Exploring Miramar Beach: A Camper’s Dream in Florida

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I’ll never forget the first time I got a glimpse of the turquoise blue ocean waters of Destin, Florida. My husband had a business conference near Panama City and after the conference was over, we took a drive towards Destin. The minute I spotted the white sandy beach and the blue clear ocean waters; I asked him to stop and pull over. I walked out there quickly with him. There wasn’t a soul on the beach. It was off season, but I gasped at how gorgeous it was. I was like, “OMG! Look at the color of the water. It is so clear. So blue and beautiful.”

To be honest, he was pretty tired from a week of work conference stuff and didn’t really seem to be interested. He didn’t even want to sit on the beach for a few minutes. Thus, we had to leave, but I remember thinking, I’m going back here someday and never in my wild imagination would have thought when I did return, it would be with a camper.

Upon retirement, long story short, my husband convinced me we would love camping. As I’ve mentioned in my camping related posts here on this website recently, I was never a “camper” person. But I do not enjoy flying anymore. We decided to give camping a shot. And our trip from Connecticut to Florida was our first long trip (after testing some local short trips in New England). And goal number one was – go to Destin, Florida. It was one of my dreams.

I want to share our journey so I can offer up what I thought of the places we stayed along the way. Why? Well, I do find it very helpful when I run across a blog which gives tips, pics, and information about traveling with a camper, so why not? And because I’m excited about our camping adventures now, maybe just a tad more than my plants, which was the original focus of this blog, my blog, for years. At least for now. Plants have started taking a back seat over camping for my fun budget. I’ll always love plants and even bought two tropical Mandevilla plants while in Florida, but I have to balance that budget for both now. Less plants, more camping.

The goal was beach, beach, beach, and it wasn’t difficult to find a campground called, Camping on the Gulf near Destin, Florida. At one time, it was called just “The Gulf” which is on their big blue sign out front of their entrance. I did some research and heard you have to book Florida camp spots one year in advance, so we did that. And I also heard the sites at this Florida place we selected are tight but that they are worth it because you are literally steps from a beautiful soft white sand beach with clear blue waters. Camping on the Gulf is actually in the city of Miramar Beach. Very close to Destin, Florida. Or maybe they are considered one in the same. All I know is they are beautiful beaches and we wanted to go there.

Can’t Miss these Big Blue Signs – Helpful because lots of traffic on the road on the way in and out

It was a long wait to go on this journey because we made the reservation one year in advance. And before the trip, I was experiencing a great deal of stress and trauma in my own family regarding my ailing mother and more. All I can say is I wondered will we be able to do this trip? I put off booking the camp sites on the way back home from Florida because I was worried my mom would be very ill and I would not end up taking our trip to Florida at all. My mom passed two weeks before we were due to leave. I, of course, am heartbroken over the loss of my mom and still grieving. I grieved a lot before then to be honest. She suffered from dementia and anyone who’s experienced this, you know you grieve while they are alive because they change so much. And to witness her decline over years was very difficult and sad.

After her funeral and all the things that go along with this grieving process, we had to pack up for our trip. It was cold in here in Connecticut still, and it was actually too cold to de-winterize our camper. I was confused on what to do, exhausted, overwhelmed, and crying at times. I put lots of winter clothes in the camper along with summer clothes. I couldn’t think straight, just too tired overall. We, my husband and I, got all we could ready and hit the road. It was mid-to-late March, and I truly thought we would need to de-winterize the camper line before we left, but it still was freezing temps here in Connecticut, and some places on the way there! There was actually a sweep of very cold winter freeze weather in places on our way which typically would not be experiencing frost. Anyhow, we made plans and started to get ready. We decided we will de-winterize where the temps warmed up on the way to Florida.

We stayed in four different campgrounds on the way to “Camping on the Gulf.” Staying two nights at a place in PA and then two nights in VA and then one night in TN and one night in AL, and then finally the arrival to my dream beach. We stayed in some KOAs and another private place which I will share those stories as well on what I liked about each location for on the way there. My husband is in charge of the travel roads he wants to take, so he can explain the route if needed but we wanted to avoid I-95.

Some folks may think that’s stretching out the drive over a few days is silly because you can probably make it to Destin, Florida in 15 hours, but not for us. We are new to this and pulling our 30-foot travel trailer. We didn’t really know what to expect with the winter not moving along yet and as we left and hopefully headed towards warmer weather. We weren’t the only ones dealing with the winter episode. It affected people in Florida too. We weren’t there yet but they were on RV Facebook group pages actually asking, what do we do, we are getting a freeze?! One person even commented they didn’t think they could find anti-freeze stuff in Florida.

I found Camping on the Gulf by google searches and also by being on some RV related pages on Facebook. Those pages are very helpful. Especially when they answer questions when something breaks and if you are new to campers, and don’t know what to do, tons of folks out there camping will put their comments in on the Facebook post to help, offer advice and guidance, which is awesome.

By the way, friends who have visited Destin before all agreed with me that the beaches and waters there are amazing. I knew that part would not be a disappointment. The only worry I had was, will our site be a good one? You really can’t tell most of the time on camping websites unless they have good pics of each site. You have to rely on their camping drawn map or call, I guess. That is one thing which bothers me sometimes. I watched videos I could find trying to spot our site, but none of the videos I found really showed our specific site selected. We picked site number 409 from their camping map. It looked like it would be close to the pool and not too far of a walk to the beach. You can actually have a spot right on the beach at this campground along the front, but the front lined sites do not have FHU (full hook ups). I need FHUs. I’m a FHU kind of gal. I was worried though, how tight are the sites as I read on some blogs the sites are very tight. And you really don’t know till you get there. I had to be patient.

Of course, when we arrived at Camping on the Gulf, we were so super excited. They had an attendant at a small gate entrance, which I read beforehand to not arrive early to this campground because they don’t have room for you to wait in a line with the camper.

Driving into Campground

The woman checking us in was super friendly. She was as happy as could be. She was excited for us that it was the first time for us to be at this campground. They arrange the checking in more by being told where your site is located and then you go back to the front office to finalize the check in after you are parked at your site. We entered and drove down a paved road with campers on both sides, turned a corner and could see a playground and other stuff, then turned left back towards the front and voila – found our site number 409.

Oh, we were so excited we could barely calm ourselves which is so needed when the woman (me) is yelling out instructions and the man (hubby) is backing up the camper. And we just were both geared up emotionally. I kept saying, go back more, go back more, but then we realized the stabilizer bars under would not be on the paved part, so we had to pull forward and finally got it perfect. That was our first surprise, our site had a paved area with a paved patio portion. In my mind, I thought we were going to be on a sandy grassy area. I didn’t know that it has some paved patio like parts. That was a bonus.

And the space between our site and the one next to us had a small green grassy area – because of some kind of utility box, so we kind of had a second bonus – more space. We were not on top of anyone and felt we had plenty of space. Win-win! Site 409 turned out to be really perfect for us two. It didn’t have a great deal of shade, but we didn’t care. We have an awning on the camper, and two patio umbrellas we brought along. There was one big palm tree which was right next to my bedroom side window, and I loved looking at it in the mornings as it gently moved around from the wind. Plus, because this was mid-to-late March, it was not super-hot. No worries about shade.

Our Site, Number 409 (50 ft Max Length, 43 ft Max Width)

When we arrived, we were so exhausted from travel, we did not walk to the beach immediately. It takes time to do all the hook-ups and set everything up. We were hungry and tired. We got all our stuff out, including our own fire pit. They do allow fires here, but you must have a fire pit that is above ground type (like with legs or those taller encased type ones) and we were sure to be super-duper careful of having small, controlled fires. I was worried they would not allow firepits, but they did. No fire ban. We enjoyed our dinner and fire and went to bed early.

By the way, the timing of our visit was mid-to late March. Our site, which we now knew would be fine for us, was a back-in site and it is located between a bathhouse and a pool. It is located closer to the front entrance of the campground versus closer to the beach. There was a concrete walking path behind our camper, or you could also just walk up the paved road between the campers on the other side. They also have one laundry facility which was fine. More on that later. Let’s stick with the fun parts.

Miramar Beach, Florida at Camping on the Gulf

I would have to say, the way to describe this place is it is all about the beach. The sites are close together mostly, but some are not overly close, but who cares really. You are on the beach at a campground and in an area with tons to do. We like to adventure when we take our camper places, and I knew I would enjoy the local restaurants, touring sites, and more in the area. However, we stayed at our camp place probably more than we expected. It was just too good to be on the beach. Especially since we live in Connecticut and winters can be long. We also had great weather during our stay at this camping adventure. The ocean water was a little chilly but not really. The sun was out but we were not boiling on a beach. It was perfect weather. We were lucky.

The Calm Waters – Just Absolutely Gorgeous and Clear

There are two pools at the campground. I checked out one closest to our site, but it wasn’t pristine clean. And the furniture around it was outdated and there wasn’t enough seats or lounge chairs, but I was able to ignore all that because of the beautiful Miramar beach. I would say that was probably the only little downfall that the pool could use updating and more maintenance. There are actually two pools. One for kids, which I didn’t really even look at it. It has a giant slide and maybe it was in better shape. It is located closer to the beach end of the campground. There is also a pond on the site with a fountain in the middle.

As far as kids goes, we are kid-less but there is a decent small playground which I saw many kids enjoying. It also has a small pickle ball court and basketball area, and it was used quite a bit by people. And there were lots of kids on their bikes in this campground. It concerned me a little because it is a tight campground and they would ride a great deal on the paved roads between campers, and I always thought how super carefully we had to be when leaving in our truck. But it wasn’t overwhelming, just to be very aware. It would be nice if they had a bike park for kids so they wouldn’t be on the roads, but everyone takes all in stride at campsites and are respectful and careful.

I saw the glamping yurts from the outside at this campground (I think there were 3 of them), they looked decent. No idea what it is like on the inside, but a nice option for those without campers. And there was one beach house like building close to the beach end, but it looked a little older, and I didn’t really look it over. I was too busy looking at the blue waters of the beach. All the roads in and around the campground are paved. There were a few small cabins as well here and there. We actually met a couple who rented a cabin. They told us they’ve been going to this campground for years with their camper, but they now have decided to just rent a cabin. They seemed pleased with it.

Yurt on a Walking Path at the Campground

As far as being on the beach, to me it was heaven. But take note, there is no bathroom right on the beach, you have to walk back a bit to use a campground bathhouse bathroom if needed. How nice it would be if they had just one or two outhouses close to the beach. There are no lifeguards, although I saw the lifeguards drive by at times along the whole stretch of the beach but the area in front of the campground is for campers only and it is not monitored by lifeguards all day. It is private in such that only campground folks are on that beach and there’s plenty of space. To the left and right of the beach area for the campers is private spaces for the homes on each side of the campground. To me, Camping on the Gulf, is a little gem. Somehow, that land is still for a campground and it is besides million-dollar homes. God Bless whomever keeps this campground in place.

We had a nice surprise two days after our arrival. My aunt and uncle texted me to say they were heading out camping and were only one hour from us, and asked, “Would you like some company?” Wow! I was so surprised. You see, this is one of my mother’s brothers. His siblings and friends call him Cowboy. He is always wearing a cowboy hat! As I’ve mentioned, I just lost my mom before we left, and I thought, this is so ironic and cool. Like I haven’t spent time with my uncle and his wife in years. They live up north from us and well, you know, life gets busy. But at my mother’s wake, they asked about our new camper, and my husband happen to mention we were leaving soon for a trip to Florida. My uncle and aunt just bought their new camper too. It was just amazing that we connected for a few days. To be on the beach with them, during this time after my loss, was a gift. And I felt my mom had a hand it in somehow. Spirits are amazing!

Before I left for this trip with my husband, I made a long list of restaurant suggestions people made on an RV Facebook page about places to eat in Destin. I swear I think I had a list of 20 restaurants. We only made it out to 3 or 4. One was “The Back Porch” seafood and oyster house. It was 7 miles from Camping on the Gulf. That day it was just Steve and I (before my uncle and aunt arrived for a couple days). Well, the food was delicious and it had a fun fast paced busy atmosphere. We sat at the bar, had the most excellent fast professional service, and the Grouper sandwiches were so good. And there was a beautiful view of the ocean through the windows along the backside of the restaurant. There are beach steps too to the restaurant from the beach side as well. It was a great lunch, and I’d recommend it. Because it was a weekday and an early lunch time, we were able to find a parking spot out front without any issues on the parking side.

Home Made Pasta – Delicious at Fat Clemenza’s
Inside Fat Clemenza’s – We are Early Lunch people, so it was empty at the time.

One day, after so many seafood dinners or lunches, we were craving pizza or Italian food. We found a very small restaurant, not fancy looking, with good reviews and stopped there. It was absolutely delicious with homemade pasta. The pizzas are wood-fired and really good. The waitress was super friendly, and we were glad we gave it a shot. It is called “Fat Clemenza’s” and we give it 5 stars. It is located in Miramar Beach, Florida versus Destin, FL if you look them up on maps. It is more like in a small plaza with parking in the front of the restaurant. If you drove by it, you’d probably not consider it much, but I’m glad we found it and had a great fresh lunch there with good wine and beer.

Wood Fired Pizza at Fat Clemenza’s

We also did the Harbor Walk Village in Destin that has trinket shops by the water and some eating places, but it just wasn’t our vibe. Lots of younger people were hanging out and I didn’t feel impressed by the restaurant choices there. We found a free parking spot, but I hear it costs a lot to park there now. I can imagine it being very crowded during busy tourist times, and all of that – it was I think about 10 miles from Camping on the Gulf. The Harbor Walk area was the busy end of the area with lots of restaurants, kids’ parks, and stuff like that. The traffic gets congested at times at that end.

As far as shopping, I did drag the hubby out one afternoon to the “Destin Commons” with outdoor areas and shops. There were only a couple local type shops (soap making for example) and more of the type of clothing shops I’d might find in Connecticut like H&M or those common shops. You pay to park on the sides of the walking paths via parking meters. I got a few new outfits, and it was a sunny day. There was a cool play park in the center of this walkable store area for small kids and they were loving it. It was quiet the day as we shopped for a couple hours. We did not eat there but I saw a big restaurant there.

Destin Commons Shopping Center

We never went to Crab Island which so many bloggers or Facebook RV groups about Destin recommended. But we saw it from the roadways. I wanted to go but I had fallen on the concrete walkway at the campground and gashed my leg badly enough that I could not really sit in water all day until that healed up better. Due to my injury, that was missed. I heard it is a fantastically good time. To learn about it, just google or go to YouTube. Oh well, I had the beach right by our campground, so I didn’t really miss out on the ocean. I had to get watertight badges but still enjoyed the ocean waters.

I was really looking forward to calm beach waters of Miramar and Destin, Florida. We had the calmest waters for the first two days there. After, there were lots of small repeating waves. Who’s to complain? But I have a thing about calm waters, but really, it was not a complaint. LOL. BUT on the very last day of our stay, the calm waters returned that day. I stood there not wanting to leave and closed my eyes and thanked the ocean for our beautiful stay and how much we appreciated it. Oh, by the way, the white sand there feels like baby powder. We sure will miss that beach.

On our last day at Camping on the Gulf, I took photos of vacant sites to share to give folks an idea of what the sites are like. Everyone you talk to on the RV pages say, you must book Florida a year ahead. But once in a while, there would be an open site maybe for a day or two. If you are lucky. Or you might have to play musical-site changes, like musical chairs game, if you take that chance of not booking ahead. Meaning you have to move again to another open site. As for me and my hubby, we liked planning ahead and luckily for us everything worked out. But here’s some photos of the open sites I took:

See the fence with the houses behind it – those are private homes and property.
This one is closer to the beach front – you can tell – much more sand.
This one is a bit more “tight” – but as you can see also, is being tight worth it on a beach? Yes, I say! I’d take it
The site next to us. It had been taken prior for a few months by a nice couple we met. When they left, I snapped a photo.
Our site. The grass area you are not allowed to put stuff on, but it gave us a nice open space feeling.

Overall, my take on this campground is it is all about the beautiful beach. You are a beach bum here with the advantages of many local restaurants minutes away if you like to go out to eat. Also, everyone is happy. I saw only smiling faces. The downside, yah, a little tight but oh well. We loved it. More than some may want to pay for a spot but oh well, we wanted to go. There is only one laundry facility, but it worked pretty well. There are two pools. As noted, they should try to clean up the pools more. There are two bathhouses. We had no issues. Employees we met at the camp store and check in were nice. One day, a woman employee working there was on a golf cart and she asked me if I was okay when she saw a big bandage on my leg (from my silly fall on a sidewalk prior). I thought that was thoughtful for her to ask. Follow-up to our reservations and questions were good and we felt safe. I did see one site across from us that got a little flooded from the one and only quick rainfall, but it drained away. It was like a big puddle. And you know what? Kids were playing in the puddle. That’s what campers do – make the best of it. Would I classify this as a “high-end” campground, I’m not sure. I’ll tell you one thing for sure. Their beach is high end in my book. I’ll never regret going there and soaking it up. I forgot to mention, we brought a portable beach wagon for our short walk from our site to the beach every day. It came in handy.

Cathy Testa
Date of this Post: 5/13/2026

P.S. I will post about the camp stops we made on the way there and on the way back to CT. Feel free to comment or email me with questions!

Camping on the Gulf
10005 Emerald Coast Parkway
Miramar Beach, FL

Note: This is not a paid post in any fashion and just my opinions and take. I hope you enjoyed my post and if you have questions, feel free to ask. Just click on the “Leave a Reply” button on the bottom of the post or click the CONTACT link to reach me.

The Best:

Being on or right near the beach, walkable from every camp site, private for campers.
Next to tons of local restaurants and fun sites.
Not too far attractions (like Harbor Walk and Crab Island tours).
Some kid stuff (playground, kids’ pool).

The Not Best:

Tight sites but as I said, who cares!
Not a “super fancy” resort but very very nice.
Maybe considered costly to some.
Pools are on the smaller side and could use some TLC.
Roadways out front get busy but you are not on the roadways, you are on the beach!
Long drive from East Coast but worth it. At least once in my life time.

…OK, I’ll shut up now…:)

Easy Moss Crafts for a Beautiful Easter

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Easter is on April 5th this year, 2026. Although it is still 2 months away, I recently thought about some Easter creations. I made them with plants and moss a few years ago.

You can use sheet moss, Spanish moss, reindeer moss, mood moss, sphagnum moss, or faux moss. In my examples below, I used two or three types of natural live moss.

Easter Moss Wreath with Grape Vine Bunny Ears

Round Metal 12″ Wreath Frame
Natural Moss (different types)
Natural Grape Vine Twig Garland
Green florist wire
Ribbon

Making this wreath was rather easy. It does make a mess though because the moss will scatter bits here and there. I made them in my greenhouse. The moss was live natural moss I had in my stock. Moss can be kept in cardboard boxes in a cold environment, like an unheated garage. Some florists keep moss in their florist coolers. The wire wreath frame was in my stock from prior years of making holiday wreaths. I also had some florist wire from before. And the grape vine twig as well. At first, I didn’t know how to make the bunny ears, and the grape vine came to mind. Attaching the moss with the florist wire by just repeat wrapping is simple. The grape vine was bendable to I attached it to the wire frame as well.

I attempted to make bunny ears by using coat wire hangers and bending them into the bunny ear shapes. It worked too but was more time consuming. I preferred the grape vine ears instead.

I also like the look of just a simple natural moss wreath. There are actually several different types of mosses used in the wreath made shown above. Moss gives me a feeling of just enjoying nature. It is earthy, has an almost like soil smell, and pliable. If the moss needed a little moisture, just lightly spray it with a water bottle sprayer. Outdoors it lasts for months if not indefinitely. The moss on the one in the photo above was a combination. It included mood moss, which is wavy looking, and sheet moss. Sheet moss pulls apart in pieces. It works well to wrap a piece or section of it around the metal wreath frame. Then using florist wire, I just wrapped the florist wire around the tops. The florist wire, which was green, disappears as it gets pushed into the moss somewhat.

Square Wreath with Bunny in the Center

Square Double Rail Metal Frame
Natural Moss (different types)
Faux flowers
Green florist wire
Raffia ribbon
Cardboard (used either an empty cereal or beer box)

This one was made on a square wreath frame. In the center, I made a bunny. I cut a bunny shape using cardboard and used glue gun glue to glue moss over the bunny shape. It was rather easy and then I attached it in the center. The yellow flowers are faux material. It came out rather cute. The bow was made with natural raffia ribbon.

Next, is a bunny cut out project fun and simple to do with kids.

Bunny Sticks with Moss

Sheet moss
Glue gun with glue sticks (or other type of glue)
Raffia ribbon
Cardboard (used either an empty cereal or beer box)
Popsicle sticks
Green spray paint

Another crafty bunny idea was these moss bunny cutouts. I thought how this is an easy and fun project to do with kids. First, I cut the bunny shapes out using cardboard. I found that beer cases, like Budweiser beer boxes really worked well. It was easy to cut shapes with that type of cardboard. Or you can use empty cereal boxes. Wooden Popsicle sticks were used as the stick part. Then these can be inserted into things like potted plants or whatever. Again, I had natural raffia ribbon on hand to make the bow for the bunny’s neck area.

That year I decided to make kits with all the components to sell. I had spray painted the bunny cutouts with green spray paint. This helped to hide the print of the cereal box. I left the other side bare. It was a very easy and fun craft to do with kids. Use your imagination. Add eyes or a bunny tail!

The next project is hanging glass globes.

Hanging Glass Globes with Succulents and Bunny Figurines

Natural moss (recommend any type except Spanish or Faux Mosses)
Hanging Glass Globe
Decorative small bunny figurines
Faux decorative Easter eggs
Live plants (hens and chicks, jades, donkey tails, echeveria, or other succulents)
Potting soil (small amount recommended)
Activated horticulture charcoal (optional)
Glue gun with glue sticks (optional)
Round wooden craft like disk (size of a quarter, optional)

Before you start, be sure your decorative bunny figurine fits into the hole of the glass globe. Succulents can live in natural moss. The roots will naturally grow into the moss and the bit of potting soil below it. The activated horticulture charcoal, which is infused with oxygen, helps absorb odors. It is an optional item. If you don’t have any, don’t worry too much about it. But if you decide to use the charcoal, place a little bit of it over the well-draining potting mix before the moss layer.

The round wooden disks I mentioned in the items list are the size of a quarter coin. I used them to glue my bunnies onto. This helps stabilize them. I used some glue gun glue to attach it to a disk. Then I inserted it into the hanging glass globe. I do not recommend dry mosses that tend to rot which is what I feel Spanish moss does. Spanish moss may be green or light tan brown and it looks stringy. When it gets wet, it tends to stay too wet for the succulent plants. I prefer the other types of natural living mosses like sheet moss, mood moss, or others noted above.

The moss is the next step, tucking it around the bunny and onto the potting soil. Then comes adding the tiny succulent plants. Most of these were cuttings or really small hens and chick plants (Sempervivums). If you think the plant won’t stay in place, add a tiny dab of glue gun glue underneath. This will help secure it.

In this example next, I acquired tiny little bunny decor. So cute!

Are these little, tiny bunnies adorable or what? It made the project so cute. The nice aspect of these hanging glass globes is they function like mini terrariums. The succulent plant will grow very slowly. Once you are done with the Easter decorating season, you can remove all if you wish.

Add items you have on hand. Perhaps you have some nice stones or twigs to add. A pretty ribbon to hang it with or twine. You are only limited by your imagination. These make adorable gifts for your Easter dinner hostess. Every once in a while, add a tiny bit of moisture to the moss and let it dry between. You do not need to water it often. Only enough for the tiny root hairs of the small succulent plants. I’m talking less than a shot glass of water. Less is more with smaller hanging glass globes. I do not recommend spraying the moss with mists of water, it will only get the glass stained. The idea is minimal damp moss at times. If you wet it too much, things will rot.

Sometimes maneuvering my fingers into the globes was difficult. Tweezers or long bamboo like sticks can help. Use them to position items as needed. Once completed, hang them in indirect sunlight inside the home and away from super cold drafts. Remember, when including live plants, glass vessels are like mini environments. The open hole allows for air, and you will lightly water the moss at times. Don’t overdo the watering. If you happen to put too much water in there, carefully tip your glass globe to drain it out. Allow the moss to completely dry between watering cycles. Succulents can go for weeks without water.

The next project is making a centerpiece with live perennial plants.

In the background, you can see a terrarium fishbowl. Just like the hanging glass globes, the base components are important. Use the potting mix (well-draining types), activated horticulture charcoal, and live moss. A drainage layer, like pea gravel is beneficial as well below all of that. You can see I put a live orchard in the glass fishbowl terrarium. The pea gravel is important when using larger plants to allow for drainage in the vessel you use.

The last project shown is a big silver bowl with two plants. One is a Helleborus perennial. You start to see these at nurseries and stores during Easter time. Also commonly available are tulips. I just tucked each of these live plants into the silver bowl in their original growing nursery pots. Then, I used moss to cover that up. Then the fun part is just adding your own Easter decoration. By the way, the perennial (common name is lenten rose) takes partial to full shade and flowers March thru April. The leaves are evergreen and will stay green outdoors. They are one of the earliest perennials to bloom. They are also deer resistant.

Hopefully this post inspired you for the Easter season to come. Go get your supplies now so you can enjoy making them before the season arrives.

Cathy Testa
Date of this post: 2/10/2026

Cathy had a small business focused on container gardening. Today she and her husband are retired. They like to go camping so camping topics are being added to this blog site. Also, Cathy likes making holiday decor and is sharing some of her creations here as well. Some with plants and some without! Thank you for visiting.

Memorable Container Garden Designs to Revisit

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Here’s ten container gardens which I fell in love with and why from my past creations. I plan to show 10 at a time over the next months. Why? Because I will be deleting the photos from my database soon and it is a way to savor the memories!

Hanging Baskets with a Mix of Houseplants

One year, I created many hanging baskets with various houseplants for sale. The reason was the houseplants were gorgeous. Additionally, the hanging baskets had a drain hole with a removable plug. It is so important to have drainage for your plants so these hanging baskets would work well. The plants were also extremely healthy and I thought, “Why not?” I sold quite a few of them. Each had a different mix of houseplants. Houseplants have their own unique sets of challenges. To help reduce them, start with healthy plants, which these were. Look the leaves over and make sure there are no discolorations or signs of insect damage. Houseplants like warm temperatures during the day and cool at night. They would be fine hung outdoors in the summer in these hangers in the right spot. Most houseplants enjoy bright indirect light and do not take direct sun too well. Having them in hanging baskets allowed placement in the home or outdoors in summer. In the summer outdoors, use caution so it is not in full sun where it would burn the leaves. It is imperative to allow water to drain out of the pot, and in this case, a hanging basket. These had a removable plug. This allowed proper drainage. Otherwise, I would not have used hangers for these plants. Hopefully the plants continued to thrive for the customers who purchased them.

Balcony Spiller Plant on a High-Rise

This plant impressed me immensely. First, it tolerated the full sun conditions of a high-rise balcony, and it grew so fast and full. It would make my plant-based mind mouth water! I started with a small plant and it grew very long, spilling over the edge of square planters. This is why I refer to them as “spillers.” I wrote all about this plant in a prior post. It really had other amazing features like it is easy to take a cutting to root for more plants. The red blooms appeared all summer. The plant did not get any insect damage and was drought tolerant. Read the post below if you wish to learn more. The post has some more photos too. Click below for more detailed information.

Trailing Red Small Daisy Flowers that can Take it Rough

Blue Planter Box with Blue Wall and Canna Lily

One year a lady in my town was building and selling wooden garden planters. I had to have one and situated it on my deck. I stained the planter box and attached trellis wall with an aqua-blue colored stain. Then started to plant it with a mix of sun lovers. The tall canna lilies were stunning and grew to the top of the wall. Below in the base wooden square planter were succulents, flowering summer annuals, and lots of color. I blogged about this planter too. Here’s the post. It shows the progression of growth of the plants from start to later in the summer season. It also identifies all the plants. Click below for more.

My Aqua Blue Planter

Wedding Pots with Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’

I remember Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ being super popular one year. It has delicate white flowers. They are suitable for a wedding theme. These were used in wedding pots I rented to a customer one year. The client asked for blue pots and abundant flowers. I worked hard on these tending to them all summer and delivering them for the outdoor wedding. I wrote a blog post about them below. The nice thing about the white blooming plant is it can stand alone. It can also be used in combinations. Either way, it still looks lovely. Click the prior post link below for details about Euphorbia and the accompanying plants in these blue planters and pots.

Wasabi Coleus with Vivid Lime Green Coloring is a Top Performer

A Tapestry of Succulents and Hens-n-Chicks

This has got to be one of my all-time favorite creations. It was a square cement like colored planter on a high-rise balcony. I was thrilled to fill it with various small hen-n-chick plants (Sempervivums). I also used other unique succulents and dripping down spillers. I felt it was “magazine worthy” to be honest. I know I took a boat load of photos of this planter and the accompanying ones. I’m surprised I don’t have a post about them on this website, but I’ll research that more later. You can see I used small gravel to top dress the soil around the plants. This offered a more finished look. I placed Donkey’s Tail (Sedum morganianum) in two of the corners. This way, it would drip down over the edges of the square planter. By mid-summer, these plants were double in size! Some larger Echeveria plants were included (they look like rosettes). In the center is a stunning Aeonium (plum colored). All of these succulents were in top-notch condition upon planting them. The planter was seen from inside too. This offered a nice touch for admiring the plants all summer long. After the season was over, I removed many of them to continue propagating them.

Barrels with Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)

For years I planted two barrels in front of a package store in my town. One year, I used Rubber Trees. Why not I thought, they are an easy-care plant and have huge leaves and they should not be over-watered. Being watered infrequently is beneficial. The store owners sometimes found it challenging to find time for watering. But what really surprised me was how large they grew in one season! I stuffed some small houseplant ferns around the corners. The rubber plants were showstoppers. They grew wide and full. This particular Ficus had darker leaves and red tips which made it more striking. I was able to remove these plants and keep them a few more years longer inside my greenhouse.

Round galvanized pots

This one is more about the pots than the plants. I just loved these pots and had to have them. I placed some Agave babies in the three small pots. I also put a few succulents (Echeverias and a Hen-n-Chick) in the larger round pot. Each had a simple pre-drilled single drain hole in the bottom (a must). I took this particular photo on the deck next to my greenhouse one day. These ended up being moved to my large deck against my house. I didn’t sell them and still own those pots today. The agave plants outgrew them of course and were moved into larger pots later.

Round Urban Pot with More Succulents

This was one of the accompanying planters on the high-rise. I filled them that year with succulents, agave, and other heat lovers. As with the square planter noted above, I topped dress them with gravel or stone. It gave a nice, finished look plus it helps reduce splashing of water when watering or during rain falls. These plants thrived in a rough environment of heat and strong sun outdoors. Granted some succulents actually like less sun but these performed very well. Succulents like well-draining soil. They need good air circulation, and it would get breezy or very windy here. Some prefer bright indirect light, while others thrive in full sun. A moderate temperature is also ideal. They can handle extreme heat, which they did handle in these urban cement styled planters. Also, the outdoor location provided sun for half the day and shade for half. It was perfect because the shade gave them rest from the intense heat. The plant in the background with rounded shaped leaves is a Silver Dollar Jade (Crassula arborescens).

Thank you for visiting. Stay tuned for more features!

Cathy Testa
Date of this post: 2/7/2026

Cathy had a small business focused on container gardening. Today she and her husband are retired. They like to go camping now thus camping locations have been added to this blog in addition to plant stories.

Oceanfront Camping at Moorings RV Resort in Belfast, Maine

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If you haven’t visited the town of Belfast in Maine, you are missing out. My sister discovered it over 10 years ago and quickly decided to settle there. At the time, I don’t think it was all that well-known, but the secret is out now.

The town of Belfast is a community driven place with a charming Main Street and many historic looking buildings. While it is small, it seems to have a lot happening from parades to arts to harbor festivals. They even have a curling club! And a wonderful farmers market.

We picked this area for a camping adventure in 2024 during July. I wanted to be near the ocean and started browsing various options. My sister suggested a place called Moorings Oceanfront RV Resort.

OCEAN VIEWS

When it came to ocean views, this campground did not disappoint! I was so excited to see this view. I took a photo before I even got out of our truck. It was a beautiful day when we arrived.

Moorings Oceanfront RV Resort is located at 191 Searsport Avenue, Belfast, Maine. We selected a premium pull through site on a corner. It was site number 9. We liked it. You not only have a great view of the ocean, but this spot also has a nice corner lawn area. Like most campgrounds, it has a picnic table and fire pit provided. I believe all the sites here are full hook-ups too.

There is a little beach area at this campground, but I would not call it a “swimming beach.” You can go in but it was a little wavy and mucky at the time we were there. It was a good access to go kayaking if you had your own kayaks with you. One day, I watched a couple put their kayaks in and go on an adventure. I wished we had our kayaks with us too.

The beach not being really a beach to hang out didn’t matter to me. I was absolutely in love with the ocean views. It just made me feel happy sitting there and staring out at the beautiful water and sky views. We scored a nice hot week of full sun weather, which made the environment even better.

The first row of campers are the more luxurious spots. In front of that row is a lawn area. You can walk there and sit on a nice large hanging swing. Just meditate while looking at a view like this. There was another sitting area tucked in a corner with a large tree for shade. The land facing of this drops down so you must go to the beach access to reach level ground there.

Because our first camper was small, we put a lot items outdoors. You can see we liked having extras. This spot was perfect for us. Take note, there is a Moorings II, but this is Moorings. They are different. As far as amenities, this place does not have a big list. The only amenity you need is the ocean views. Its proximity to the quaint town of Belfast is another plus. For us, it was a hit.

The campground staff escorted us to our site, which was a nice touch. They have a small store and a big dumpster for your trash drop-offs. The place is well kept, clean, quiet, and friendly. But it does not have a pool or other things you find at other RV resorts. It is smaller which is nice as it did not feel crowded or overwhelming. Peaceful evenings and mornings every day. The views of the night sky were spectacular in the evenings with all the stars.

FARMERS MARKET NEARBY

After settling into our campsite, we spent a few days visiting my sister, Lisa and her husband, Jeff. We were sure to go to the Belfast indoor Farmers Market for fresh supplies for our camper meals. She and Jeff gave us the grand tour. It was a really happening market with lots of goodies. I picked up fresh herbs and other things like local maple syrup and cheeses. There were many talented crafters and artists as well. They also have a farmer market outdoors in the summer months I believe.

BREWERIES, PUBS, FOOD

The other fun part about the small town of Belfast is there are some nice little shops, breweries (my husband and Jeff loved that) and a couple restaurants. Here we are at a brewery, and it has semi-outdoor seating by water views. It was fun. And they had wine too – another bonus for me. I cannot recall the name of this spot, but it was fun to visit, sit and chat.

These places are tucked here and there in Belfast. Since we had our local Belfast escorts with us, Lisa and Jeff, we didn’t have any trouble finding them. We especially like Rollies for burgers and hot wings and a fun pub atmosphere. It is located at 37 Main Street. It has that laid back feel and friendly patrons.

My favorite lunch place is Darby’s Restaurant and Pub. It’s located at 155 High Street in town, right off the Main Street. Darby’s is cozy. One day, when we stopped in there again for a drink, I met a fellow from the Belfast Curling Club. He was probably shocked I even knew they had a Curling Club. This restaurant is small and the food is delicious. I think it is worth a stop at least once while in Belfast.

We picked up my sister and Jeff at their house. Then we adventured Main Street in Belfast for the farmers market and lunch spots mentioned above. Lisa pointed out flowers she had out front her house that she said I gave her the starter plant. Ah yes, the beautiful Filipendula perennial. The common name is queen-of-the-prairie. The fluffy rose-colored flowers are dreamy. Her stand of them is outstanding. This is a very tall plant, reaching 4-6 feet high on sturdy stems. The flowers bloom from July to August, and the flowers are so delicate looking. I also like the big compound shaped leaves.

It is not too far of a walk from my sister’s house to a bridge (I believe it is called the Armistice Bridge). This bridge leads to a local shipyard. I often think, gosh she is living a dream! I feel like the area is something out of a movie. An unexpected town with little features one would not expect at first glance.

One morning, my husband and I went fishing on the bridge and that was fun. As usual, he and I didn’t catch anything. We are not sharp fishers. But we did meet people who would stop by to chat. Very friendly people in this area. There is a walking trail not too far from the end of this bridge on the shipyard end. It is an easy walk from the shipyard to Main Street via a Harbor Walk path.

Just being around water views, good food, and nice people was enough for us on this camping trip. A bonus was spending time with my sister and her husband. As I’ve mentioned before, we like to adventure when we camp and check out local areas. This worked out perfectly for us.

BLUES MUSIC FESTIVAL

There are lots of things you can find to do in this part of Maine. Rockland is not too far away. Rockland has a blues fest every summer. We timed the trip to take a drive and hang out at the fest one day. But there is much more to do. You can get lobsters to cook at the camp. You can also find a beach to get a tan. There are hiking and biking trails. You just need to go out there to adventure. Rockland has a few nice museums and if you are not a camper, we recommend the LimeRock Inn. Before we became campers, we stayed there for the blues fest. It is not too far of a walk to the fest and a very nice inn.

Us at the North Atlantic Blues Fest in Rockland, Maine. You can see our tans were getting dark and we were enjoying the beautiful views by the fest as well. After the fest, we drove back to Belfast. We looked at the stars from our campsite. We sat by the fire. It was a very good trip.

Other notable towns not too far from Belfast are Camden and Rockport. Camden has nice touristy shops and other things to do, and Rockport is on the way to Rockland. You can also go visit Mt. Battie.

And here is my sis, Lisa with her husband Jeff. She has very pretty flowers in her gardens. You can see beebalm (Monarda) perennial red blooms on tall stems behind her. I remember once Lisa saying she just sticks plants in the ground and lets them do what they do. She seems very successful with this gardening method! I took horticulture courses, so that comment made me laugh that day, but I loved that she said it. Monarda blooms from June to July and the bees love them. Her plants looked very healthy and happy.

By the way, Lisa and Jeff volunteer to host a local radio show called WBFY once a week on Tuesdays. Listen in sometimes. They offer a creative mix of music. I enjoy tuning in every Tuesday to hear their voices as well as their selection of tunes.

Cathy Testa
Date of this post: 2/5/2026

Growing Tomatoes: My 5-Year Passion

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About the year of 2020 or maybe it was the year before, I started getting into sowing tomato seeds. That carried on for about 5 years. It became a passion and I always grew the plants in my large patio pots, rather than a garden. Here in this photo above are some of my plants in large pots. The chicken wire was there to keep wild animals (like squirrels or chipmunks) away.

I got into sowing the seeds so much that eventually I was growing up to 400 plants in my greenhouse. My greenhouse is a lean-to style of about 12 feet wide by 24 feet long. Supplemental heat was needed. I used seedling heat mats and the propane heating unit. Eventually, spring would arrive. The sun was enough to heat the greenhouse as the warmer season approaches in late March or so. It kept the baby tomato plants growing happily. I visited them every single day – no lie. I think plants know when you pay attention to them.

I have very many photos of the tomatoes from my efforts. I sold lots of plants too. My favorite seed company was Hudson Valley Seed Co. I discovered them at the CT Flower Show one year. I loved their artful seed packets, the instructions inside the packets, and their website is very informative. I also loved that they offered lots of unique varieties. Above is the “Bumble bee mix” cherry tomatoes. Why not experiment and have lots of varieties to eat and talk about?

I stopped sowing the seeds a couple years back. I think of how many I did before. It became a big passion for a few years, probably 5 or so years. I am proud of what I had accomplished. As mentioned, I have lots of tomato photos, but I need to delete them now. I’m posting just a few here today. You can use the search bar to see my prior blog posts on many tomato types. Just type tomato. They should show up on this blog site. In this photo above, I’m holding an “Oxheart” tomato. Those were like the biggest EVER. Shaped like a heart. It was always amazing to see how big they got and they were heavy too.

Theses above are the Honey Drop cherry tomatoes. Good Lord. So sweet and delicious. Really tops! I think cherry tomatoes are easier to grow than regular tomatoes. They don’t seem to get affected as much by things like blossom end rot. They grow prolifically so you have a real lot to pop in your mouth during the harvest season in summer. They almost grow like weeds!

This tomato plant flower is from an Oxheart. Even the flowers were huge. You need flowers to produce fruit. The flowers were admired as much as the tomato fruits. They started growing as soon as the flowers were ready. More flowers, more tomatoes.

This is one of those “mouthwatering” photos. It makes anyone who loves fresh, garden tomatoes wish they could have one right now in the middle of winter. There’s nothing better than fresh. And when picked and eaten right away (if warmed by the sun), even better. I find it hard to find good tomatoes otherwise, like in stores. Growing your own is one of the best ways to get the best flavor.

This is another photo of an Oxheart tomato. Isn’t amazing how nature produces fruit in the shapes of human organs?! When you slice this open, it looks like a heart inside too. They were heavy, full, and just so amazing to eat. They had a more of a mild flavor but very yummy.

This is a starter plant in a bag ready for pickup. I sold them to lots of friends. And family members. Word got around. LOL. I’m proud of how happy these plants looked. It didn’t happen “just because I had a greenhouse”. It was an effort of proper soil. Proper potting up was necessary. I took care with proper hardening off and watched for any insects. If you don’t know what those terms are, just search them on my blog in the red search box. I’m sure I wrote about hardening off and things like seedlings, and more. In Feb or March, I would start to think about what to do for the upcoming sowing season. It was a time to consider preparations. I started planning things out that early. There were little tasks too, like properly washing seedling trays and pots, etc.

Another “mouthwatering” photo here or large golden tomatoes and some red ones. This is heaven on a plate in summer. We would live off these! Sometimes my husband would eat them all before I could take a bite! He was cute though and learned when the very first large tomato was ready, to share.

This photo is of plants on a table on my deck outside. I elevated them to keep the chipmunks or squirrels away as best as possible. My deck would become a tomato jungle in the summer when I was super into growing them in pots. It was fun to sit in a cozy deck chair with a bunch of tomato plants behind me. The animals really didn’t bother the plants until they started to see some coloring of the fruit. At one point, I would pick them a little earlier. Then, the tomato continues ripening on my kitchen counter.

Another big-time favorite was the Fox Cherry tomatoes! If you have never grown these – please do. OMG. So good for flavor and lots and lots of fruit. All of these above were from the Hudson Valley Seed Co seeds.

I think these were the Cherokee Brave tomatoes. Yummy! That is about all I can say. I liked the various colors of each type. Why not try different flavors and savor them. It is like tasting various wines.

Here’s a Goldie. Mild flavor but it is so nice to have a mix of colors when preparing a dish of tomatoes too. These always seemed to come out so perfect. Nice skins.

Well, that is it for now for a tomato recall adventure. Now I can go to my photo database. I can delete the hundreds of other photos I had taken those years back. Believe it or not, it is difficult for me to remove the photos. But, they are taking up space. It is time. I also have lots of other posts about my tomato growing process on this blog site from before.

Cathy Testa

Date of this post: 1/31/2026

Colorful Balcony Plants for Extreme Weather

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These are photos of vivid reds and yellow blooms in large patio pots showcased on a high-rise balcony. As you can see, the yellows and reds of the flowers on these plants stand out. They are also very drought tolerant. And full sun lovers.

I planted this combination on a high-rise balcony many years ago. The conditions up there were brutal in the summers at times. It was very sunny and hot for the first half of the day. The second part of the day was shaded due to the height of the building’s walls and the sun’s movement. But it also was extremely windy at times, and as hot as a very hot beach summer day. Notice in the next photo how much the blooms opened up.

The pots shown here were quite large. Plenty of quality potting soil was used. Some soil moist was added to help manage moisture levels. I also added slow-release fertilizer into the soil. But it was key to find plants which would survive the high-rise conditions. They must get water too. It was imperative to find plants with strong abilities to survive in the sun, wind, and heat. These plants did this well. These also did not need lots of clean up. The faded flowers of the Coreopsis are easy clipped off (deadheaded) if needed. All the other plants held onto the flowers in this combination.

As the summer progressed, the plants became full and offered super bright colors seen from afar. This was good. The view from the balcony owners’ large living room allowed them to see the reds and yellows. I also focus on different textures too. You can see the fine texture of the yellow Sedum. The larger oval leaves of the red edged Jade plant are also visible. Yes, a Jade (as in a houseplant). I never overlooked using houseplant candidates as well as perennials and tropical plants. Just like in a garden, textures add the drama and flow needed to please the admiring eye. I often held up plants next to each other. I did this to look them over and see if they seemed to work together. I was just like that with my eyes. I would figure out if they played well together visually. I also needed to know the plants’ overall habits and culture needs.

This is a Jade. It was a rather large plant. I loved the red edges. The red color only intensified in the patio pots with the full sun conditions. There was lots of warmth and heat on sunny days. These were able to withstand drought like conditions. I always emphasized that the owners should water every day. Plants need water. The soils dry out rather quickly up there on the top of a building in the city. And the owners were fantastic. They did water the plants as often as possible. They got an A+ on that as it wasn’t always easy, there were no faucets or hoses outside. All water was carried from the inside to the outside in buckets! When it rained, that was a bonus.

The yellow plant in the front is a Sedum. It is called, Lemon Ball Stonecrop Sedum. A perennial. Talk about an intensely bright yellow! Really pops. It was perfect for the front of the patio pot, tucked in nicely. That plant in this combination was a little more delicate. But, its vivid yellow was unbeatable.

And a must on everyone’s list is flowers which bloom most of the summer. I added these Coreopsis because of their beautiful yellow coloring with red centers. They also handled the drought conditions quite well. This one is called, ‘Baby Seed’ Tickseed Coreopsis. These are butterfly magnets and work well in rock gardens too. It was always a treat to see a bee or two. I enjoyed seeing a bee come by up there when I put flowers into the customer’s containers. Way up there. I think it was 26 floors high, or was it 28? I can’t remember, but it was up high. If you couldn’t handle heights, you would not be capable of work up there on their open balcony. It didn’t bother me to look over the railing to the city streets below. It was a unique planting experience and a great learning one too due to the high-rise location.

And there are of course the Mandevillas or Dipladenias. Big pretty blooms. Red on these and a vine-like habit. This one did not vine as much as others, but it was a staple for my balcony garden working days. They tolerate the winds, hold onto the flowers despite winds strong enough to move heavy furniture on the balcony. Furniture which had to be chained down appropriately always. Tropical plants they are.

Experiencing working on a high-rise balcony was one of my ultimate pleasures of having my former small plant related business. I only felt disappointed that they (the penthouse owner’s) did not discover me sooner. I wish I had worked up there when I was younger. I would have been able to handle more of the physical aspects. I was a solo worker. It was sometimes a challenge to figure out how to get all the soil bags, plants, and more up there. Because I am organized, I found ways to maximize my trips up the service elevator. I used wagons and a hand truck. I used the appropriate boxes and bins. I did it and I loved every minute of being up there. Well, maybe on those super-hot days, not so much. But I loved the plants and expansive balcony views enough to keep on working up there. It was an honor.

Cathy Testa
Date if this post: 1/29/2026

In this patio Pot:


Essential Greens for Holiday Wreaths: A Visual Reference

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Most of my former or current followers are aware of my holiday workshops. They were held to make wreaths and kissing balls. I obtained some of the best greens around and made sure the mix was of good quality.

But alas, those workshops are now memories. I continue to say good bye to past events related to my small plant business. I look over many, many photos I had kept. I need to start deleting them off my databases.

Thus, I really want to keep a history of the greens photos I took. Each photo displays the texture of the green. It serves as a great reference for anyone wanting to know which is which. This is mainly the only reason I’m posting them here on my blog. I plan to keep my blog for a few more years. If I need to look back on them, here they will be!

Let’s get started.

Seeded Eucalyptus – Isn’t it beautiful? It has beautiful soft blue tones to its leaves and tiny seed pods that look like buds to me. There’s no doubt it adds a special elegance when mixed with other greens in an arrangement. It also adds elegance on a holiday wreath. It is delicate with narrow stems.

Magnolia Leaves – Everyone loves these, but they were just too expensive to use. I do think they are gorgeous. The shiny front side of the dark green leaf and brown fuzzy-like backside of the leaf are stunning. They are big so they added the larger sized contrast next to finer textures. What I mean about expensive, is I could not justify the cost of getting a bulk in my workshops. I had to cut back somewhere, so eventually, I did not order these going forward.

Cedar – The scent and movable texture. Can be used nicely solo on a wreath. You can make a wreath fast if you use only cedar. The branches or tips are long and easy to bend on to a circular wreath frame. I used cedar only sometimes on super big wreaths I made for an outdoor balcony.

Douglas Fir – Needles are different than typical balsam. I think this was the Douglas fir. It didn’t seem to hold the needles as long sometimes. Stems are strong and sturdy.

Boxwood – In a galvanized tin on an old wagon. I love this photo! The boxwood retains its color for a long time and it not sticky like other greens. No strong scent to deal with either. Don’t need gloves.

Yew with red berries! This was one of the only greens I harvested myself from my father’s property. He had an old standing grouping of yew trees that were huge! People overlook this green. It has decent needle retention and adds another texture. Why not use it?! I did.

Holly! Sometimes I’d buy a batch, other times a very nice neighbor offered trimmings for me to come take. They are great but can turn black if touched by frost on a wreath outside. Be careful of the sharp spines when handling them to make wreaths.

Fir and Cedar (two photos above) – Both are aromatic. The scents were sometimes overpowering when I made lots of wreaths for orders. It surely is nice once the piece is finished. But when I spent hours making wreaths for orders, after a while, I started getting headaches from the overpowering scents.

Incensed Cedar – I always wanted some of these too. They have little cones at the tips which are yellow. Smell amazing overall. Easy to handle and work with. Great for use in candle centerpieces too. The branches are a little floppy like too, good for edges of patio pots as well.

Silver Fir – Much thicker stems. Really useful in container gardens outside for the holidays. Bulky like. If I wanted a strong green to stand up in a patio pot, this was the one. The stems are thicker. Sometimes they were not too good in kissing balls. They were almost too heavy to insert into the center.

Lemon Leaf Salal – If you can’t have Magnolia leaves, choose this type for an oval leaf shape. It is the next best option. Stems are sturdy and they last in vases as well. The glossy oval shaped leaves are pretty, and this green is one often used in floral designs as well.

Berried Juniper – Everyone loved adding these to their wreaths in my workshops. It was pricier compared to other greens. It holds up well. Has a special unique scent. Sometimes I used green wired picks to the stems to make it easier to insert into holiday creations.

Balsam Fir – The holiday standard and must have type. Balsam signifies Christmas after all. Because the needles hold on well, many people select Balsam Fir Christmas trees. It is also a long-lasting greenery. While sappy and sticky, it has a nice fragrance.

Golden Variegated Cedar – Isn’t it just lovely? That is a special green. Also, on the pricey side. But I would get some to add to the mix. I spoiled my attendees at times. I would limit the quantity per person at my workshops as best as possible. This is an Arborvitae and has a unique fragrance. The scales over lap and this one had yellow tones. Just stunning.

White Pine – Sticky but useful. Adds a slender texture. I would bundle stems together to make the incorporation of this evergreen more impactful in holiday wreaths or kissing balls. Sometimes I collected pine from a big tree in my front yard. I planted that tree as a tiny pencil sized cutting many years ago. It is cool to look at how large that tree is today. It towers quite high.

Silver Fir – I think. The needles are narrower than Balsam fir. I am confused at this time if this is the Silver Fir. But I’m sure I added it to keep the mix interesting. Maybe this was another type. Let me think.

Boxwood – Again, a nice green to add. I think this one was harvested from some of my own shrubs. The narrower type shown above in the photo of boxwood in a galvanized tub was purchased. Some people think boxwood has a strange odor. I really didn’t find that at least while using them in projects. I loved making a holiday kissing ball with only boxwood. It made the ball somewhat classic looking in my mind. And no sticky hands.

Here’s a photo of them bundled up. I can’t remember why I bundled the same type together above. Usually, I’d bundle a mix of each type and then make wreaths that way. What I mean is I would take a clipping of three or four separate types of greens. I would bundle them with green florist wire. Then I would attach them to my wreath frames. This made the wreath very full and fluffy.

Anyhow, they are all beautiful. I just love nature and all the gifts offered for use or just admiration. Using a mix of greens was a real luxury. It offered texture, shapes, and a fragrance mix. Many were considered florist quality. It was so fun. I still can recall the feeling of each green in my hands while I created with them. I know my attendees absolutely loved those years of my holiday workshops. In fact, I ran into one attendee who attended like my very first workshops. She told me it still gives her a nice memory today, even after many years. She remembers the time we all had together creating for the holidays. I liked hearing that from her.

Well, as noted, the workshops are history. They were pretty much canceled after COVID. They were officially canceled when I closed my small plant related business. In fact, I started making ribbon wreaths after not doing greens wreaths. But anyhow, that’s that!

If I ever wanted to reconsider making fresh holiday wreaths with greens, I would like these photos. They would jolt my memory. They would help me remember the various types of greens we used in our creations.

Have a good day and stay warm…

Cathy Testa
Date of this post: 1/27/2026

Mini the Cat: A Tale of Survival and Love

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She looks like a princess here, doesn’t she? My beautiful, adorable, black cat. She is named Mini. I picked that name because she is more on the petite size. She never overeats. She only gains a little more weight in the winter months from less activity.

Mini, our cat, is still with us at the age of 13, we think. The vet estimated her age the first time I took her to the vet as a stray kitten. She and her brother were left on the side of the road. The day she, Mini, discovered me is the day I took them both home.

I had just pulled into my driveway after a walk with my friend, Donna. My husband walked up to my car window. I rolled the window down and said, “We have visitors.” He instinctively looked behind my car to see who would be driving down our driveway behind me. I said, “No, look in the backseat.”

There he saw two black kittens in a box. He didn’t even bother to ask where I found them. He replied with an enthusiastic OK.

To be honest, Mini has been my animal soulmate. I always say she knows all my secrets. She is a very calm and smart cat. Here in this photo above, she is watching the yard for critters. She is a very good mole hunter. She will sit over a mole hole for a good hour. She stares with her head down patiently waiting. She has patience. Next thing you know, she is bringing one up to our deck to show me.

She used to cuddle on my lap a lot but lately, not so much. Maybe it is her older age. She prefers to sleep on a table in front of our wood stove these days. I can’t say I blame her. It is super warm. I setup a special pillow for her there and she just loves it, especially now with the big winter chills.

I love this photo above of Mini on our fire pit cover. Mini is sitting next to my terrarium bowl. The bowl has various succulent plants. She likes to hang out on our deck. She is always very smart about not wandering far into our backyard. She knows there are potential wild predators in the far backyard.

Another one of her favorite places to hang out in the summer is on our side steps. This is a funny photo of her. She is looking back at me. I tapped on the door window to say hello. It gets very warm in this spot during the late afternoons in the summer months. It is when the western sun hits the steps.

One day I discovered her sitting in this planter box. She was probably appreciating the warm soil and sunshine. She never eats my plants, tears at, or digs in the soil of my various planters. I am a plant lover. I have tons of containers and patio pots on my deck. She leaves them all alone. She is a good kitty. She doesn’t even touch my houseplants. Like I said, she is my animal soulmate. She knows I adore my plants.

This is another cool photo of Mini and Me! Her eyes picked up the orange color of the pumpkin somehow. This photo was taken by an i-Phone camera.

Mini was an abandoned cat. The story goes I was taking a walk with a friend on a roadside. Suddenly, two kittens came running out of the long grassy like brush along the roadside. At first, I said to my friend, Donna, “Don’t look at them.” I felt badly they were dumped there. But Mini was determined to not let us go. She chased and ran along the side of us meowing constantly. I swear I heard her say, “Don’t leave me here!”

I looked at my friend Donna who was nudging me to take them. She said she has dogs and just couldn’t. I finally caved after Mini’s determination. I said, “OK, I’ll take them!” Donna jumped for joy. She was thrilled we were not leaving them behind.

I never really was a big pet person. I did have a cat before, but it was Mini’s pure determination that called to my heart that day. Her more rugged cat brother, whom we named Hunter, was just browsing around behind Mini that day. He was hunting. But Mini was focused on me. Like I said, she is a smart cat.

That day, I took them out of the car at my home. Hunter saw a wild turkey in our backyard. He dashed out of the box and started to run to the turkey! I was like whoa, wait that turkey will hurt you and ran to grab him. I gave him the name Hunter right there on the spot. He was a much more tough cat, compared to delicate Mini. He was a boss. He didn’t like to be petted too much. But we loved him just as much.

After taking them inside to feed them that first day with us, they curled up together on a deck couch. They fell asleep. They knew finally they were safe. They were exhausted and it showed. It was adorable to see them curled up in a ball together. I bet they slept like that in the woods protecting each other before they were rescued.

The vet told me they were dumped off just before the age of needing to get neutered. He believed many people who dump cats do it then to avoid paying for things like pet care. They were not tiny kittens but a little grown. He also told me that, “Mini picked me, and it wasn’t the other way around.” I thought that was sweet. I also believed him.

I think when you save an animal, they know it for life. They are loyal. They never forget. Unfortunately, we lost Hunter a few years ago. He passed away and I felt sad for Mini. I wondered what she thought. But I do know this, she is a survivor. And I’m glad she picked me on that walk years ago.

Cathy Testa
Date of Post: 1/24/2026

Stay warm during the big chill this weekend…

Camping Tips for the Rhythm & Roots Music Fest

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Music, dancing, food, vendors and fun with camping options. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? The only drawback, at least for me, is it is dry camping. Or “camping in the rough” as they call it.

Camping without the full hook-ups is really not my gig. My husband was sure we would be fine. We have a generator with the camper. But I know I like my amenities. This is especially true in the hot summer months.

This music fest’s camping setup does not include full hook-ups. They have a pump-out truck for black tanks. It drives around if you wish to do the pump out for a fee. This service is available before hitting the road after the music fest.

There are camping showers for a fee and porta-potty setups for rent if desired. They offer free portable water refill stations.

Despite my apprehensions, my husband convinced me into signing up for the Rhythm & Roots festival. It is held in September in Charleston, Rhode Island. He assured me the camper generator would be fine. He said we’d have enough water in our camper’s holding tank. And all that jazz.

I was glad I purchased two shower passes as a precaution. Our camper tank water did run out rather quickly. This didn’t surprise me. But then we had an issue with our refrigerator, and some of our food got spoiled. I learned to take these situations in stride. There are many food options at the fest so that is good. We would not starve. LOL. And it was a good idea to have a cooler on hand.

THE MUSIC FEST

The Rhythm and Roots Festival is a big one. They have 3 large stages. One is for the main acts, and another stage is covered by a white tent. A third stage is all about dancing, and some of the attendees really can dance. It is super fun to watch them dance all day and all night! There are Cajun, zydeco, blues and more styles. All the music fest stages are spread out on a very large property. Plenty of lawn to find a spot to put your chair and enjoy the music. The camping area is off in the background of the fest setup. It is very walk-able from the camping areas to the festival areas. It can be a longer walk depending on the camping site you picked upon your entry. Bikes are allowed in the camping areas.

There are plenty of food vendors, wine and beer, and craft vendors at the music fest. We found the prices of the drinks to be rather high. They do not allow outside alcohol in the concert field, and all bags are thoroughly searched. This is mostly due to the town’s regulations of the park’s property. You can bring snacks in a small cooler.

No open fires are allowed at the campground. This didn’t really impact us because we didn’t hang out at the campsite too long other than to sleep. We were mostly there for the music shows. I liked returning to the campsite occasionally during breaks. Having extra outdoor lights, maybe solar, is helpful. They help you find your way back to your camper after dancing and listening to the music all day. Bring a small flashlight with you too. I actually used the small flashlight at the music fest’s porta-potty in one area. It was dark, and it helped me see! A battery-operated lamp to put outside of your camper on a table is a good idea as well. We usually listened to the music into the evening, so it was dark walking back.

The camper generator use was limited. I remember we used it for lights and such at night until we were ready to crash out. The fest site indicates the time which generator use is allowed. No one likes a loud generator noise all night. We kept it on for maybe an hour at night.

WATER

As mentioned, we did run out of water because we had a smaller camper. It was our first time trying to judge how long the water in the holding tank would last. Luckily, the camper festival showers provided by the fest for a fee were setup nicely at the campground. A camper neighbor heard we ran out of water. They offered us a 5-gallon container of drinking water they had extra. Very generous of them. I had water bottles but that wasn’t enough. I learned buying a refillable 5-gallon jug was a good idea. I always take one of those with us for dry camping situations now. It’s also wise to have a shower robe. You’ll need it for walking through the camping area to and from the showers!

PRIOR CAMPING ARRIVAL TIME

The way the camping is set up as first come first serve after purchasing your camping passes from their website. There are no reserved spots. You drive in after waiting in a long line of campers. You can arrive the day before the fest starts or during the fest. We waited in line for at least an hour or two with the campers to enter the park’s grounds. This was the day before the weekend show starts. We left our house early. By the time we arrived to get in line, there were many campers there ahead of us. So, arrive early! We found a spot that was paved once we entered and received our wrist bands. We backed in easily to the location we selected in a paved area. There are some paved areas and some lawn areas to set up camp. It was well organized, so it didn’t feel hectic.

When it comes to attending music fests, there is no beating having your sleeping arrangements right on site. I love that part. Being capable of walking back to the camping areas was perfect. It is so convenient. What’s not to love? But for me, I love a nice shower after dancing all day and cold refreshments at my site. Thus, dry camping is not really my thing. I try to be as organized as possible. After a few camping trips, I learned to take a lot in stride. I also try to do my best. It is a good thing I am an over-thinker. I often think of things like flashlights. I brought a battery-operated fan for air circulation in the camper. I also think of other simple things. Like light weight blanket for the fest to sit on, etc. Maybe some hand sanitizer or hand wipes for clean up at your camper, etc. Sometimes it is the little things to help dry camping situations.

THE TYPE OF MUSIC

This fest has top acts. There is a mix of blues, zydeco, Cajun, and many more. See the festivals website for the line up schedule. There are many to enjoy. It is spaced out really well. Lots of volunteers direct you to the appropriate lines. All of that is good. The food is good too. The acts are excellent, so my opinion on the cost, is just my opinion. Some would definitely feel it is suited for the quality of the acts. It is not that – it is just we like to save money and some of the extras feel pricey. There are a few more restrictions at this festival compared to others we have attended.

ALL THE OPTIONS

For us, we find the overall fest pricing high. I personally get confused at the options. You pay for camping, and it includes a ticket to the fest for 3 days of the fest. I am confused by that. Does one cover the two people in one camper? Or do you each have to buy that 3-day pass? And then there are the extras. Extra price for the shower passes (which did save us when we ran out of water). Extra for separate vehicles (some people camp in a car or van). Extra if you want a porta-potty set-up. They are providing many options which is a good thing for festivals of this size. At times, however, I found it confusing.

CAMPING PEOPLE

It was fun to walk around and see the different set ups. And fun to see the decorations. People are so creative with showcasing their personal style at each tent, camper, van, you name it. We did not experience any loud party animals where we set up. It was mostly quiet. And we did select a camping spot in what they called the RV “quiet area”.

THE CAMPING MAP

Here is the festival map: https://rhythmandroots.com/faqs/festival-map/

One of our camping neighbors was a musician and he and a friend quietly played guitar tunes one night. I often have trouble sleeping. The next day, I told him that his gentle guitar music serenaded me to sleep. I listened to it from our camper window.

Walking from the fest grounds to the camping area is easy. They do not allow non-campers in the camping areas. Someone checks wrist bands as you walk into the camping sections. Depending on where you camp, the walk can be longer. Bikes are allowed but not into the music fest area. Bring a lock.

THE GENERAL RHODE ISLAND AREA

Misquamicut Beach in Westerly, RI is not too far from the fest area. If you were to make a week trip out of it for some beach time around the fest. I did not research camping options around the beach.

And if you like plants, check out a place called The Umbrella Factory! It is not far from the fest area either. Very cool plant place.

By the way, I believe the fest camping sells out fast. It is a popular fest and a fun one. Just be aware of the need to sign up early if you give it a go!

Cathy Testa
Date of Post: 1/21/2026

Sorry no photos on this one either – They have been already deleted from my i-Phone. We attended this fest in 2023. Even thought it was September, it was hot. I remember I was happy to have my umbrella with me for some shade at the fest!

Cheer Up Winter with Sunflower Photos from CT

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The temperatures are getting colder here in CT during mid-January. To cheer up my day and yours, I thought I’d post some sunflower pics. I took them at a farm in Ellington, CT one summer.

Oakridge Farm plants them. Look at this view of a photo I took. So many sunflowers! Lots of bees that day too.

I took about 40 photos with my i-Phone. This one I really like. It is such a nice close-up shot of a bee in the center of the sunflower.

A cool shot. See the bee mid-air?

This is a view from my truck bed cover. I was leaning against my truck and took this shot.

I like the back of the flowers as well as the front.

I’ll save all the sunflower facts for AI. Today was just about sharing a few photos and to help us remember spring is about 8-9 weeks away. Hang in there!

Stay Warm Today!

Cathy Testa
Date of Post: 1/20/2026
Current Temp: 16 degrees at 6:40 am

P.S. The first day of spring is March 20, 2026.