oacheson's blog

Mother Nature cooperated, the plants were terrific and everyone working on the 2011 Plant Sale were wonderful. Click on the image on the left to see pictures from the Friday night Preview Party and Sale.

We hope to see all of you at this year's sale.

Preparations for ordering have started, and our first efforts can be seen on this year's list. Hundreds of plants were ordered for last year's plantsale -- annuals, biennials, perennials, trees, shrubs, herbs and vines and this year's should be even better! Check them out any time by going to our online plant list. We update it regularly, so you'll want to check it often. Be prepared for the best Friends of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum Plantsale!

Join us for an entry from this time last year....

What can a gardener do during this very snowy winter but dream? Dream of the latest offerings in the catalogs, that one area in the garden that needs tweaking, how to turn the patio or balcony into a tropical jungle. I long for the blossoms of hellebores hidden under the snow, the cheery flowers of witch hazels against the pure white snow, the first snowdrops. I dream of flowers and fragrance, birds and butterflies. The Friends Plant Sale Committee is doing more than dreaming, we are busy researching and ordering the newest stars in the plant world -- trees and shrubs with multiple season interest, perennials bold and new as well as tried and true, annuals and tropicals in every shade and hue and herbs for your culinary enjoyment. Read the rest of the post »

The Friends of Frelinghuysen sends every week or two an email newsletter of its activities to its members and subscribers. If you are not already getting it, you should go to our subscription form and sign up.

Past issues may be found under Resources in the menu at the top.

Interested in Photography? Enter the Frelinghuysen Arboretum’s First Annual F-Stop High School Photography Contest.

Open to all high school students (grades 9-12)

• The contest will be judged by three professional photographers: Nancy Ori, Douglas Underdahl, and Bruce Wodder. Click here for more information about them.
• The first place winner in each category will receive a $100 cash prize. The second and third place winners will receive gift certificates to the Sandrian Camera Shop in Morristown, NJ.
• Entries for the contest will be accepted from April 1st-May 31st, 2011.
• Complete rules may be found here.
• Frequently Asked Questions are here.
• The photo submission form is here.

All Photographs must be submitted by May 31, 2011 at 5:00PM.

We counted the almost-12,000 votes that visitors to the 2010 Gingerbread Wonderland cast and are proud to announce the winners of this year's People's Choice Awards.

Click here for the full scoop.

The 2010 Gingerbread Wonderland opened last evening for the Members-Only Preview Party which was a resounding success. The Wonderland is now open to the public every day through Sunday, December 12th. More details on times, etc. are available on our Events Page

This year you can see Egyptian pyramids, Hogwart's Academy, Lost Island, the North Pole, woodlands, the Eiffel Tower, Santa in Hot Tub, Santa in Workshop, Santa in his bed, farms, gardens, Stitch, a mill with waterwheel, villages, Neptune's Castle, Yankee Stadium, homes, bedrooms, under the sea, castles, Mt. Olympus, the zoo, boathouses, Pooh and friends, roller coaster, pizza in box, and dozens of other wonderful creations.

Did I forget the Armadillos, Whompin' Willows, beautiful holiday scenes, basketball games, pets for adoption, school teams, family silhouettes, horticultural birdhouses, recycling center and lots more?

As always, the artists included girl scouts, cub scouts, brownies, daisies, school classes, families, adults and kids. Don't miss out on the fun -- stop by and see it all for yourself. By the way, click on one of the images to see lots of pictures from opening night.

New this year is the Gingerbread Wonderland Holiday Craft Show, a great place to shop for hand-crafted gifts.

Open weekends of December 4/5 & December 11/12 Read the rest of the post »

Here is a nice reminder of how nice and summery the Arboretum was only a few short weeks ago. Bundle up and come over this weekend to see the final Fall trappings. Perhaps butterflies will be in short supply, but there is still plenty to see.

I got a note from volunteer Phil Dahlen yesterday. Phil maintains our What's in Bloom list throughout the growing season, but the season has come to an end, so yesterday was the last update of the list until Spring.
 
Thanks, Phil, for the regular updates -- the Arboretum is a big place, full of wonderful flowers, shrubs and trees. You help us keep in touch with what is exciting right now. We look forward to your return along with spring blossoms.

There is a hint of Fall in the air, as bright sun and clear skies bath the late-Summer blossoms. Take some time this weekend for a walk through Morris County's beautiful Frelinghuysen Arboretum.

Click on the image at right to visit an album of pictures taken earlier today.

The Northwet corner of New Jersey is filled with diverse geography, picturesque towns, parks and varied activities. Our friends at http://www.njskylands.com/ (who list many of the Friends' activities) would like to call attention to their site which provides maps, tour guides and event calendars for the region.
 
By the way, our Links page includes this and many other links we think may be of interest to our guests.

In response to two questions I emailed over the weekend, Jill Lynch wrote:

===============

Ollie

Yes the single room supplement will be listed in the quote that I will send you. The hotel that I was talking about is the Roxburghe Hotel.

Regards

Jill

===============

I will add a link to the hotel in the calendar

Our Virtual Gardener column focuses on internet sites for Scottish Gardens this month. Tour with here these wonderful places and start to understand the central role of gardens to the Scots.

Friends website viewer, Tim McCann, was kind enough to send a couple of pictures of one of his favorite spots at the Arboretum. Click on the thumbnail to see them both.

The Summer issue of the Arboretum Leaves is done and on its way to all our members. It's chock full of information about this summer's programs (which are also posted to our website's Events page).

By the way, if you are a member and would like to receive the Leaves electronically via email (as an easy-to-open pdf), then email Ann Abrams with "Paperless Arboretum Leaves" in the subject line.

If you aren't a member, now is the time! You save on programs, you get the Arboretum Leaves and you support this beautiful arboretum. Check out our Membership page.