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Sunday, May 25, 2014

Surreybrooke


My most favorite garden center is just 3 miles from my house.  It's more than just a plant nursery, it's a nursery of wonderful ideas for your garden.  Nancy Walz's Surreybrooke is located in Middletown, Maryland and has been a place I go to purchase some of my most unique flowers each year.  I made my first visit of the season last week and wanted to share the photos I took.  Nancy's Surreybrooke is a place you can wander to see the plants in their natural setting.  I just need to tell her where I saw the plant in her garden and she'll show me where to find it in one of her greenhouses.  Throughout the grounds you will find historic log cabins moved to her farm and reconstructed.....


Inside you will find whimsical items for your garden.....

Outside she shows you what you can do with these charming decorations.... 

Like this faerie garden....

She is well-known for her arrangements.  You don't need to have an imagination to shop here.  She has plenty ready-made potted plants....

Or you can come and just stroll the grounds....

A walk over a small bridge that fords the stream that runs through her property takes you up to her 1863 farm house seen peeking through to the right of that tree.  In the front right is another restored cabin.  To the left is an original outbuilding for the farm....

Now you're entering the gardens surrounding her home....





This is the newest of the buildings she's added.  She holds outdoor weddings and other events here....

This is back at the entrance to her homestead.  You can get a better glimpse of the restored cabin....

Just off the parking lot is this garden.  In June she always holds a Music in the Garden event.  Musicians are stationed throughout the gardens.  This one is a good place to lay out a blanket and have a picnic supper while you listen....






You mustn't miss the Children's Garden!


There is a child-size door that leads to another garden....

But adults can go around it through the tower and pass by this rustic planter....

.....used to hold a faerie house....

Continue on past the momma and poppa bear working in their garden....


....follow the red brick path past another faerie garden....

 ....until you arrive at the entrance to Arborvitae maze....

....which brings you out here to explore another little portion of the garden....


 As you leave the Children's Garden be sure to notice the giraffe!


I bought a climbing rose to replace the one I lost to the witches broom virus.  This one is called Eden and will have white/pink blossoms.  Nancy grew it herself....

I also brought home Elfin Thyme for my miniature garden.  It is the one with the purple flower in the lower right corner.  To the left of the walkway is the "ruin"--victim to the hard winter freeze--that's been left until a new cottage can be built.  The little white flowers on the Irish Moss are just beginning to bloom....

Nancy was featured on the cover of the June 1988 issue of Southern Living.  Inside the story was about her dried flower wreaths.  At that time she was only growing flowers to make her arrangements.  It's truly an amazing story of how she, and later her husband once he retired from his day job, built up their business.  


You can see more photos of Surreybrook here.  You can find her Facebook page here with more photos full of inspiration.  

12 comments:

  1. Awestruck! What a marvelous resource you have practically next-door. I could spend hours there, I'm sure. Lots of eye-candy and inviting nooks everywhere. Thank you for sharing all these lovely photos; I will be returning to enjoy them again, and have already visited the links you provided.

    Sharon in Alabama

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    1. I know! I love that it's so close. She has a lovely Mother's Day luncheon and tour every year, too.

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  2. How lucky you are to have such a beautiful garden center near your home. Thank you for sharing such a magical place. Most garden centers I visit are quite commercial and quite frankly not as inspirational as Surreybrooke. It must cover quite a bit of acreage to develop all the unique gardens. I love your little faerie garden, even the winter damaged house. Your new rose looks quite healthy and right at home in your garden. I placed two potted jasmines on each side of my trellis where my New Dawn used to reside. So sad to lose a beloved rose in the garden.
    Also wanted to let you know I enjoyed reading your post at Another Perfect Day. Enjoy more days in the garden. The weather is just perfect! ♥




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    1. Thank you, Martha. I dug out the dirt where the infected rose had been and am hoping that was enough....but will keep an eye on it and my other roses now that I know what it had. It was your Tweet that put me on to it. I know now how to treat it if those mites that carry the virus show up again. Your Jasmines should look lovely once they're in full bloom and grow up the trellis.

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  3. That is amazing! No wonder it is your favorite shop--obvious it is far more than just a business for them! It looks like a place to stop should we ever visit Maryland!

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    1. Hi Dotsie, I forgot to check my Admin yesterday....just found your comment. If you do stop at Surreybrooke, you HAVE to stop in to see me, too!

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  4. What an amazing garden centre! You're lucky to live close to it. It's probably just as well I don't live anywhere nearby. The temptation to spend money would be hard to resist!

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    1. When I go I set a budget in my mind and stick to it!

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  5. So lovely! I sent your post link to a friend in Columbia who goes to Frederick quite frequently. She may know about this but why take a chance she would not :) I know she would like the music in the garden event. Thank you for sharing; your photos are always wonderful!

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    1. We are planning to go to the Music in the Garden event ourselves!

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  6. Wow - this is not a mere gardening center. It's a veritable feast for the senses, as well as a cultural phenomenon. How lucky to live so close! Can't imagine the hours of work it took, over years I'm sure, to achieve all that. A beautiful, beautiful spot. Those arborvitae really whisked me back - my mom had a row of them in her back garden when we moved to our 9-acre property [I was 10] and she finally had room [and time] for an all-out garden. Thanks for the tour and have a great week, Cath.

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    1. Nancy has 15 acres in all. I loved my grandmother's bushes. She trimmed some of them to look like a couch and two chairs. You have such wonderful childhood memories. I've enjoyed hearing about them little by little! I'll have to think of more posts to coax more out of you. ☺

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