Southern Exposure: European Edible Basket

Back to Southern Exposure for the final workshop of the spring. It was a cold, wet, gloomy day. The bits of blue sky we saw on the way down disappeared sometime between breakfast and the end of the workshop and we were all wishing we'd worn fleece!

During wedding season, the first thing you see when you come through the gates is this wonderful vintage car!

It takes you back to a gentler, easier time, to be sure!

We went to Southern Exposure for a workshop that the brochure called a European Hanging Basket. I call it the European Edible Basket because the project was filled with herbs and edible flowers! But more on that later.

It may have been gloomy but we were welcomed with bird song in the air and rose petals on the walkway!

We arrived in time for a quick walk about, and then it was time for a fabulous, herb-packed breakfast. Chef Elsie did well by us with scrambled eggs with basil, hash browns with thyme, rosemary herbed butter for our croissant, a fabulous grilled pork with the salty tastiness of a bacon or ham, and a honey yogurt with granola. The hot tea (or coffee) was welcome and so were the cheery mimosa, the closest thing to sun we would see all day!

The workshop itself was fun. We received nine plants to include in our hanging basket -- basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary, kale, Swiss chard, viola, dianthus and dwarf snapdragon. The flowers are edible. Then it was a matter of putting it together. A little moss covered the finished product.

Of course, Scott and Angie brought us all mimosa while we worked!

I was happy! Can you tell?

And yes, the chickens made an appearance. They deserved applause, having offered up their fresh eggs for our breakfast!

Then it was time to continue our walk.The trillium were in perfect bloom.

And I couldn't resist taking lots of photos of the bleeding hearts.

Bleeding hearts are one of my favorites, bringing back powerful memories of times spent on my grandparents' farm as a child.

It had rained the night before (and yes, that morning!) so the droplets on the flowers took my breath away.

I love shooting on an overcast day because the intensity of the colors is more powerful and far less washed out. Today was perfect for that.

I'm always fond of the gates and fences at Southern Exposure. It was fun playing with my new camera setting to see how differently things could look!

The Straw Guy was holding court too, this time with a giant pot of pansies.

One of my favorite stops is in the small greenhouse.

I particularly like the light in here, too! And the lovely things tucked inside.

You might pass by this statue in the garden, somewhat hidden by foliage. Yet she was lovely.

We also stopped by the chicken house to thank the birds for sharing their eggs for our breakfast.

And wandering by the other buildings is always a treat.

And as always, we ended up back at the gift shop.

Thanks for joining us on our Southern Exposure excursion. Unless we head back simply to walk the gardens in the summer, this is our last visit until workshops begin again in the fall.

I have a feeling we might have withdrawal!

This post will be linked to Talk of the Town on Wednesday, Thoughts of Home on Thursday and Pink Saturday on -- yes, Saturday! On Monday I'll be at the Second Garden Party hosted by Share Your Cup and Thoughts of Home -- check out some amazing gardens there!