A quiet, overcast day at the Arboretum; the fall foliage still clinging to trees and shrubs is creating beautiful vignettes on the grounds: a long-shot of the misty meadow behind the Mansion, a Ginkgo biloba (Maidenhair Tree) in all its yellow glory and a Cornus spp (Dogwood) in full fall red, as well as a columnar Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Silhouette’ (Columnar Sweetgum ‘Silhouette’) framed by a Sugar Maple on the left and a Norway Maple on the right. Sadly, these gorgeous colors won’t last, so make plans to visit soon.
A foggy, misty, mild day, lots of rain drops glistening on leaves and dripping off flowers such as the ones on the Lonicera heckrotii ‘Goldflame’ (Goldflame Honeysuckle) blooming next to the parking lot. The Yucca recurvifolia (Curve Leaf Yucca) blooming next to the Waterwise Deck is magnificent in full bloom next to a yellow-foliaged Cephalotaxus harringtonia cv. Korean Gold (Japanese Plum Yew). Last, but not least, the small, creamy white, fragrant flowers of Heptacodium miconioides (Seven Sons Tree).
Adding images or galleries to posts or pages is easy in WordPress.
The starting point is to add your images to the Media Library. This is discussed in more detail in FOFA Manual – Images and the Media Library. Pay special attention to the discussion of image sizes and standards there and elsewhere.
Once you have your pictures in the Media Library you can open your post in the editor or create a new post. I find it easiest to enter the text for the post first and then to add the images, but you could just as well add some text, then some images and so on. Take your pic
Image Block Toolbar
Insert a single right-adjusted image
So, assuming you have your text in the editor window and want to add a single image:
Hover your cursor between the text paragraphs where you want to insert. A “+” sign should appear. Click it and then select Image.
Select media Library as the source which opens it.
Search for the image – the library is sorted by added date, so probably your image is at or near the top. Otherwise, try the text filter for file name or caption.
Click the image, the the Select button at lower right.
That will place a full-sized image into the editor widow.
While that image is still selected, change the image size to Medium in the right sidebar.
Then, change the alignment to Align Right in the image block toolbar (#2).
You can move the image up or down on the page by clicking the arrows in the image block toolbar (#1).
Click the link button (#3) in the toolbar and then Media File to add a link to the image so when you click it the full-sized image opens.
Click the Publish or Update button to save your changes. Remember to click publish twice.
Repeat this process to add more images throughout the post.
Insert a photo gallery
Sometimes inserting a group of pictures, a photo gallery, is more appropriate. To do so takes three steps:
Add your images to the Media Library.
Create a photo gallery with the FooGallery plugin.
Insert that gallery into your page or post.
1. Add your images to the Media Library
Gather your images, resizing if necessary to fit under the 2 MB image size limit. A good pixel size is long edge = 2400 pixels.
Categorize the images as “Gallery” and add captions and descriptions (this is very important — Google downgrades our search if we have pictures without the ALT or DESCRIPTION field).
2. Create a photo gallery with FooGallery
FooGallery is a WordPress plugin that speeds gallery creation. Follow these steps:
In the dashboard, click on FooGallery, then Add New Gallery.
Add a title to your gallery, then click the button “Add from Media Library” which then opens.
Select all the images you want to include, then click the “Add Media” button in the bottom left.
Your gallery is ready to save, so click “Publish” in the right sidebar.
Now click the Shortcode further down the right sidebar. This copies that code to your clipboard which you will use in the next section, inserting the gallery into the post.
3. Insert the photo gallery into your post
Now you can either create a new post (in left sidebar Post | Add New) ir open an existing post (in left sidebar Post | All Posts then open the desired post in edit mode.
Select the place you want your gallery in the post and add a new shortcode block:
Place your cursor where you want the gallery.
Click the “+” button at the top to open the block add screen. Search for shortcode and then click it.
Click in the box where it says “Write shortcode here” and then paste the shortcode from the earlier section. If you have lost it from your clipboard, you can go back to FooGalley, open the desired gallery and click the shortcode again. Be sure to save your post first by clicking switch to draft or Publish or Update at the top right. Then return to your post and paste the shortcode into its block.
And that’s it. Once you Publish or Update the post, the text and the gallery you created will appear for everyone to see.
A crisp, clear fall day following yesterday’s rain. The bees were all over the Asters in the Blue Garden in front of Matilda’s Cottage; there’s a pretty Chrysanthemum blooming in the side garden next to Matilda’s and don’t you just love the dark purple leaves outlined in red of the Smoke Bush (Cotinus)?
A rainy, blustery and chilly day at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. The grounds are once again decorated with scarecrows, so plan a visit soon to see all these whimsical creations. Here’s just a small sampling of some of the scarecrows awaiting your visit. Enjoy!
A beautiful early fall day, cool and crisp. A delicate combination of Goldenrod (Solidago spp) and Asters (Aster spp) is blooming happily in the lower garden behind the Haggerty Education Center, the striking reddish flowerheads of Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Endless Summer Bloomstruck’ can be found next to the parking lot and bunches of Autumn Crocus or Naked Ladies (Colchicum) are springing up all over the gardens. Many visitors were out and about enjoying the grounds today.
It’s hard to believe that the first day of Fall is upon us. This is a great time to visit the gardens, the heat has abated, flowers are still blooming and the first hints of fall color are beginning to show. Pick a day to visit and enjoy the grounds from the Adirondack chairs in front of the Mansion.
The beds in front of the Haggerty Education Center have filled in nicely: the waves of red Coleus and orange Marigolds against the dark green hedge and the Blue Spruce in the background, make for a striking sight. The pink flower clusters of Sedum telephium cv. Neon (Showy Stonecrop) are lovely and bees are all over the flowers of Caryopteris x clandonensis (Blue Mist Shrub).
On hand for the day were members of the North American Butterfly Association, as well as Lorette Cheswick, horiculturist and beekeeper, Jim Walker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store in Denville, Gail DiDomenico, a Master Gardener, popular local speaker and plant expert, and members of the Home Garden Club of Morristown. Helping out were Master Gardener volunteers, teen volunteers, and of course, members of the Friends of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum.
There used to be a set of stairs going up to the patio on the side of the Haggerty Education Center. Several years ago, the patio was renovated, the stairs were eliminated and new railings were installed; there is a handicapped accessible ramp to the patio, as well. The four lamp posts that were on the sides of the steps were left. The following spring, new plantings were installed where the stairs were; at first they really didn’t look like much, but as the plants became established, grew and spread, the area turned into an attractive garden visible as you come up the driveway at the Arboretum.
The plantings are a combination of Prunus laurocerasus cv. Schipkaensis, Oakleaf Hydrangeas, Epimedium x versicolor ‘Sulphureum’, Hosta sieboldiana cv. Elegans, a lovely purple variegated leaf Iris, a perennial Geranium (Wargrave Pink, perhaps?) and some Columbines. Enjoy the photos.
