FOFA Summer 25 NewsHead
This newsletter is sent to you by the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum because you directly subscribed to it or gave your e-mail address as part of your membership registration. Instructions to unsubscribe are at the bottom of this email.
If you have trouble viewing this as an email, open the Email Blast page on our website.

July 9, 2025

JULY IN THE GARDEN

July in the garden is mostly about maintenance and watering. The hard work of spring cleanup, planting and mulching is behind us. Now our attention shifts to maintaining the garden beds, i.e., weeding, deadheading, adding plants where needed either for color or to fill an empty spot and watering.

July can be especially hard on planted containers as they tend to dry out really quickly in the heat of summer, sometimes requiring daily watering. It's also important to feed your containers on a regular basis to ensure blooming for the whole season. A container in my garden planted with Salvia 'Amistad' (Friendship Sage), two Calibrachoas (Callie Hot Pink and Callie Apricot) and a trailing Lysimachia nummularia 'Aurea' (Golden Creeping Jenny) is a thirsty one, but keeping up with watering and feeding rewards me with a profusion of petunia-like flowers and the lovely tubular, dark purple salvia flowers. A word to the wise about Creeping Jenny, though, don't let her escape the confines of the container because she is a garden bully, forming dense mats that become difficult to get rid of. Had I known this earlier, I probably would not have added this particular plant to my container.

A design aspect I'm particularly fond of is the "garden vignette", an intimate spot in the garden that provides a focal point or scene. A couple of vignettes in my small garden:

A cobalt blue birdbath, nestled among the foliage of a Japanese Maple, Hakone Grass, Hosta and Sedum, is visited often by Goldfinches, House Finches, Robins and even Yellow Jackets, both to bathe in and to drink from. I make it a point to keep the basin clean and full of fresh cool water to encourage their frequent visits. It's fun to watch them, especially the Robins, such enthusiastic bathers! The ceramic goldfish, a bit of whimsy, does not seem to bother the birds at all.

Another vignette is in my shade garden where the chartreuse leaves of Hosta 'Fire Island' provide the background for the colorful leaves of Coleus 'Trailing Rose' a perfect combination to brighten up their spot in the garden. In the spring, the colorful pink flower plumes of Astilbe 'Rheinland' add their own beauty to this scene.

What is a garden without a comfortable place to sit, relax and enjoy the results of your hard work? My front porch offers the perfect spot from which to watch wildlife's comings and goings, among them a Monarch butterfly feeding on Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet' flowers (Swamp Milkweed) or to just contemplate the garden and dream of what comes next: enlarging a bed, adding a favorite plant, or some new garden ornament to enhance the border.

By the way, many of the plants that fill my garden were purchased from the Friends' Annual Plant Sale this spring, i.e., Salvia 'Amistad', the two Calibrachoas, the gorgeous Coleus and the Asclepias, among others.

Happy gardening and do remember to take time to enjoy your efforts!

Bird Bath Hosta & Coleus Planter
Front Porch Monarch Butterfly

Text and images by Margery Ennist. Click an image to view our gallery page.




MCPC Floral Arranging with Garden Flowers

MORRIS COUNTY PARK COMMISSION PROGRAM


Floral Arranging With Garden Flowers - For Adults
Tuesday, July 22 - 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM


Ann Fahey, Superintendent of Horticultural Education, will demonstrate how to design beautiful floral arrangements with garden flowers.

For more information and to register, click on the flyer.





WATCH PREVIOUS ZOOM PRESENTATIONS

Several of our previously recorded events are available to watch on-line.

See our Prerecorded Events page for more information and to register.


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.



You can register and pay on line on our Events page and Membership page and subscribe to this newsletter here: complete directions for subscribing.


CONTACT US HERE

MAIL:
Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum
Post Office Box 2267
Morristown, NJ 07962
Web: https://www.arboretumfriends.org
EMAIL:
Content: info@arboretumfriends.net
Tech: webmaster@arboretumfriends.org

Voicemail: 973-937-8803


PARK INFORMATION

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


*|REWARDS|*