OSHNA Home Tour
We traveled from Lutz Sunday to see Old Seminole Height's 9th Home Tour. We've only managed to make 4 or 5 of these events in years past, but we enjoyed every one. This year, we found visual treasures in beautifully restored woodwork, door and window hardware, and brickwork. There were creatively repurposed garage/sheds and yards decked out with new spring landscaping. The houses themselves were an eclectic mix, including a 1950's ranch house where you could see the evolution of the owners' lifestyle spanning almost 50 years of their lives. We took special delight in the 1940's house built of steel. What a great job the owner did of furnishing her home in fun period pieces. The home owners and OSHNA volunteers were, as usual, generous and good spirited. New this year, was the ability to drive up and pick up tickets, wristbands, and maps from roadside stands outside the Garden Center What a great idea!
13 comments:
We are glad you made it back for the tour!
In choosing the houses we always strive to reflect the architectural diversity that is the neighborhood- we are more than just our bungalows.
The "ticket sales" outside the garden center were the will-call for the on-line and pre-sale tickets.
As posted earlier, we worked with the YMCA to provide an opportunity for the bikers in the community to experience the tour also - there was a seperate route from the trolley route as to lessen the unexpected encounters between the two groups. Last count I heard there were 73 bikers that road the tour. Plans are already in the works to expand and improve the event for the biking community for a bigger biking event next year.
Thanks to all those neighbors that chose the tour over all the other "hundreds" of events this past weekend.
We are already laying the plans for the 10th year tour - can't wait!
Thanks,
Greg Barnhill
The two most outstanding things about the tour were the bike tours AND the metal house. What a gem that house was! Love finding out things like that that we drive by every day and have no idea the are there! What fun!
This years tour did not seem as busy as usual. Was attendence count way down?
down some but considering all of the other events this past weekend - the numbers were solid.
I was disappointed with Steve and Nicky's house- heard so much about the exceptional craftsmanship- sorry but nothing special.
what tour were you on? Steve and Nicky were not on the OSHNA tour.
I'm don't know the history of the Garden center, but has there ever been any discussion about creating a working community garden in Seminole Heights? Either botanical, or vegetable or both, run by volunteers. Just a thought. It might be nice to have something more than just another park.
I like that idea! The old pictures of the grounds with rose beds and nasturtiums looked beautiful.....many of our tree shaded lots are too shady to grow veggies and flowers....it would also be a great opportunity to meet neighbors.
Along with the renovation plans that are being worked on by the city we have also requested that a master plan be drawn up so that any plantings done by the city have a rhyme and reason - not just a random placement. Whe we met with the city regarding the pending rehab they had the old Burgert Bros pictures and we mentioned the beds.
The garden center rehab and the grounds master plan are two different projects for the city.
I have talked for years about putting together a traditional Rose Garden in one of the area parks. I just can't seem to get anyone interested.
A rose garden would be nice, another idea would be to do some sort of xeriscaping example at one of the public parks(Garden center?) to demonstrate how nice native landscaping can be if done right.
Careful what you ask for. Remember Hillsborough Ave when they first built the wall. It was the most beautiful green space the city had. Then they came in and landscaped with enough mulch to kill an entire forest. Any idiot would know that weeds would come through mulch. Within months, it looked like crap. It has not looked good since. Go see how they landscaped the median.
Look at the exit at 275. The city/FDOT planted all the shrubs, walked away and never looked back again. They are overgrown, unkept trash collectors. What a mess.
my 2 cents... It would be great to use native specie and yeah on the other side of the coin - roses, I grow a lot of both. Also organic controls..which I employ, would be essential. I have been kicking around a way to start a local seed/ bulb exchange. For starters am looking for oxblood bulbs.
Did the tour aa lot of great homes Katie's steel house - loved it! Plus 'tats of Gloriosa Superba lillies - well that was the cherry on the top.lol
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