"Over the Top and Down to Earth" with Beverly Reese Church

Don't love flowers? No green thumb for you? You still won't be able to resist the charms and talents of Beverly Reese Church when she presents "Over the Top and Down to Earth" on Thursday, July 8, at 10 am and 2 pm, as part of the Mountains in Bloom garden festival.

Church, a New Orleans author, designer, and magazine editor, will do a five-table demonstration and lecture that is guaranteed fun for anyone.

After attending "Seasonal Celebrations With Style" by Bev Church, do not be surprised if you race to the telephone and invite friends, family and long lost connections over to your house. Lack of time, nervousness, or a house that is too small will not prevent you from giving, and loving to give, a successful and memorable party. The savvy entertainer and author/lecturer offers dozens of no-nonsense suggestions in this presentation that is illustrated with specially commissioned photography. She has been featured on "Good Morning America", in Flower Magazine and on specials for Home and Garden Television (HGTV).

Bev's "Seasonal Celebrations With Style" will set the stage for a wide range of party possibilities from how to make restaurant entertaining a more personal and gracious experience to orchestrating show stopping birthday and anniversary events. Eye-catching centerpieces, tablescapes and fabulous invitations that defy refusal are not just discussed, but demonstrated! Using flowers and key props, Bev provides a visual example of how to put together a Seasonal Celebration with a Southern touch.

Whether you are entertaining on a budget or pulling out all the stops, everyone from the newest to the most seasoned hostess will find ways to regale their guests. And more importantly, you will have time to enjoy the party!

Bev is the co-author of "The Joys of Entertaining" and author of "Weddings Southern Style," both produced by Abbeville Press in New York, as well as "Entertaining Celebrations: Celebrate Each Month With Pizzazz" and "Seasonal Celebrations," both produced by her company.
She is currently the Executive Editor of St. Charles Avenue Magazine and produces an entertaining column. Around the "Big Easy," she is known as one of the most accomplished hostesses, fundraisers and party planners.

Grab your friends and buy your seat before it's sold out! Tickets are just $65.
For tickets, visit www.mountainsinbloom.com.

Gorgeous gardens

We are so excited about the five beautiful gardens on this year's Mountains in Bloom garden tour in July. All of them are in the Bowery Road area of Highlands, truly one of the most spectacular spots on the mountain.

The lineup:

Bowery Road: The garden of Linda and Tom Gunnigle (of Highlands) will interest serious gardeners and seasoned designers, as well as novices. Many wonderful plant collections, an exquisite hardscape of cascading waterfalls, rock pools, stone pathways, inviting porches and patios with outdoor fireplaces, and a spectacular view of Whiteside Mountain make this a feast for the senses. An intriguing woodland path to a secluded guest house and hot tub adds to the enchantment of this lovely property.

Sagee Drive: The garden of Ruth Gershon and Sanford Cohn (of Highlands and Atlanta) features Sandy’s eclectic collection of plants and whimsical objects of garden art, showcasing a marvelous variety of native plants, roses, a waterfall, a gazebo and views of Fodderstack Mountain. His willingness to share the results of his love of gardening gives us an opportunity to appreciate a wonderfully creative and unique Sagee Ridge garden.

Sagee Drive: Lynne Winship (of Highlands and Atlanta) has carefully nurtured this quintessential Highlands garden for many years. She has fashioned an assortment of outdoor rooms -- some with breathtaking views and others with well-placed shrubs and perennials and an interesting mix of native and non-native plants. Gardeners will delight in seeing this labor of love with its soothing water feature and delectable summer colors from foliage and blooms.

Split Rail Row: The garden of Cindy and John Rooker (of Highlands and Atlanta) showcases a lovely winding entrance drive and forecourt with an assortment of mountain shrubs and perennials to be admired by all who visit. This lovely home features a welcoming entry through the house to an expansive deck with incredible views past Ellicott’s Rock and deep into Georgia.
Big Bear Pen Road: The home and garden of Stephanie and Bill Reeves (of Highlands and Atlanta) bring back fond memories of travels through the serene English countryside. Entry to the property is over a graceful stone bridge and an expansive stone walkway through a flowing lawn leads to an intimate walled courtyard. With colorful perennials and groundcovers, as well as an inviting patio enhanced by a freestanding fireplace, this area is considered to be “another room of the house” by the owners. The couple joined forces with Norman Askins, a well-known Atlanta architect, to create a superb masterpiece for all to enjoy.

Tickets on sale now at www.mountainsinbloom.com. Group rates available for Saturday garden tour - only $70/person for groups of eight or more.

The 12th annual Mountains in Bloom is a multi-day garden festival (over 1200 attendees, July 8-11, 2010) in the mountain resort community of Highlands, NC. Mountains in Bloom features a tour of magnificent mountain gardens, a flower show, a photography competition, a home and garden market, and a flower-themed lecture and demonstration by Beverly Reese Church. Proceeds benefit The Bascom, a nonprofit visual arts center occupying a six-acre, $13 million campus.

Events include:

• Thursday daytime: flower-themed lecture and demonstration by New Orleans author, designer, and magazine editor, Beverly Reese Church.
• Thursday evening: Special event for Whiteside/Rhododendron (upper-level) Benefactors and corporate sponsors to meet and mingle with noted speaker Beverly Reese Church.
• Friday and Saturday daytime: garden tours, free admission to flower show & photography competition, free admission to home & garden market
• Friday 5-7 free party at The Bascom for all MIB attendees to view a related exhibition, "Heroes of Horticulture," and enjoy a demonstration by Bascom artist-in-residence Susan Knight Smith on the art of paster painting
• Sunday: Benefactors Party at the home of Cathy and Bob Fisher