A photo heavy post.
Over the weekend, Mr. Cottage and I went on a shopping trip to my favorite nursery and water garden business.
Milmont Garden Center is a Mennonite owned an operated business in the Shenandoah Valley. When I step into this place, a peaceful calm surrounds me.
It is herb nirvana for me. My olfactory senses are on overload. I walk up and down the row of herbs, touching and feeling and smelling. I simply can’t help myself.
Eye Candy everywhere!
A sea of shamrocks.
Imagine all the luck!
Outside, row after row of plants, shrubs and trees are all calling to me. The melody echoes off the mountains.
I can’t think of a more beautiful setting to spend time with the husband, and our friends.
Here, our friends are picking out plants for their garden.
It was hard to leave all this color behind.
A short drive away we arrive at another family owned business Springdale Water Gardens.
The storefront is in an old barn on the property.
It is still early in the season, much too cool for the water plants to make a showing. They are kept in the greenhouses until warm temps arrive.
Whimsical garden art is being unpacked as we arrive.
Mr. Cottage heads into the shop to purchase a new pump for our pond.
I headed over to the fish building, where I purchased 3 apricot comet fish.
With our purchases stowed in the trunk we head for home.
Just down the road from the water garden business is an old quarry. The exposed rock provides interesting shapes and colors.
Saw this building on the way back, I love the bright color.
Back home, we introduce the comets to their new swimming grounds.
Gilligan, gives a big hello welcome to the hood.
Today the weather has turned cold and rainy. April showers…
I hope your weekend was enjoyable.
See you later, Bye!
Kim
Red Dirt Farm and Studio 
Fabulous photos, Kim! Oh, how I love Spring! Can hardly wait for the Dogwood Trees and all the flowers to start blooming. Happy Spring!
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What great photos Kim and I am very envious of your pond!
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That first nursery looks huge. I always have trouble coming home empty handed. I loved the garden art and the bright building. Sarah x
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Eye candy indeed! Such beautiful photos and the colors are so inspiring!!
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Thank you Staci – I know I really crave color, especially after this long winter. xo Kim
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Did you get a look at those huge wind chimes at the Mennonite garden center? Gawd, I love wind chimes. All of mine are falling apart and they aren’t exactly a necessity. At the water garden center, they had some beautiful pots. Most envious of that IF the prices were decent. Was surprised about the road to their place being a combination of dirt and rock. LOVED seeing all the fishies in your pond. In your sidebar, I don’t remember seeing the blue tennis shoes before, but they are cool. Like that shot – creative.
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What do you mean wind chimes aren’t a necessity? Say it ain’t so. We have a pair of those large honking wind chimes, we bought them many years ago when money was better. I love the sound they make – awesome. No, the prices at the water garden center will give you a heart attack that place is mostly just for the eyes, not my pocket book. You don’t miss a trick, those are my new (last year) walmart blue sneakers. I wore them out. Thank goodness I bought two pairs, so I can start all over this year. xo
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Your Wal-Mart sneakers are a wonderful color of blue. I’m glad you’ve got two pairs. I get all my canvas sneaks at K-Mart.
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I’ll admit to buying windchimes at Dollar Tree and Dollar General but I shy away from any that are over $5. Money is just tight thanks to corporate america’s greed.
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You go girl with your ramblings on corporate american greed – makes me smile.
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Oh gawd, girl, you have no idea how bad I hate corporate america even though I need them for some really important things like FOOD. They sent all the middle class jobs overseas so they could pay their CEOs $27 million a year and thus impoverished a whole bunch of us. I support them as little as possible and I figger they got it coming. AT&T has shown up at my door and called me three times trying to get me to sign up for U-Verse cuzza fiber optics being installed in my neighborhood. How many times I gotta explain to them they’ve gotten all the money they gonna get from me? Agggh!
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Your photos are stunning! We will have to make our way over there one day, have never been there and it looks like a great place to visit and shop.
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Thank you Caroline – go you will enjoy the trip. Wait another week or so, or go early spring, their gardens outside the place are amazing and beautiful mountain views. xo Kim
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I love your “photo heavy” post Kim! Brings me right along on this wonderful trip to my favorite kind of place. I could wander in greenhouses for hours. And that rock by the quarry is incredible. Plus, what a cute purple building! I wonder if my hubby would ever let me paint our house that color?! Ha! I’d better start with the shed. 😉 Love your fish pond and the welcoming committee too! Cheers, Gina
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