By the Beautiful Sea

Want an escape? A trip to a paradise by the beautiful sea? Then come with me to Seaside, an idyllic planned community located on Florida's panhandle, beside one of the most beautiful beaches on earth. It is a place for dreams, romance, fun, and relaxation. If you think you are in a movie set, you aren't wrong; for Seaside first became famous when it was chosen for the set of the movie 'The Truman Show', released in 1998.

Earlier this week I returned from a visit to Seaside, and I have been reliving the experience, going through over 200 photos I shot over my four days there. We stayed in a delightful cottage named Natchez House, and it was only a short walk to the beach. The weather was cold, but the charming architecture more than compensated for that. Natchez House is shown in the first photo below:

Most of the cottages are vacation rentals, but there are some year round residents. Below is the community school and the interfaith chapel, where we attended church on Sunday:

Except for some common areas in the town center, there are no lawns in Seaside. All plantings are native vegetation. Among them are live oak, yaupon holly, coco palms, and loblolly pines. Also included are non-poisonous sumac, pampas grass, creeping fig, and, of course, sea oats. The orange fruit on the bush in the second row below are kumquats. Tasty! There was one tree I couldn't identify. It is shown in the last two photos. It reminds me of a sweet gum, but the balls aren't prickly. Could it be an osage orange tree?

(Follow-up note: Thanks to my fellow garden blogger, Floridagirl, who has identified the mystery tree for me. It is the American Sycamore!)

Of course, there would be no Seaside without the beach! Even in winter, the beach is extraordinary. White sands like this come from quartz and can be found in only a few locations around the world:

The sea was calm, and I did not see any evidence of last year's Gulf oil spill. I was amazed by a group of ducks paddling in the salt water, something I have never seen. I think the duck I saw is the Common Merganser, also called Saltwater Fish Duck and Sawbill Duck. Probably they are attracted by the marshes of nearby Topsail Hill State Preserve and Grayton Beach State Park. I also saw the more usual sandpipers. The photo of bird tracks in the following group shows the prints of both the mergansers and the sandpipers, together in the sand:

Every main street in Seaside has access to the beach through a pavilion, and each one is unique. I must have taken thirty shots of the Natchez Pavilion before I captured the following image at sunset. The beaches along the Gulf coast are famous for their sunsets:Such was the perfect ending. Pleasant dreams to you all!   Deborah

A New Woodland Path

This past spring I noticed some trilliums growing in an area of the woodland garden that was undeveloped:Trillium cuneatum, photo taken March, 2010There was a bit of a trail there, created by dogs and kids who sometimes cut through the woods. I cleared a few vines from the area but didn't do much else until last week. A cool breeze hit me as I stood in the forest, and in the hot, sticky air of August the momentary refreshment brought inspiration.

I would make a new woodland path!

I went to work pulling weeds and more vines till the foot trail was wider and better defined. The new path comes off the moss path in the woodland garden and makes a wide loop before it rejoins the main path in the upper woodlands. Straw falls from pine trees beside the new path and provides a nice carpet underfoot. I planted a few hostas, heuchera, ferns and a climbing hydrangea, but I think I will leave the area essentially wild. As in most of my garden, low maintenance will be important. Nandina and mahonia already grow here, and there is vinca, liriope, and the trilliums, which are dormant this time of year. I must plant some daffodils, of course, and this will be a great place for some Snowflake hydrangeas and some native azaleas and...we will see! 

I was dripping sweat and dirty as an oil rig worker when I finished, but I was pleased with the results. I still need to cut some brush and wild hedges, but further work will wait till cooler weather! Meanwhile, here is what I have so far:
View of wild muscadine vines, to the left of the new path as it comes off the main woodland trailNandina on the left and mahonia on the right at the head of the new woodland path

View of nandina near the beginning of the new path

An enormous poison ivy vine grows on this pine tree. I decided not to touch it.I planted a few hosta and heuchera along this part of the path.1st row: hosta 'Groundmaster', foliage and flower. 2nd row Mahonia; Native climbing hydrangea, Decumaria barbara. 3rd row:Liriope; Nandina domestica. 4th row: Heuchera 'Autumn Bride"; Hosta 'June'.The woodland floor is covered with vica major here beside the new path. I plan to plant daffodils in this area.Here the new trail starts to turn back toward the main woodland path.This is the view to the left, near the end of the new woodland path.The new path rejoins the main trail at the blue bridge.View from blue bridge, back toward new path

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