It was cold and overcast when I checked in this morning at Gaiety Hollow.  Undaunted, Woody was on a ladder putting the finishing pruning touches on the sasanqua camellia for this season…

pruning

He explained about opening the interior of the plant this season and waiting for the new buds to form before he can prune front to back next year…

pruning 2

There were tools everywhere…

tools 1 tools 2 tools 3

evidence of pruning…

pruning 3

David showed me the old gate that had been stored in the Deepwood coach house…this one designed by L&S about 10 years after the house was built…they replaced the architect Clarence Smith’s gate with one of their own design.

old wooden L&S gate

…similar in feel to this one they designed for a client in the 1930’s…

gate drawing

After about 60 years of service, it was replaced with this metal gate….

newish iron gate

but now David and George have made a new wooden gate which will soon go here…

gate space

The allee and the flowering shrubs were in bloom…

Allee from lawn

Allee 3

Allee 2

but I thought you might like to see some of the vintage photos of the garden at this time of year…here it was in 1950…

Knight Library Home Garden Dogwood + Focal Point, West Allee May 1950

and more…

Home Garden - West Allee 1 (DS)

1952…(the garden was 20 years old)

Home Garden - Evergreen Garden looking north (DS)

Home Garden - Evergreen Garden looking S (DS)

and the tulips…

Home Garden - Flower Garden 1 (DS)

See you next week!