Tuesday, December 28, 2010

The Gardens At Cummer Museum

Along a winding road beside the river through neighborhoods of historic upper class homes is the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. There are places I have never seen and never been in Jacksonville, Florida. It was never my home. More time was spent just to the south along a winding road beside the river in Orange Park, Florida. That too was not where I grew up.

Today a late afternoon excursion was taken to the art museum and the historic gardens of the museum linked to notable landscape names like Ellen Biddle Shipman and Olmsted.


























Formerly the homes sites of lumber barons, Arthur and Waldo Cummer, the gardens were saved when the homes were demolished for the present museum.




















Formal Italian and English style gardens were laid out by the designers.


























Statuary, planters and fountains grace this garden throughout.


























A garden down by the river. Yes that is a river, the St. John's River.




















And very near the interstate and a view of the down town skyline.




















I want one for my garden, but I think I lean more towards a gargoyle than a griffin.


























Because my garden will have its living kings and queens of the varmints.


























Or maybe I need Diana, the patroness of the hunt.


























But it is time to say goodbye to Florida. Until we meet again.




















And the first thing I will need when I get back to the low spot on a North Carolina mountain top is the shovel of the snow kind.

4 comments:

Siria said...

Thanks for sharing this beautiful garden! So many places to see and so little time. Safe travels tomorrow and I hope most of the snow has melted for you when you arrive on your mountaintop. I know your kitties will be very happy to see you come home!

Lola said...

Thanks for taking us along with you as you traveled through these gardens. I never knew they were there.
I do hope all is well at your mtn home & that the kitties have fared well.
Take care, stay warm.

Anonymous said...

Safe travels Christopher. I hope a warm spell settles on the mountain for a bit, it was frigid at Christmas even down in town, with a foot of snow. Fun but cold.

Frances

Lisa at Greenbow said...

It is going to be a shock to the system to go back to your winter wonderland.