Monday, November 7, 2011

The Garden of Loral Acres

In late September, I visited my mother and stepfather and took a few photos of their piece of heaven.


Long ago when my mother and stepfather moved to this piece of land, they created a name for the property that combined parts of their names, Loral Acres. Living here for over 30 years, they have made many changes from creating perennial beds and vegetable gardens to selling off pieces of the land to reduce the workload to creating new vegetable and herb gardens.



Okra blooms abound...



My mother loves flowers, and plants them all around the house.


Her Oakleaf hydrangea is very large with a plethora of blooms. Even in their dried state, they offer a lace-textured complement to the leaves.


The pyracanthas flank the side of the house with lots and lots of berries.




Ice plants are in pots and other containers.




At one point during their residence on this land, they had a very small chapel built on the property. A cypress vine climbs the side of the door.


A screened-in porch sits among the trees as a secluded place to read or nap.


The property is filled with blooms and special spots.






One evening while I was visiting, the sky gave us the most interesting and beautiful display.



Loral Acres is a very quiet and peaceful place, where no cars or trains can be heard. In the distance, there is the sound of mooing cows, crowing roosters, and singing songbirds. I can see why my mother loves this place.

©Michelle A. Potter

69 comments:

  1. A beautiful place, indeed. Like a slice of heaven. Stunning photos, too.

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  2. The sharpest and snappiest of autumn flowers.

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  3. I guess love of plants, gardening, and beautiful outdoor spaces runs in the family.

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  4. What a gorgeous place! I especially love the reading porch! I could just imagine sitting there, surrounded by all that beauty, listening to only the wind, and sleeping peacefully. Ahhhhh.....

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  5. It sounds like a piece of heaven. One I could thoroughly enjoy.

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  6. This is really beautiful place! Your parents must be so happy living in the midst of flwoers and vegetables!

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  7. What a lovely place your mother has found and I can tell from your writing that you love it too. I can imagine the bird song with all those trees, a truly peaceful place - living in harmony with nature.

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  8. That is truly a beautiful place! You know what I liked the most? That small screened in porch! I can imagine myself sitting inside and looking at those tall trees... Wonderful!

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  9. Isn't it nice that your mother has passed her love of flowers and gardening along to you. I am sure it is a special bond between you.

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  10. I would love to walk in those gardens, too! How blessed you are to be close to your mother.

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  11. Hi Michelle, in my opinion your mother and stepfather have done a very good job. ;)
    P.S.: If you want, login in my Followers widget and you'll get a link in my home-page.

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  12. I love that purple wall with the orange pyracantha berries next to it - I can see your mum has a good eye for colour if she picked those 2 to go together - that part of the house must look stunning.

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  13. One can tell your mother and stepfather have poured their souls into this property, and beautiful, restful gardens are the result. They are blessed to have stayed in the same place all these years and to have seen their vision mature. The pyracantha against the wall is spectacular!

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  14. What a lovely retreat Loral Acres must be. I can imagine spending many hours in the screened porch in the woods. Like one commenter said... a slice of heaven.

    Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage

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  15. What a beautiful garden your Mother has created! Love the idea of a chapel, how wonderful!

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  16. What a wonderfully peaceful and beautiful place!! It looks like a true refuge.

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  17. Wow, I'd visit them all the if I were you :) Really, their garden is magical.

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  18. What a lovely garden. Those pyracantha berries are such a fantastic shade of orange.

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  19. That certainly is a beautiful place but I'm sure it took lots of hard work. It sure was worth it though. Heavenly indeed.

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  20. It sounds like such a beautifully tranquil place! What a nice place to visit!

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  21. I can see why your mother loves it, too. And you present it in such a peaceful way with your words and your photos. Seems like the perfect getaway spot!

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  22. HI: First time on your blog, nice great job.

    Have a wonderful day,
    John

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  23. Wonderful pictures! I imagine they had something to do with your love of gardening as well. Thanks for sharing.

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  24. Such a beautiful, charming place. It looks like a wonderful place to rest and visit with family. It's easy to see that the gardening apple doesn't fall far from the tree ;)

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  25. What a beautiful place. Out away from the noise and they have done a beautiful job with the property.

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  26. @Ann Thanks, Ann. It is a very special place.

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  27. @catharine Howard She has made her garden very beautiful with all the flowers.

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  28. @HolleyGarden I think that is one of my favorite places. They built that a few years ago, and it is a true respite.

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  29. @gardenwalkgardentalk.com I think they got very lucky to have found this place years ago.

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  30. @Malar They are very happy there. It is a quiet place for them to garden and live.

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  31. @Tatyana@MySecretGarden Isn't that such a great spot? My mother naps and reads in there...beautiful!

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  32. @Carolyn ♥ It is a very nice place to walk and ponder and savor.

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  33. @leavesnbloom I was in awe this last time when I saw how those pyracanthas had grown. They look so nice against the house.

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  34. @debsgarden It is one of those kinds of places where you want to stay for years and years.

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  35. @Christine That is a very special chapel. My husband and I were married there.

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  36. @Dewi It is always a treat to go there and spend time with my family and enjoy the beauty of the land.

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  37. @Debbie/GardenofPossibilities I really am impressed with her pyracanthas. I am hoping to get mine going when I get some females.

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  38. @Bridget It did take years of work to get everything the way it is now. It was well worth it.

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  39. @PlantPostings You are so kind to say so. I do feel as it is a respite.

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  40. @David Thanks, David. I think making a connection is that first burst of love in gardening.

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  41. @Cat Thanks, Cat. We enjoy sharing our gardening adventures.

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  42. @Tufa Girl They have done a great job. It is a very nice place to get away from it all. And I am glad they have it in their later years.

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  43. I can certainly see why she loves it too! Looks like a great place to call home. Lucky them.

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  44. What a gorgeous garden, and still so many blooms! Even though I'd never use okra in the kitchen, I've been sorely tempted more than once to plant some. Their flowers are simply stunning...for a vegetable!

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  45. What a serene place. You described it so well I felt that I was there. I love listening to country life...cows, roosters, etc.

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  46. What a wonderful place to go and relax. They've done a fantastic job with the place!

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  47. What a charming piece of heaven. Your photos perfectly captured the sense of serenity and peace. Beautiful!

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  48. @Curbstone Valley Farm Okra does have the most beautiful blooms for a vegetable. I am always surprised at how lovely they are.

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  49. @Karin / Southern Meadows I am so glad you enjoyed your visit to Loral Acres. When I would walk in the morning up the road, there were two dueling roosters. One would crow then the other...so cute.

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  50. @The Sassy Butterfly's Chaotic Musings They have worked very hard to have a peaceful place with food to eat and lots of beauty.

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  51. @nittygrittydirtman Thanks, Kevin. I am glad I was able to capture the peace of the place.

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  52. This certainly look like a dream place to stay in.

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  53. What a marvelous garden~I know your mom could teach me a few things about garden design. gail

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  54. @Gail Gail, it is a very special place, and they have worked hard to make it special. Thanks for stopping by.

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  55. sounds like paradise Michelle, a beautiful retreat for wildlife as well as humans, Frances

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  56. @Island Threads It is, Frances, and much more. Thanks for sharing in its beauty!

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  57. That looks like a really special place, how lovely that your parents have created something so magical together.

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'I see trees of green, red roses, too
I see 'em bloom for me and for you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world'
--What a Wonderful World

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