spring officially arrives with the blooming of our White Star White Magnolia.  And its gentle Hello is one of the most welcome signs around.

For more entries in Ailsa’s Where’s My Backpack challenge this week — Travel theme: Spring — click here.

Las Vegas — like no other city in the US!(

(We are republishing this post from Christmas 2012 so you can take a look at one of the most over-the-top holiday rooms we’ve ever seen — the Bellagio Conservatory in Las Vegas.  You just may get inspired to deck out your own abode accordingly!!

I’m one of those rare people who had never visited Las Vegas.  Now, thanks to working with Discovery Communications and training teachers in Clark County, Nevada,  I’ve been there three times since October!

And I like it!  There’s nothing better for me than strolling through hotel lobbies, looking at sculptures (especially love Chihuly!), artfully decorated rugs and drapes, fountains that shoot sky high to the “Star Spangled Banner,” and interiors that imitate street scenes in Venice or Paris or New York!

And then there’s one of my favorite hobbies:  people watching.  Which, in a town like Vegas, is a 24/7 pastime whether you’re on The Strip watching the fashion parade or in a casino catching glimpses of folks caught up in roulette or the new “penny” slots.

Fountains of Bellagio, Las Vegas

If you follow my blog, you may remember that in November, the Bellagio Conservatory was decked out with three-hundred-pound pumpkins, towering scarescrows, and a talking tree surrounded by lines of people listening for his next phrase.  It was, in short, “over the top”! (Click here to read “Fabulous Fall at Bellagio.”)

If I’m lucky, I’ll return again just in time to see the Chinese New Year display debuting January 9th, 2013.  (Click here for schedule.)

The talking tree in the fall display at Bellagio’s Conservatory

But during the month of December, the Bellagio Conservatory was all Christmas and winter wonderland — in the best sort of way.

If you want magic, you can’t get much better than this Bellagio dream world. It begins with a centerpiece tree reaching almost to the top of the Conservatory’s glass dome. Silver and gold bells (hung by brave people in cranes, I suppose) draw guests and photo bugs into the expanse, inviting us to leave the grown-up world at the doorstep to become a child again.  I did, for sure.

Visitors snapping pics of the Christmas bells and ceiling-height tree

Snowflakes, soldiers, and silver bells!

A wintry touch with snowflakes suspended mid-air

A soldier stands at attention near the centerpiece Christmas tree at Bellagio

In the center of room stood shoulder-high log houses resembling their miniature counterparts made of gingerbread.  And through the village ran trains on winding tracks.

Hundreds of poinsettias form the landscape for artful gingerbread houses

Varietal mums (the likes of which we don’t see in my neighborhood greenhouse) formed the base of the village with tags proudly defining the blooms and bracts.

Beautiful variegated leaves in these Picasso Premium Poinsettias

Probably more than one child has asked a parent if he can ride this rocking horse that almost reaches the height of the stars. (Another popular photo-op, judging from the families using him as a backdrop!)

Rocking gracefully — this horse stands tall among the landscape.

And penguins moved, too, flapping their wings and taking a spin around the ice as they showed off their best moves under the crystalline trees.

Home for the penguins — a miniature pond for skating!

Costumed carolers added sounds of the season and then graciously posed with young and old.

What fun! A picture with the Carolers at Bellagio!

Polar bears danced, pranced, and swam to the delight of everyone.  (An awesome sight made more spectacular when you realize they’re covered head to toe in white carnations!)

The center of attention — a polar bear of white carnations.

Later that week during the morning hours, we happened upon the “refresh” team cutting more carnations and doing balancing acts to make sure only the whitest whites would be visible to guests that day. (Reminded us of the Rose Parade preparations, if you’ve ever been to Pasadena.)

Cutting the stems of replacement carnations for the dancing bears

With thigh-high waders, this team works on keeping this bear lookin’ good!

And their efforts paid off.  Here’s that bear in great form!

The Bellagio’s floating polar bear!

Other bears required more maneuvering, but the prep was worth it!

A bit precarious, if you ask me, but necessary to maintain that awesome white polar bear appearance!

Perhaps it was by design that the section with the postcard backdrop (all flowers, too!) had the longest line.  Everyone wanted a family picture in front of Happy Holidays so that, I suspect, the photo could anchor their 2012 Christmas Card or, at the very least, be forwarded to Facebook and on to the folks back home.  We loved it, too!

A very busy, very popular Happy Holidays backdrop

Photos weren’t just taken by the guests at the Bellagio Conservancy.  Trains also got into the action. A camera mounted on the locomotive panned the crowd and then sent the images to a screen held high above the poinsettias.

An inset camera on the locomotive reverses the action by photographing the crowd!

Ohh, ahh said the crowd.  And then they pointed to themselves and smiled at the fun technology can bring!

Look!  Here we are!

Watching ourselves on the screen as the locomotive videos us!

Some people were definitely in the Christmas spirit. When we saw one person in front of a tree, bear, horse, etc., and one person readying the camera, we heard this quite often: Would you like for me to take a picture of the two of you?

And the answer was almost always Oh, would you?  That would be wonderful!

People loved watching others being photographed. Some offered to take pictures for them.

It worked for us.  Here’s our picture snapped by a very friendly visitor from Osaka, Japan!

Merry Christmas from Vegas!

So, from the Bellagio Conservatory to you, we wish you Happy Holidays and new travels in 2013!
Thanks to all of you for reading our blog this year.  And a special thanks to those of you who clicked Like or Follow. (Your support meant a lot.)

We hope to bring you more Places to See in the coming year!

Sincerely,

Rusha and Bert

Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South

Las Vegas, NV 89109

888.987.6667

http://www.bellagio.com/attractions/botanical-garden.aspx

For more information, check this out:

Fresh lavender in the booth of

Reposting so that you can see what’s in store if you attend the 16th Annual Lavender Festival in Historic Jackson Square, Oak Ridge, Tennessee this Saturday, June 21 from 8 to 3. Click here for more information.

I could almost smell the Lavender Festival from the parking lot — well, maybe not from that far away, but I almost could.  It was exciting to walk past the Emma Lee Spray Park and Garden and enter Jackson Square in Oak Ridge at 8:00 AM Saturday. And I was in good company. Hundreds of festival-goers, anxious to get their hands on long stems of lavender bound into bunches, were looking forward to breathing in the fragrance that has lured thousands to this festival for 16 years.

Sponsored by the Jackson Square Business Association, the Lavender Festival has a charm all its own.  It’s not a bustling, noisy festival where visitors line up two deep at hot dog stands while listening to several stage bands at once!

This is a quiet sort of gathering focused on the beauty of plants, hand-made crafts, and products from local gardens — a peaceful, earthy sort of festival where people mill around peering into booths filled with lavender in various forms: bouquets, wands, sachets, creams, oils . . . even edible products like lavender-infused honey or — yes, this is a real product —  lavender ice cream!

And one of many reasons this is a sweet-smelling festival is this — most of us are carrying string-tied bundles of lavender everywhere we go  from Jackson Square to the adjacent Farmers Market!

Three ladies and a dog with lavender bundles!

First stop for me:  the booth of Anne Freels, designer of cornshuck dolls. Anne shared the benefits of lavender with customer Lynn Carroll  — how the fragrance has a calming effect. And bouquets dry naturally but retain their pleasantness for years to come.

Anne Freels helps Lynn Carroll select the perfect bunch.

Marie Bullock offered beautifully displayed Victorian lavender wands woven with colored ribbons. Marie said, Victorian ladies didn’t always bathe every day as we do, so they kept a lavender wand to wave in front of themselves.  The fragrance of lavender would mask any unpleasant odors.  If the wand’s smell lessened over time, the lady would merely pinch the wand, releasing the fragrance into the air once again.

A bouquet of lavender wands in the Heaven Scent booth

Under the label Heaven Scent, Marie offers products made with lavender oil like moisture cream, angel drops, linen spray, and lavender toner. Who knew lavender could be so versatile!

Creams, oils, and drops from Heaven Scent

Honey Rock Herb Farm (Louisville) brought pictures of lavender fields, books on lavender, plant markers, bags and bunches of lavender as well as organic catnip and manuals on the care and growing of herbs.

Pictures and products in Honey Rock Herb Farm’s booth

Perhaps the Profusion of Purple Award (if there ever was such a thing) could go to Scott County Lavender, a booth that was purple to the max — everything from creams to t-shirts and products bottled in purple.

The very purple booth of Scott County Lavender

Pat Osborne told me about Lavender Hydrosol, a by-product of a distillation process. What remains after the process is pure mountain stream water infused with lavender essential oil.  She said that essential oil could be compared to perfume whereas Lavender Hydrosol would be similar to cologne — not as concentrated but quite effective!

Pat says you can spray Hydrosol on a pillows for a lingering fragrance. But Hydrosol spray can also kill germs, lessen the sting of sunburn, repel fleas in pet areas . . . even have a cooling effect on hot flashes!  A wonder elixir, for sure, if it does all that!

Pat Osborne of Scott County Lavender telling me of the wonders of Hydrosol

Many area nurseries and herb farms brought their healthiest, showiest plants for sale.  Melanie and Kathy from Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm told me about their location in the Marlow Community near Oak Ridge where herbs are their specialty, but they also have a wide selection of native plants and garden accessories. You really ought to come out to the farm right now, Melanie told me. It’s at its best.  You’d love it!

Melanie and Kathy from Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm

My favorite booth was this one by Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm. There’s just something appealing about weathered doors and antiques used as garden art.

Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm booth reminds me of an old-fashioned potting shed

In another booth by Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm, terrariums took center stage.  This topless one held gentle fern-like plants poking above glass to catch the light. (I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making these for gifts, so this one inspired me to give it a go! I love these!)

One of several terrariums from Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm

Although succulents have never been a favorite plant of mine (I think it’s their hard leaves or compact nature that I don’t like), I have been successful with these hardy plants in spite of how I feel.  So I’ve come to look more closely at them as mainstays in my biggest flower pots.  I especially like the looks of a whole flat of these from Erin’s Meadow basking in the early morning sun.

Succulents and garden accessories from Erin’s Meadow Herb Farm

Some of the most colorful blooming perennials were brought by Sunlight Gardens. The sign near these native Coneflowers says they’re great for cut flowers!

Colorful Coneflowers from Sunlight Gardens

Another sign told me something I didn’t know about Blazing Stars — they’re butterfly magnets!  (They must also be photographer magnets, because several of us were kneeling down to catch the perky color and full blooms on film!)

Sunlight Gardens also brought these showstopper Blazing Stars

Working craftsmen are always a pleasure to watch at a festival.  Scott Weatherly of Crossville stopped his work for a few minutes to tell me about the art of chair caning, a craft he’s practiced for twelve years.  After soaking the cane, he weaves traditional patterns that look best with the lines of the chair. He was putting the finishing touches on this unusual pattern to bring new life to an old piece.

Chair caning demo by Scott Weatherly of Crossville

Linda Baldwin, The Barefoot Weaver, from Heiskell, has been weaving for eleven years.  She told me that after she “got into” weaving, she loved the craft so much she bought the house next door to use as her studio! She weaves placemats, runners, pot holders, and other home essentials, and it thrilled me to watch her hard at work right there in her booth.

Linda Baldwin of Pine Ridge Handwovens provides onsite weaving demonstrations

This particular runner was something I don’t often see — it was woven with a combination of yarn and strips of torn cloth. Sturdy, yet beautiful — with a contemporary feel.

A runner by Linda Baldwin mixing yarn and strips of cotton cloth

Melissa Ball of Stony Clay Station Pottery creates wheel thrown stoneware pottery in her studio in Lenoir City along with partner Benjamin Qualls. She was busy that morning judging from the long line waiting to pay her for her wares.  I asked one customer if her pottery purchases were for gifts, but she smiled and said, Actually no. These pieces are just for me!

Melissa Ball of Stony Clay Station Pottery in Lenoir City

Finding old linens is a hobby that Tina Richey has had for years.  Now she’s putting the embroidered tablecloths, napkins, pillowcases, etc., to good use! She gathers similar patterns (like florals, birds, dogs, etc.); stitches the small pieces together to form larger blocks; and then cuts out fronts, backs, and sleeves to create these one-of-a-kind jackets! Her Knoxville business of wearable art and accessories is known as Spotted Horse Crafts.

Tina Richey shows off one of her themed jackets created from vintage embroidered linens

Jeri Landers — whose dreamlike drawings and scherenschnitte (paper cuttings) have drawn me in for closer looks (and purchases) for years — had a stunning booth. At the Lavender Festival, she was selling her fabulous children’s books.  They’re not only sweet stories . . . they are beautifully illustrated! Look for The Journey of Bushky Busybottom — one of several bunny tales — by Jeri Landers, one of the busiest artists I’ve ever met. (This stunning backdrop is an enlargement of one of her illustrations!)

Jeri Landers, author and illustrator, signs a copy of her latest book.

From Morgan County came Lana Manis whose business Honeysuckle Lane drew me in to her booth.  Her hand-crafted creations — tiny pillows and lavender sachets — have been featured in Romantic Homes, Early American Life, Sunset, and Victoria.

Lana Manis adorns pillows with flowers stitched from ribbon and thread.

She uses bits of ribbon to form flower petals and leaves.  Then she adds embroidery stems and stitchery embellishments — all against a backdrop of  lovely linen in yummy colors.

A tiny pillow topped by a ribbon and embroidery Coneflower by Lana Manis

Jenni Dickenson of Napping Cat Flower Farm in Maryville not only grows these lively flowers — she creates little bouquets and then arranges them in colorful — or plain — tin cans.  Even the names of her bouquets are cute — like “Hippy Chick Farmstand Mix”! (Apologies for the slightly blurry photo.)

Jenni Dickenson of Napping Cat Flower Farm with her colorful bouquets

When she told me she sets up at the Knoxville Farmers Market on Market Square Wednesdays and Saturdays, I knew I could find her again and take home several of her bouquets for gifts in the near future!

Colorful bouquet in a can by Jenni Dickenson

The creator and editor of Flour Sack Mama, Anne Brock, promotes green living on her blog (floursackmama.blogspot.com) and in her booth. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest giving tips for thriftiness and better living that protects the environment and us, too!

Anne Brock of Flour Sack Mama

She offered children a chance to be a part of the festival by making little lavender sachets.  The kids selected fabric, filled the pouches with lavender furnished by The Ferrell Shop, and then stitched the tops closed.  Here’s a dad helping his daughter put the finishing touches on her lavender sachet! Sweet, huh?

A dad helps his daughter make a lavender sachet in the Flour Sack Mama booth

Sweetwater Valley Farm was there, too!  If you haven’t been there for a visit, you can take your children or grandchildren to see farm animals on one of the prettiest farms in East Tennessee in Philadelphia.  (Call before you go to get the schedule: 877.862.4332!)

Amy passed out samples of tasty cheese from Sweetwater Valley Farm

For the Lavender Festival, they passed out samples of Sweetwater Valley Farm Cheddar Cheese and let guests have a taste of Artisan Honey Jelly — that’s right, honey with the consistency of jelly! Mmmm.  Would love that on a hot biscuit!

Honey Jelly from Sweetwater Valley Farm

Behind Jackson Square was the regularly scheduled Farmers Market, so I headed past the festival booths to see what the farmers had brought.  The Cruze Farm girls (well, not many of them since they were manning booths at three locations all on the same morning) brought Lavender Ice Cream and Lavender Honey!

Those cute Cruze Farm girls were there!

Since I had to have my hands free to take pictures all morning, I made no purchases until the end.  And what I came for was right in the Oak Ridge Farmers Market: Joe Hollar of Knoxville was grabbing handfuls of  lavender from an open truck bed, tying those bundles with string, and making lots of customers (including me!) very happy!

Knoxville lavender grower Dan Hollar had customers lined up!

It was heavenly to walk away with my souvenir bundle of lavender that I smelled in my warm car all the way home! (Not this one — but isn’t it gorgeous?!)

An enormous bouquet of lavender sitting near Joe Hollar’s stand at the Farmers’ Market

Each year the Lavender Festival offers a newly commissioned piece of art for sale.  The website posted this lovely pastel work by Mary Katherine Chin titled “Lavender” as the 2012 featured art.

“Lavender” by Mary Katherine Chin

If you want to come to the Lavender Festival in Oak Ridge’s Historic Jackson Square next year, be sure to check the website for dates and times.

The Oak Ridge Farmers Market is open on Wednesdays, 3 to 6 P.M. and Saturdays, 8 A.M. to noon from mid-April through late November.  You can find locally-grown vegetables, herbs, honey, meats, cheeses, baked goods, plants, and fresh cut flowers!

Blooming behind the screened porch, early April: White Star White Magnolia

From the tree in the side yard, mid April: White Dogwoods

And climbing up our mailbox in May: White Clematis 

So, travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, for great whites.  And to see more blossoms bustin’ out all over, click here.

Travel theme: Blossom.