Just a simple, flowing creek… listen for a moment and your hooked. I went out yesterday and walked some local creeks and river banks. All my designs are influenced by the streams and creeks of Western Tennessee where I grew up, and they are still what I seek out to recharge my spirit and my energy. Just a simple, flowing creek is all it takes for me 😊
There’s nothing more Zen like than that right there. Have a great week!
Here we are in Full summer season just a week from the 4th of July, I’m sitting on a jet ski watching a frog 🐸 on a lily pad in the river. I think this is right where I’m supposed to be 😊 I feel breakfast 🍳 calling…
The clover is in full bloom and it’s just beautiful! Some consider it a weed. Not wanted in their lawns! But, not the bees 🐝 They are loving it ❤️ They also depend on it as a valuable food source.
To me, this view is a thing of beauty! If you look closer, even more beauty is revealed…As a boy I would spend hours watching the bees work the clover. I still love them. Just don’t step barefoot 🦶🏻 on one… You’ll get a real surprise 🐝
Take a break from mowing for a few days. The bees will thank you 😊
Hello everyone, my name is Mark Carter and I am an ‘Opacarophile’… Good news, it hasn’t become a problem, yet! 😊 Your probably thinking, what the H@#!! Is a Opacarophile?! Simply put – An Opacarophile, is a lover of sunsets 🌅
An Opacarophile’ is one who LOVES watching the sunset. The feeling you get watching the sunset over the water is a Zen feeling. There is a bit of magic in it…
“A lover of sunsets is called an ‘opacarophile’. To understand its roots, the word opacarophile can be broken down into two parts: ‘opacare’ which is Latin for dusk or sunset, and ‘phile’ which is Greek for love.“
If you follow my blog you already knew that I post sunset pictures all the time. 😊 I think enjoying a beautiful sunset enriches your spirit! Those few minutes before and after the sunset are fleeting… You have to be completely present to enjoy and experience it fully. And when you do, you carry that feeling and beauty with you for quite a while. It can set the tone for a wonderful night almost every time. 😉
With that in mind I recently started a new Facebook page called Tennessee River Sunsets. Please feel free to like the page and share Tennessee River Sunsets of your own!👇🏻
I hope you will enjoy the sunset as well! And if you realize you are also a ‘Opacarophile’ – your welcome to come to the support group every Friday evening at Birdsong! 😊
Well, if you haven’t already seen it, a LOT of us have been posting pictures we snapped of places we have traveled over the years. The idea is to share some beauty during this quarantine and “virtually travel”… It starts with a header like this one below followed by a photo 👇🏻
“Join the challenge of posting a picture of some landscape from a place where you’ve been, where the main requirement is that you NOT appear in it. Just a picture, no description. The goal is to flood profiles with landscape photos to give a twist on the situation we’re going through. Copy the text to your status, post a photo and let’s travel virtually!!”
I hope you and your family enjoy a Blessed Easter Weekend!
Watching the blooms unfold and the bees working them while the birds sing in the background… Magic! Reminds me of the old song…
“Let me tell you about the birds and the bees And the flowers and the trees And the moon up above And a thing called “Love” ～～ Let me tell you about the stars in the sky And a girl and a guy And the way they could kiss On a night like this When I look into your big brown eyes It’s so very plain to see～～～ That it’s time you learned about the facts of life Starting from A to Z Let me tell you about the birds and the bees And the flowers and the trees And the moon up above And a thing called “Love”～”
I hope this short clip draws you outside into your landscape!
Nothing to do? Join me in posting a picture! Yes, there are rules… check them out below 👇🏻Would you like to play?
Join the challenge of posting a picture of some landscape from a place where you’ve been, where the main requirement is that you NOT appear in it. Just a picture, no description. The goal is to flood profiles with landscape photos to give a twist on the situation we’re going through. Copy the text to your status, post a photo and let’s travel virtually!!
This came up yesterday on the radio – So here ya go…
“We’ve been talking a lot about fall color around the nursery, on the radio and on this blog. Have you been getting out to see it and experience it… I hope you have been and are still doing just that! 😊 Here’s the color map –
I have had SO MANY questions the last couple of weeks about my favorite trees to plant for Fall color and what I would recommend to plant in people’s Landscapes. So here is a short list of some of my favorite trees that do well here in West Tennessee.“
Mark’s Top Ten Trees for Fall Color –
Red Maple – Acer rubrum
One of our best trees for Fall Color.
Sugar Maple – Acer saccharum
Wonderful Color + the BEST Syrup ever😜
Balled Cypress – Taxodium distichum
Such a unique tree! Bald Cypress are very underutilized for their seasonal interest. They are such a beautiful tree. Interesting fact : The Bald Cypress is a deciduous conifer.
Dogwoods – Cornus florida
Everyone thinks of spring with the Dogwood tree blossoms, BUT – They are beautiful in the fall with their red tinged leaves and shiny red seeds.
Sassafrass – Sassafras albidum
One of my favorite trees for several reasons! But the biggie is the breathtaking Fall Color! | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
Ginko – Ginkgo biloba
A “Living Fossil” – This unique tree ‘WOW’S’ in the Fall!
Crepe Myrtle – Lagerstroemia
Not only does this ornamental tree bring outstanding Spring & Summer interest, they also bring eye popping color every Fall!
Black Gum – Nyssa sylvatica
The Black Gum or Tupelo Gum tree is one of my favorite natives!
White Oak –Quercus alba
Big native shade tree with striking, deep crimson/red Fall color.
Sourwood – Oxydendrum arboreum
A very unique native tree, really shows out in the Fall!
The color is really changing in the landscape now. The Maples and Dogwoods are at peak. I try to keep my eye on the changing colors every Fall. It’s such a beautiful time of the year 🍁 But, blink and you’ll miss something. You just gotta get out there to enjoy it 😊
Fall color is here today, gone tomorrow… Get out and see it now 😊
”In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. And at no season, safe perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November.”
What a beautiful morning! The tide is going out leaving these shallow tidal pools, warm & full of life… small crabs, minnows & lots of sea shells are left behind. Not to mention the Herons…
This Heron makes a living stealing bait 😊
The sound and sight of the Gulf is my offering for today’s Moment of Zen.
Carter's Water Garden 