Magnolia Tree Gardening Blog

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Wilton Armetale developed the aluminum alloy based material that they called Armetale, combining ‘art’ and ‘metal’. This metal was capable of being cast and worked upon by hand.

The Wilton Company’s emphasis was on producing themed cook and serve ware, and incidentals with the new material. This was not a problem as US Food & Drugs Administration had approved the material for food service.

The range of themes was varied, and included Antique, Natural, Classic, Americana and Artistic. In this article, we look at products with themes of different holidays.

Christmas Season

The 12 Days of Christmas series consisted of Christmas Tree ornaments, depicting Partridge to the Drummers, one each year. While 1978 saw the Partridge the last one in 1989 showed the Drummers. These are not being produced any more.

Wilton Armetale has continued to introduce other items like collectible plates, and serving pieces such as trays, dinner plates, mugs and bowls each Christmas season. Traditional Christmas songs, Street scenes, Angels and other religious depictions adorned these items.

Christmas tree motifs, in alternating green and red, were the theme of a festive Christmas service series that included a goblet and a crested mug with a ceramic insert. A more formal alternative to the trees series was the star topped tree in an oval signet, accented in red.

The White Holly series that included three plates, a wine bottle coaster, a trivet and a goblet had decorative rim motif and was accented in white.

The Christmas series are collectibles and heirlooms, and could be used for presenting food on the table, or for displaying on the wall.

Halloween

A dancing skeleton is the theme of the dancing skelly series of Halloween season products that include an oval tray, large round bowl, trivet, large round tray and wine bottle coaster.

Easter Collection

The Easter collection combines the scenes of spring and the traditional celebrations associated with Easter.

The collection includes a bunny egg tray and bunny bread tray depicting a bunny among undergrowth and hen egg tray with a hen on her eggs in the middle.

Wilton Armetale Holiday Range

Though probably not as extensive as many other themes, such as artistic and Americana, Wilton Armetale’s holiday collections do effectively celebrate the spirit of the holidays. The products are both collectibles and utility articles that could last a lifetime.

The holiday range is supplemented by Grill ware that can be used for both grilling and serving. The grill range includes trays, saucepots, bowls, platter, griddle, trivet and a vegetable griller.

The Kentucky Derby is arguably the most famous horse race in the United States. It is held in Louisville, Kentucky at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. Also known as the “Run for the Roses,” the Derby is the first leg of the prestigious Triple Crown. It is followed two weeks later by the Preakness Stakes, and then three weeks after that The Belmont Stakes is The first Kentucky Derby was held in 1875, with Aristides taking the winner’s circle. It was originally run at a mile and a half, but in 1896, it was shortened to today’s mile and a quarter. 1919 produced the first Triple Crown winner, Sir Barton.

Over the years, many well-known favorites have won the Derby, including Exterminator in 1918, Black Gold in 1924, War Admiral in 1937, Whirlaway in 1941, Citation in 1948, Seattle Slew in 1977, and Barbaro in 2006. In the entire history of the Derby, only three fillies have won the race: Regret in 1915, Genuine Risk in 1980 and Winning Colors in 1988. Another filly, Eight Belles, made a spectacular placing in 2008, taking 2nd behind the favorite, Big Brown. Tragically, she broke both front ankles during the cool down after crossing the finish line, and had to be euthanized. This game little horse was the first one to die in the running of the Kentucky Derby. She will be honored at Churchill Downs in the Garden of the Kentucky Derby Museum at the track. A magnolia tree is being planted in her honor, with her remains buried at its base. The La Troienne Stakes will also be renamed for Eight Belles.

There have been some memorable rivalries associated with the Kentucky Derby, most notably that between Swaps, a West coast horse, and Nashua, an East coast favorite. They met for the first time in the Derby, with Swaps handily beating Nashua down the stretch. This led to a match race later that year that not only pitted both horses against each other, but the nation’s two best jockeys at the time as well: Willie Shoemaker and Eddie Arcaro. Swaps injured his foot the day before the race, but continued with the race anyway, losing to Nashua.

The horse that still holds the record for the fasted finish in the Kentucky Derby is Secretariat, who won in 1973. He managed to finish each quarter of the race faster than the last… something that no other horse has been able to do to this day.

There are also many traditions associated with the Kentucky Derby. The mint julep, a cold drink made of bourbon, mint and sugar syrup is the traditional race beverage. Fashion holds the day, with many lady visitors dressing in their elegant best with elaborate hats. It is tradition that during the parade to the post “My Old Kentucky Home” is played by the University of Louisville’s marching band. And one of the most coveted awards, the blanket of roses, is draped over the shoulders of the winning horse. This blanket is made of 554 red roses. The rose blanket has been a Derby tradition since 1896, and is believed to have its beginnings from a post-Derby party in 1883, when New York socialite E. Berry Wall presented roses to all the ladies.

What better way than to spend your vacation in Orlando than by playing golf. The area offers some fantastic courses for every level of golfer. So while the kids are enjoying the world famous attractions you van enjoy some serious golfing time. Here are a selection of courses which you can enjoy whilst on your Orlando vacation. MetroWest Golf Club : Par 72, Yardage: 7,051 Designed by renowned architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr., MetroWest is a classic design blended with a landscape of changing elevations. The course offers wide fairways, large, undulating greens guarded by numerous grass and sand bunkers. Opened in 1987, it remains in superb condition year-round and is known for having some of the best conditioned greens in Florida. Westerly’s Restaurant is conveniently set above the golf shop and is open for breakfast, lunch, cocktails and appetizers. Located in the Bay Hill area, only minutes from Universal Studios Orlando, MetroWest has hosted the US Open Regional Qualifier and the Senior PGA Tour Regional Qualifying. Celebration Golf Club : Par: 72, Yardage: 6,792 Opened in 1996, Celebration is an upscale daily-fee resort course designed by the father and son team of Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jr. The course exudes an atmosphere of beautiful tranquility and fun, challenging golf. The layout is framed by borders of native trees and natural wetlands and is home to native oak, pine and magnolia trees. Featuring strategic hazards and challenging greens, this championship course demands accurate shot making and consistent putting. Celebration boasts 18 distinctively fascinating holes and its five tee boxes make it accessible to all skill levels. Champions Gate: National Par: 72, Yardage: 7,128 Greg Norman has designed the National as a classic American style layout that rolls gently through 200 acres of southern woodlands and wetlands. The layout’s key trait is diversity with wall-to-wall fairway bunkers running up along holes 12 through 16, three double doglegs, a massive double-green shared by the 4th and 16th holes, and a sunken fairway on the seventh. Impeccably maintained, the National boasts a pristine, natural golf experience without bordering homes or developments. Superior service, including free valet parking, is a hallmark of the management of Meadowbrook Golf. Champions Gate: International Par: 72, Yardage: 7,363 This world class 36-hole facility, created by Greg Norman, opened in the fall of 2000. Although Norman designed it as an ‘Australian links,’ the International was also clearly influenced by his British Open success and features a wild, windswept appearance. The fairways are peppered with devilish pot bunkers, making it a tough challenge to safely reach the small, slick greens. At a stretch of over 7,300 yards, it has the highest course rating in the state and is one of the most unique and challenging anywhere. Awarded Honorable Mention in Golf Magazine’s Top 10 New Upscale Courses for 2001. Falcon’s Fire Golf Club : Par: 72, Yardage: 6,901 This Rees Jones signature design pays respect to the timeless traditions of the game of golf. The front side is forgiving with water on three holes, while the back wraps around two large lakes with a run of holes (12-18) that will challenge the most skilled player. Boasting tournament playing conditions 12 months a year, the course is arguably the finest maintained in Central Florida. Falcon’s Fire has often hosted such events as the Senior PGA Tour Qualifying School and the Oldsmobile Scramble National Finals. Truly a complete facility, Golf Shop Operations has rated the pro shop as one of America’s Top 100 Pro Shops. Whatever your level of skill, if you are a beginner or an experienced golfer, Orlando has a course to suit your needs.

Gardening can be a very pleasant activity simply undertaken to relax at the end of the day or week butfor some people it becomes the highlight of the day.

Gardening is an art, and like any masterpiece, it requires tender loving care and passion. Part of the art is choosing the proper tools. Just like a painting you need the best quality gardening tools before you can make the best garden. Just like a pet, your garden requires the same amount of care so that your plants can blossom to their fullest. In the US alone, there are actually millions of people who engage in this hobby particularly because they find it relaxing and refreshing.

Finding the right gardening tools is essential in the maintenance of your garden. But that’s not all. If you want a beautiful garden, you need to make sure that your gardening supplies are complete – to grow plants you need seeds, to help seeds flourish, you need plant food, and the process continues.

When starting a garden there are other things to think about as well as buying the gardening tools and supplies. Initially you should look at how much room you have and what you wish to grow as this will determine what tools and supplies will be required. Plants require plenty of sunshine to grow properly so make sure your garden will be situated in an open area. The size of the garden isn’t really important as long as it is not in a shaded area.

Next, the type of gardening tools that you will need depends on where you are going to be doing your gardening. An indoor garden needs different tools than one which is outdoors. For example, in an outdoor garden, you’ll probably need a weed trimmer or a cultivator but you won’t need this for an indoor garden since your plants will probably be in pots and it is very easy to control the weeds. Also, you may need a rake, shovel and hoe to make your outdoor garden area smooth and to dig holes to plant the seeds, and a mower for the lawn.

For indoor gardens a watering can is essential and you may want to consider grow lamps to help your plants mature if you cannot provide enough sunlight. For young seedlings, you need a light that falls within the blue color spectrum while more mature plants need light which is in the red and orange range in order for them to fruit or flower.

A greenhouse may be a useful accessory in the garden either to start off seedlings or to grow those plants which require warmer conditions.

Some gardening tools for soil less gardens have been developed so that even people who live in a high rise apartment or who have no garden can still enjoy this past time. Hydroponics gardening systems are becoming very popular for such situations.

Sometimes, finding the right gardening tools can be confusing especially when you are just starting your own garden. This is why you need to ensure that your supplier for gardening tools and material is credible and is passionate about gardens so you can get the best value for your money. When a supplier is dedicated to make the best gardens, then you purchase not only gardening tools – you can also get advice and tips on how to make your garden blossom!