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Lovely, dramatic color combinations and textures, Mother Nature is quite the artist and her craft was amply visible at the Arboretum this week!. A lovely, strongly scented Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ (Meyer Lilac) watches over the delicate, pale blue flowers of Amsonia tabernaemontana (Eastern Bluestar); a newly pruned Cotinus’ foliage (Smoke Bush) dramatically emerges among a bed of fresh, green strappy Hemerocallis (Daylily) foliage. A bee busily works the lemon yellow flowers of Euphorbia palustris (Marsh Spurge). So much more to see, visit soon!

Picture credits: Margery Ennist.

The gardens around Matilda’s Cottage are filling in nicely with lots of flowering plants, growing bulbs and newly leafed out shrubs. The Alpine Garden is a treasure of small plants and flowers, including a mass of tiny yellow flowers blooming amongst the rocks; unfortunately, the plant was not labelled and I am not familiar with it. I’d welcome an ID if anyone knows what it is!

Picture credits: Margery Ennist.

A variety of colorful ground covers are emerging around the Arboretum, i.e., a lovely, tiny, yellow-flowered Euphorbia cyparissias cv. Fen’s Ruby (Cypress Spurge), a drift of white Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft) and the delicate, light blue flowers of Myosotis (Forget-Me-Not) can all be seen in the vicinity of Matilda’s Cottage. Also, a striking red-flowered  Paeonia cv. Cardinal’s Robe (Peony) is in full bloom in the Cottage Garden (the yellowish shrub in the background is a Spirea).

Picture credits: Margery Ennist

Katharine Boyle sent a batch of photos, saying, “Enclosed are some highlights from my visit on Saturday, Earth Day…. Thank you and wishing you and the friends a wonderful week!”

You can see more of Katharine’s photos in her Instagram profile, @katharineboylephotography.

Thanks to Steve Kanan who shared this batch of photos from his visit to the Frelinghuysen Arboretum this past Saturday, Earth Day.

After some unusually warm April weather, temperatures have fallen to more seasonal levels. The warm weather did promote all kinds of early blooming, though. This year, the bulb planting at the entrance to the Haggerty Education Center is a happy combination of white daffodils interspersed with orange tulips. The display is funded by a grant from the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum.

So many plants are in bloom that it was difficult to choose what to photograph; I settled on the Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) plants sporting arched stems of lovely pink heart-shaped flowers and Witch Alder (Fothergilla) shrubs covered in white brush like flowers. Spring at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum, what could be better?

Picture credits: Margery Ennist.

Our frequent contributor, Katharine Boyle, sent these beautiful pictures from a visit to the Frelinghuysen yesterday.

She said, “Today was a perfectly cloudy day for macro and wide angle photography. The bumble bee in the last few photos was enormous and hard to keep up with its busy pollination activities! Spring has sprung!”

Love the bumblebee!

The warm weather we’ve been experiencing is promoting all kinds of growth in the form of  leaves, flowers, bulbs, etc. A Viburnum carlesii cv. Compactum (Korean Spice Viburnum) is about to burst into full bloom and release its lovely fragrance; the Magnolia x ‘Butterflies’ (Hybrid Magnolia) next to the Waterwise Deck is full of large, pale yellow flowers (notice the unopened bud clusters of the Viburnum carlesii under the tree); and a Prunus x cistena ‘Purpurea’ (Purpleleaf Sand Cherry) in the Four Seasons Garden next to the parking lot has a myriad of very delicate white flowers beginning to open all along its branches. It is a lovely time at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum – make time for a visit soon!

Picture credits: Margery Ennist.