Lisa Bencivengo was at the Arboretum recently and shared a couple of her photographs with us. Hard to believe we’re in the final couple of weeks of summer, you certainly can’t tell from what’s still blooming in the gardens at the Arboretum! Schedule a visit soon.
In the meantime, enjoy Lisa’s photos of a delicate, pale yellow Canna, a gorgeous apricot colored Rose and the architecturally striking Celosia ‘Cramer’s Burgundy’ flower.
That’s to Steve Kanan for another in his long-running Sunday Saunter series. As always, he has nicely captured the beauty of the gardens at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum.
Chef Paul Gatzke presented a cooking demonstration on Saturday, August 8th, which by all accounts was wonderful and a lot of fun. Among the dishes he prepared were curried apple walnut deviled eggs, fresh peach ice cream with grilled balsamic peaches and chilled Andalusian gazpacho. Lucky attendees were able to sample everything!
She isn’t bashful and completely owns her spot in the border, blooming pretty much continuously from late July through mid-August. Her name is Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Mars Madness’ (Rose Mallow) and she produces 6 to 8-inch wide, deep red flowers with a darker red center framed by wine-purple maple-like foliage. She’s a cold hardy perennial that can grow 4-6 feet tall by 4-6 feet wide. She thrives in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. Trim the dead stems to the ground early in spring once new shoots begin to grow. May need a little protection from late frosts.
I had the good fortune of being invited to tour a private garden last week. It just goes to show what endless hours, energy and plants can produce, to say nothing about the maintenance and watering required to keep it all looking beautiful. Even the “hell strip” is a work of art!
Needless to say, I left with a huge case of garden envy and a renewed determination to work on improving my own garden!
Last Sunday, the Friends hosted Barbara Melera who presented a very interesting history covering a wide variety of topics, from the Tomato Story, to Luther Burbank’s Shasta Daisy, to the Great Potato Famine and the Constitutional Convention story and how a visit to Bartram’s Gardens on the outskirts of Philadelphia helped the delegates from the 13 quarrelling states vote to become One Nation. The presentation was followed by a sale of plants and Heirloom Seeds and light refreshments. See photos of the refreshment table and plant/seed sale table.
What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
There are so many lovely plants currently blooming in the Arboretum’s gardens; here’s just a small sampling of what you’ll see when you visit. The flowering panicle of a Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora), Southern Globethistle and friend (Echinops ritro), Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), and a lovely deep red Bee Balm (Monarda spp).
