This newsletter is brought to you by the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum and was delivered to your mailbox because you directly subscribe to it or gave your e-mail address as part of your membership registration. If you have changed your mind and wish to unsubscribe, please see the instructions at the bottom of this page.

While you may view our full program on the Events Page of our website, we are pleased to highlight these upcoming programs.

---

UNEARTHING THE SECRET GARDEN with Marta McDowell

Thursday, May 12 - 7:00 PM

VIRTUAL ZOOM PROGRAM

Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic, The Secret Garden, has inspired generations of readers to cultivate their own bits of earth. Join Marta McDowell as she remembers the thrill of reading about Mary Lennox turning the key in the door to the locked garden at Misselthwaite Manor for the first time. This lecture explores Burnett's life, work, and the passion for flowers and gardening that inspired her book before, during, and after publication in 1910. Marta will focus on the three gardens Burnett planted in England, America and Bermuda.

Marta McDowell lives, writes and gardens in Chatham, New Jersey. Her garden writing has appeared in popular publications such as Women's Day, Country Gardening, The New York Times and she is a regular contributor to the British journal, Hortus. Marta teaches landscape history and horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden and consults for private clients and public gardens. She was the 2019 recipient of the Garden Club of America's Sarah Chapman Francis Medal for outstanding literary achievement.

This program is eligible for 1.0 Rutgers Master Gardener CEU.

Please click on the photo of Marta for more information and to register.

SUSTAINABLE GARDENING: GROW A GREENER, LOW MAINTENANCE LANDSCAPE WITH FEWER RESOURCES with Vincent Simeone

Tuesday, May 24 - 7:00 PM

VIRTUAL ZOOM PROGRAM

With detailed, strategic timelines for both short-term and long-term gardening techniques, Vincent Simeone's latest book, Sustainable Gardening lets you put your best foot forward in creating an efficient, sustainable home landscape. From composting and mulching to planting trees, Mr. Simeone covers all the eco-friendly essentials in one straightforward handbook and in his talk; he makes the what, how and why of sustainable gardening unmistakably clear. Learn why we should plant for the long-term, how to make the best plant selections possible, how to make the most of your lawn (regardless of its size), the importance of fighting insects and pests, how to conserve water with proper irrigation and more.

Mr. Simeone has worked in the horticultural field for over 30 years; for the past 23 years he has worked in public horticulture at Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay, New York, where he is the Director.

For more information and to register, click on the photo of Mr. Simeone.

This program is eligible for 1.0 Rutgers Master Gardener CEU.

Please click on the photo of Mr. Simeone for more information and to register.

FRIENDS ANNUAL MEETING

Highlights of the Chicago Botanic Garden with Fred Spicer

Sunday, June 12 - 4:00 PM

VIRTUAL ZOOM PROGRAM

Join Fred Spicer for a virtual tour of the Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the world's great public gardens. Opened in 1972, the 385-acre site features nine islands, 28 gardens, and six natural areas. Fred will explain the sound planning basis for the Garden, which features the work of some of the masters of 21st century landscape architecture and garden design. The Garden is a modernist masterpiece, and is known for eye-popping seasonal displays, dramatic views and vistas, and plant collections, now numbering over 14,000 different kinds of plants.

Fred Spicer has been the Executive Vice President and Director of the Chicago Botanic Garden since February 2017. In his role at the Gardens, Mr. Spicer oversees horticulture, design, facility operations, maintenance and capital planning and projects. Most recently he served 15 years as the Director and then CEO of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Before that, he was Manager of Horticulture for the Morris County Park Commission in New Jersey, where he oversaw The Frelinghuysen and Willowwood Arboretums. Fred is a 1983 graduate of Rutgers University with a B.S. in environmental planning, design and landscape architecture.

This program is eligible for 1.0 Rutgers Master Gardener CEU.

Please click on the photo of Mr. Spicer for more information and to register.

TODAY AT THE FRELINGHUYSEN ARBORETUM

Another cloudy, cool day, but the Arboretum's grounds are coming alive with lots of color, texture and scents to delight the senses. The Tulips at the entrance to the Haggerty Education Center have changed from an all yellow display to a beautiful combination of yellow, orange and a few deep red flowers; there is a miniature Aquilegia flabellata cv. Nana (Dwarf Japanese Columbine) blooming in the rock garden and a Malus 'Maypole' (Columnar Maypole Apple) is in full bloom in the vegetable garden. Make sure to visit soon, you won't be sorry!

Click an image to see them all in our website's picture gallery. Picture credits: Margery Ennist.

YOU CAN STILL REGISTER FOR PREVIOUS ZOOM PRESENTATIONS

We are pleased to make several of our previously recorded events available in case you missed one or another of them.

Go to our new prerecorded-events Events page for more information and to register and pay online.

Retail Partners

When shopping at our fine Retail Partners, please remember to present your Membership card at the beginning of your check out transaction. Our Retail Partners need to enter the discount at the beginning of that process.

If you have not yet used this wonderful Member Benefit, you can view our full list of Retail Partners by clicking here.

Amazon Smile

Don't forget to "SMILE!"Amazon Smile, that is!

Amazon, through the AmazonSmile Foundation will contribute 0.5% of your purchases on Amazon to a charitable organization you select. Please consider selecting The Friends of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum as your designated recipient from this wonderful program.

Click here and log in to your amazon account to designate the Friends as your charity.

That's it for this time. Hope you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter. Tell your friends about this handy way to keep up with activities at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum (click here for complete directions for subscribing.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Friends Staff will be out of the office until Fall 2021, however we will continue working remotely. Please note our new Post Office Box number and staff emails.

SCHEDULE ANNOUNCEMENTS

PANDEMIC SCHEDULE

Morris County Park Commission has reopened the Frelinghuysen, Willowwood and Bamboo Brook Arboreta 7 days a week, from 8am to dusk.

• Parking is limited. Buildings remain closed. Portajohns are available.
• HUNTING IN THE PARKS - Be aware that deer hunting is permitted in many of the MCPC facilities, including the arboreta, during the fall and winter. The schedule and type (bow or firearm) is listed on the MCPC website here.

We will keep you posted as further updates become available.

Visit our website: https://www.arboretumfriends.org.
Email your comments or suggestions to webmaster@arboretumfriends.org.

The Frelinghuysen Arboretum is a facility of the Morris County Park Commission