Welcome Mat: Rochester Garden Club shifts from garden walk to 'stroll'

Rochester Garden Club to host 'Garden Stroll'

Garden walks are out this summer with COVID-19 so the Rochester Garden Club is doing the next best thing amid a worldwide pandemic so people can "get their garden fix" -- a garden stroll. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 25, the club will host a "No Frills Garden Stroll" featuring the gardens of at least 7 members. Tickets are $10 and will list the addresses of each garden included on the stroll. Social distancing will be required as will masks as necessary. To purchase tickets on the day of the walk, they'll be available at 3 starting points. Go to rochestergardenclub.org for the starting point locations. 

Detroit hospital workers keep cool with retro refrigerator

Health care workers at the Detroit Medical Center's Harper Hospital are enjoying a super cool retro-inspired new refrigerator thanks to a donation from an Ontario stove company. As hospital systems across the nation continue to put themselves on the line amid the coronavirus pandemic, Elmira Stove Works in Ontario is giving back. It donated a candy red Northstar refrigerator to Harper in late June. The Northstar comes refrigerators come in six models and eight what Elmira calls "not-so-standard colors." Harper employees think their Model 1949 red refrigerator looks like the Detroit Red Red Wings trademark red and white colors. To learn more about the Northstar appliances, go to elmirastoveworks.com. 

Famed bridal designer teams up with Pottery Barn Teen on new collection

Fashion and bridal designer Monique Lhuillier is known for her airy, ethereal aesthetic. Now she's incorporating that trademark style into a new collection with Pottery Barn Teen. The chic, glamorous collection will debut later this month and includes bedding, lighting, art and more. Pictured is the Channel Stitch Ottoman. Lhuillier has teamed up with Pottery Barn in the past, but this is her first collaboration with Pottery Barn Teen. To see the entire collection, click here.

'Explosion of Color' is this week's winner

Not all rainbows are in the sky. Trina LaBelle of New Baltimore can attest to that. "My husband built my flower box and the flowers just boomed," she wrote in her entry to the Homestyle Garden Photo Contest. LaBelle's photo, "Explosion of Color," is this week's winner of our contest. She'll win a free gardening or interior design book. She'll also be a finalist to win the grand prize at the end of the summer, a $200 English Gardens gift card. To submit your best garden photos from this year, go to detroitnews.com/gardenphotos2020.

Meadow Brook Hall to debut Winter Wonder Lights display in November

Looking for a fun outdoor family activity this coming holiday season? Meadow Brook Hall is an option. On Tuesday, the National Historic Landmark unveiled its plans for Winter Wonder Lights, an immersive experience featuring nearly a dozen unique environments, "ranging from the fantastic to the whimsical," said Meadow Brook in a press release. The Winter Wonder Lights will be separate from the mansion's annual Holiday Walk and opens to the public on Nov. 17 and will run through Dec. 30. Wonder Lights will include warming stations, bonfires and family activities. For details, go to https://meadowbrookhall.org/wonderlights.