Middleton Place, Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Middleton Place is a National Historic Landmark and home to America’s Oldest Landscaped Gardens. Centuries-old camellias bloom in the winter months and azaleas blaze on the hillside above the Rice Mill Pond in the spring. In summer, kalmia, magnolias, crepe myrtles and roses accent a landscape magnificent throughout the year. The Gardens have been planned so that there is something blooming at Middleton Place year-round. Built in 1755, Middleton Place was home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

This is our last tourist outing in the Charleston area. Soon, we head for Williamsburg, Virginia on our slow way home.

This is a photo of their bulletin board near the entrance. It is also on the website linked above. It wasn't quite so green when we visited yesterday being winter.

Sheep graze in the greensward. (See if you can use "greensward" in a sentence and not sound funny - me neither - I don't remember ever even seeing that word before.) 

This little lamb better pay close attention to his surroundings..........

.........when critters like this one are lurking not very far away.

Southern live oak.  Supposedly, the term "live oak" refers to the members of this tree family which retain green leaves all year.

Crepe myrtle trees - sort of reminds me of eucalyptus and/or sycamore bark.

Azaleas starting to bloom will soon blanket this hillside.

The camellias already bloomed and then, by mutual agreement, hurled themselves screaming from the bush while still whole.........

....while the tulips danced nearby smirking with their blooms still firmly attached.

Imagine being given a block of marble and then trying to carve (chisel) something.  Here's a foot from one of the statues. Extraordinary.

And there were even beautiful young nymphs frolicking about in the gardens on this summer-like warm day in February........