Visitor Shawn Allen and family sent these pictures of a turtle they encountered, along with the following note:
Hello,
While walking along the blue trail near the Wet Meadow, my daughters and I came across a lovely, large turtle in its habitat in the Arboretum. This is the first time we’ve seen it, from a safe distance so as not to disturb it. We gave it a name: Tucker Turtle.
Kind regards
Nice pictures of a sizable turtle. Any knowledgable turtle-lovers out there? My web app says it’s a common snapping turtle. Is that right?
In any case, thanks to Shawn for the pictures of one of the Arboretum’s many interesting residents.
Enjoy these wonderful photographs taken at the Arboretum by Judy Snow. Please note that the annuals at the Haggerty Education Center (HEC) entrance are made possible by a grant from the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum.
Foreman Dylan planting the annuals bed in front of the HEC
The delicate, strappy white flowers of fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus)
A luscious raspberry colored Peony flower (Paeonia spp)
Star shaped, pale blue flowers of the Eastern bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana) in front of the Pan herm
The striking dark red, scented flowers of the Carolina allspice shrub (Calycanthus floridus)
Two very different planters at the HEC entrance; don’t you just love the variety of lettuces combined with pansies?
Make time to visit the Arboretum and see all these plants for yourself!
So many lovely trees live in the gardens at the Arboretum, quietly providing shade, shelter and beauty for all who visit. Here’s just a brief sampling: A delicate, lacy, pink dogwood (Cornus florida) blooming at wood’s edge behind the tent. A pretty white dogwood (Cornus florida) doing its thing next to the parking lot. And a magnificent European Beech (Fagus sylvatica cv. Purpurea Tricolor) at the back of the arboretum grounds. The leaves on the Beech tree are gorgeous.
There are many more beautiful trees to admire and enjoy. Plan a visit soon.
New Jersey sometimes feels like deer heaven, so the quest for deer resistant plants seems endless.
This Rutgers webpage (https://njaes.rutgers.edu/deer-resistant-plants/) can be of real help in finding plants that Bambi won’t enjoy as much as you. They caution us all, though, that “no plant is deer proof,” so be forewarned.
This year’s Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum Plant Sale will have a big array of plants covering all types of garden needs. Here are some of the spectacular Clematis, Vines and Climbers we’ve got for your gardening pleasure. Click on the images to enlarge them.
Clematis Henryi
Clematis Henryi
‘Henryi’ features profuse, showy, eight-sepaled, 6-8″ in diameter, white flowers with purplish brown anthers that cover this vine. Henryi is a garden pleasure with its elegant 6 to 7-inch white blooms in summer. A classic, award-winning selection! Bloom on this cultivar comes primarily from the previous year’s stems in early summer, but also occurs in a second flush later in the summer on the current year’s growth.
Clematis Madame Julia Correvon
Clematis Madame Julia Correvon
Italian Clematis blooms for a prolonged period from late June to September, producing a large quantity of 3″ bright reddish wine flowers with yellow stamens. The viticella Clematis types flower on new growth, so they do well with a hard pruning in late winter to early spring. The roots are happiest in cool shade and the tops prefer full sun.
Clematis Nelly Moser
Clematis Nelly Moser
‘Nelly Moser’ features profuse, showy, eight-sepaled, 6-8″ diameter, pale mauve pink flowers (sepals have reddish pink center stripes) with purplish brown anthers that cover this vine in summer. Bloom on this cultivar comes primarily from the previous year’s stems in late spring, but also occurs in a second flush later in the summer on the new (current year’s) growth.
Flowers give way to attractive seed heads.
Clematis Nubia
Clematis Nubia
Free-flowering and hardy, this exceptionally dark red, compact, reblooming clematis is excellent for large planters or as an entryway accent. Blooms prolifically from both leaf axils and stems, resulting in flowers from the ground up.
Clematis Sapphire Indigo
Clematis Sapphire Indigo
A short, non-clinging vine with gorgeous purple-blue flowers in June and July. It can be used as a loose open groundcover, but it works even better if allowed to twine up through small shrubs and sturdy perennials. The 4″ blooms open as an open-faced purple and mature to a beautiful sapphire blue.
A long blooming sprawler, excellent when used in mixed borders.
Lonicera sempervirens
‘Major Wheeler’
Lonicera s. Major Wheeler
Hummingbird favorite: Lonicera sempervirens ‘Major Wheeler’ produces a blanket of tubular, reddish orange to coral flowers from late spring through summer. Later, the vines’ red berries attract goldfinches and robins. It’s a selection of our native Honeysuckle species, Lonicera sempervirens, and plants are both carefree and noninvasive. They bloom on the previous year’s growth as well as new growth. Regular pruning is not required—any pruning to shape the vine can be done once flowering is over for the season. Do provide a trellis, fence, or post with wire grid for support.
Gelsemium s. Margarita
Gelsemium s. Margarita
Carolina jessamine. A reliable zone 6 Gelsemium! A profuse display of clear yellow trumpet flowers in early summer with semievergreen foliage. ‘Margarita’ is a superior seedling selected by Don Jacobs of Eco Gardens in Decatur, Georgia. With its much larger, more prominent flowers, it was superior in every way to common seedlings, so Jacobs named it for his wife. He had no idea that it would survive winters to minus 25 F as it has in New Jersey. Gelsemium ‘Margarita’ is a Gold Medal Award winner from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Clematis texensis Princess Diana
Clematis texensis Princess Diana
Scarlet clematis. Beautiful tulip-shaped flowers in June and July, with consistent reblooming in early fall. The up-facing blooms are soft pink on the outsides and dark-rose pink on the insides, making a lovely two-toned effect. The habit is scrambling, and needs some support.
PRN favorite: Unique tulip-shaped deep pink flowers followed by silky seed heads.
Lathyrus odoratus Mammoth White
Lathyrus odoratus Mammoth White
Annual. This large sweet pea variety climbs to around 8 feet tall and produces masses of large flowers in white. Very fragrant. Good for beds, borders, trellis, rockeries and cottage gardens. Can be grown in containers. Early flowering.
Great variety for cut flowers.
Lathyrus odoratus Mammoth Rose Pink
Lathyrus odoratus Mammoth Rose Pink
Annual sweet pea. One of the most popular and reliable full-sized varieties available. With long stems and voluptuous rose-pink flowers….this one’s a beauty.
Provide trellis or support for sweet peas to grow up when they have grown to around 6 inches.
Passiflora caerulea Blue Bahama
Passiflora caerulea Blue Bahama
Passionflower. A tender perennial in zones 7-9, usually grown as an annual in New Jersey. This passionflower is a beautiful and vigorous free flowering selection of Passiflora caerulea, with all its hardiness and reliability. The nectar rich flowers are adored by larger bees and the foliage is a host to a variety of butterflies.
Many thanks to Farmer Shaun from Grow It Green Morristown who is growing Rutgers tomato seedlings for our 2025 Plant Sale. The following tomatoes will be available: ‘Rutgers 250’ and ‘Rutgers Scarlet Sunrise’ as well as Basil Devotion which is downy mildew resistant. Here are some details.
Rutgers Scarlet Sunrise tomato
Rutgers ‘Scarlet Sunrise’ tomato
Released in 2020 by the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station from work done by Pete Nitzsche and Thomas Orton Bicolor grape tomato with intense sweet Flavor and moderate acidity.
Indeterminate, late-season, high yielding. Red and yellow crack resistant skins. Open pollinated. 70 days to maturity
Rutgers 250 tomato
‘Rutgers 250’ tomato
A reinvention of the tomato industry’s most significant variety, the ‘250 ‘was named in honor of the 250th anniversary of the founding of Rutgers University.
Improved version of the classic Rutgers tomato that defined the flavor of the ‘Jersey Tomato’.
Rutgers Devotion basil
‘Rutgers Devotion DMR’ basil
From the breeding program of Dr. James Simon, Rutgers Department of Plant Biology & Pathology, and Dr. Andy Wyenandt at the Rutgers Agricultural Research and Extension Center.
Downy mildew resistant Genovese type basil. Uniform, upright growth and dome or cup-shaped leaf.
This final photo shows the many happy little tomato seedlings growing just for you!
These beautiful images of Spring flowers at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum were sent by visitor, Mark Konopka. These should inspire us all to visit and enjoy Mother Nature’s latest display.
The Friends are happy to bring you several articles about plants at this year’s plant sale by Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture for the Morris County Park Commission. This article focuses the genus, Trilium (common name, Wakerobin or Toadshade), and talks about several of the beautiful species we can grow here.
Read Bruce’s opening paragraph, and click on the link below to open the full article in a PDF.
Trillium, Bruce Crawford
There is an old saying that good things come in three. Supposedly, it stems from an ncient belief that three of something is complete and ideal. Hence, ‘third time is the charm’ and, should you have the good fortune of finding a Genie, you will be the beneficiary of three wishes! Even in the world of gardening, arranging plants in groups of three makes them look more natural. One plant that certainly embodies the beauty of three is the genus of Trillium! Commonly called Wakerobin or Toadshade based on whether the flower has a floral stem or is sessile, these April bloomers add a beautiful touch of 3’s to the woodland garden! Trillium grandiflorum is pictured at right.
Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture for the Morris County Park Commission, has written another article for us. He uses Sanguinaria canadensis (common name, Bloodroot), to talk about early spring bulbs in general, but with a focus on this beautiful example.
Read the first paragraph, below, and click on the link below to open the full PDF.
Sanguinaria canadensis, Bruce Crawford
The garden truly awakens during the month of April. The once bare earth suddenly comes alive with a bevy of flowering bulbs and perhaps even a few spring ephemerals. Most gardeners understand how to effectively work bulbs into a garden, but many remain puzzled over the use of spring ephemerals. By definition, this group of plants emerge in early spring, flower, set seed and enter into dormancy by the start of summer, very similar to most bulbs. Their strategy is to complete their annual life cycle before the tree canopy is fully leafed-out and competition for sunlight and water becomes more intense. Unlike most bulbs, this group of plants can be more challenging to work into the garden since the declining foliage can be more of a distraction to the beauty of the late spring garden. Fortunately, some ephemerals retain their foliage well into summer when there are ample floral distractions. Sanguinaria canadensis, commonly known as Bloodroot is just such a plant! A beautiful wildflower that erupts into color in March and April (as seen at right in early April in Northern NJ), it quietly enters into dormancy during the middle of summer.
Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture for the Morris County Park Commission, writes in this article about Jeffersonia diphylla (common name, Twinleaf), elaborating about its description and history as well as using it as a primer on botanic naming.
After reading the first paragraph, below, you can click on the link to open the full PDF.
Jeffersonia diphylla, Bruce Crawford
Botanical plant names often prove to be a stumbling block for gardeners. They are meant to impart descriptive details about the plant, yet understanding the Latin or Greek roots of the names can prove troublesome. To add to the confusion, in some instances the botanical name honors individuals who were important in horticulture. This can be equally as mystifying since many of these honored individuals lack widespread recognition. However, one plant that should instinctually draw recognition for the honoree is Jeffersonia diphylla, commonly called Twinleaf. The name pays tribute to Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the US and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.
