Category: PhotoGallery

A few years ago I was introduced to the concept of passalong plants via a book written by Steve Bender and Felder Rushing entitled, appropriately enough, Passalong Plants. In a nutshell, the book describes a behavior practiced in southern states of sharing unusual and/or interesting plants that may no longer be available commercially, thus the passalong moniker.

Over the years, I’ve received many plants of all kinds from friends and family, not necessarily unusual, but nevertheless given by gardeners wanting to share the wealth. I’ve been gifted beautiful yellow and lavender Irises, a Hellebore, an unusually dark pink Hydrangea with blue in the center of the flower, Christmas Ferns, a Prickly Pear Cactus, old-fashioned Feverfew and Money Plant, Columbines and Hyacinths.

The wonderful thing about these passalongs is that a reminder of the giver surfaces every spring as the weather warms up and the plants break ground. When the first shoots of Feverfew, Money Plant, Columbine and Christmas Fern appeared, I thought of my Mom, who loved to garden and share her plants and knowledge with me. She’s been gone for several years now, but her plants lived on in my garden and in my heart.

The dark pink Hydrangea was a gift from a neighbor who moved away. Before leaving, she invited me to choose a plant from her garden as a parting gift. The Hydrangea was not in bloom at the time, but every year when the flowers opened, I had fond memories of Jean for the lovely plant she shared with me. We lost touch, but her gift continued giving in my garden.

The Prickly Pear Cactus was a gift from an ex-sister-in-law. Although no longer part of the family, we kept in touch and she knew I would love to have a piece of her cactus. It flourished in my garden next to a stone wall and grew larger every year, with more and more lovely yellow flowers.

The yellow and lavender Irises, Hellebore, Hyacinths, etc., were all given by dear friends and fellow gardeners, reminders of cherished friendships and a mutual love or gardening.

Although I moved and no longer toil in that garden, I am in the process of creating a whole new garden with new plants as well as new passalong plants. Gardening will always be a therapeutic endeavor for me; there is nothing quite like getting your hands dirty, toiling in the earth, creating something beautiful to nourish and watching it grow.

By Margery Ennist

We got an email with a big batch of beautiful pictures of the Arboretum taken by visitor Gail Susan Waimon and a nice message:

Click on any of the thumbnails below to view these in a gallery. Thanks for the great collection, Gail.

Visitor Shawn Allen and family sent these pictures of a turtle they encountered, along with the following note:

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!

Thank you so much Judy for these beautiful shots. 

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.

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.

Thanks, Mark, for the fine view of Spring.

We’re just 30 days away from the best plant sale in Morris County! Proceeds from the Friends’ Plant Sale support the efforts of the Morris County Park Commission to beautify and maintain the wonderful gardens, trees and trails at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Next week we’ll deliver the Master List of plants, but here are a few choice selection to consider:

• Calycanthus floridus ‘ Michael Lindsey’, Carolina Allspice or Sweetshrub, a native, woody ornamental with reddish brown, fragrant flowers that bloom for a long period in April and May. The plant has dark green, lustrous foliage with clear yellow to gold fall color. It is wet site tolerant, does well in sun or partial shade, deer resistant, attracts pollinators and may rebloom sporadically throughout the summer. Sweetshrub will grow to a height of 8 feet with a spread of 5 feet.
• Matteuccia struthiopters, Ostrich Fern a native of Eastern American woodlands. It gets its name because the open plumes look like Ostrich feathers. Ostrich Fern prefers cool, moist conditions and will spread in any wet, shady area of the garden. Ostrich Fern is deer and rabbit resistant and will grow to a height of 36-60″ and a spread of 36-48″ wide.
• Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’, Golden Fleece Goldenrod. A small growing Goldenrod, with arching yellow flower spikes in late summer. It is deer resistant, attracts butterflies and bees, great for full sun and will grow to a height of 15″ by 24″ wide.

On Saturday, March 22, Chef Paul Gatzke conducted a cooking demonstration focusing on the Flavors of the Middle East. Some of the recipes prepared included Grilled Haloumi with Lemon, Olive Oil and Za’atar, Pearl Couscous with Turmeric and Parsley and Braised Pork Tenderloin with Ras Al Hanout, Sumac and Leeks. Attendees reported that the food was delicious. There was a bit of unplanned excitement when the fire alarm was accidentally set off!

Thanks to Judy Snow for the photographs of the class.

Spring has definitely sprung at the Arboretum, two beautiful Witch Hazel (Hamamelis) plants are blooming in the area between the Haggerty Education Center and Matilda’s Cottage: Hamamelis vernalis ‘Red Imp’ and Hamamelis intermedia ‘Sunburst’. With spring officially here, make plans to visit the Arboretum soon to see all that’s blooming!

Thanks to Heather Emelander for these photographs.

The Friends ran our annual bus trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show last week. By all accounts, this year’s Show, Gardens of Tomorrow, was one of the best ever! Judy Snow was kind enough to share some of her pictures of the Show; if you weren’t able to attend in person, enjoy Judy’s photos!

The 15th Annual Community Garden Conference held last Saturday was a success and very well attended. The Keynote Speaker this year was NJ State Climatologist, Dr. David A. Robinson, who delivered a very timely and informative talk on New Jersey’s changing climate. Other speakers included Peter Nitzsche and Shaun Ananko. The Conference concluded with the Coordinator’s Round Table led by Ned Gardner and Mike Dziomba.

Also in attendance were representatives from Grow It Green Morristown (GIG), Rutgers Soil Test Lab, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris County Master Gardeners. In the photos below, Shaun Ananko and Kim Haupt are seated at the GIG table; Director of the Rutgers Soil Test Lab, Dr. Stephanie Murphy is at the Rutgers Soil Test Lab table; Edwin Muniz, State Soil Scientist, is manning the NRCS table and last but not least, Master Gardeners Mary Albright (red apron) and Candice Bolte are shown at the Master Gardeners table. 

Photos courtesy of Judy Snow.

Although the Haggerty Education Center is scheduled to close in April for some much needed HVAC work, the magnificent carriages on exhibit in the building can still be enjoyed until then. Along with the Colonial Revival mansion, the carriages are a reminder of a bygone era when the grounds of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum were the site of Whippany Farm.

Picture credits: Margery Ennist.

This past Saturday the Friends hosted the Annual Benjamin Blackburn Scholarship Lecture with well-known Photographer, Rob Cardillo as our guest speaker. As you know, this is an annual fundraiser to provide a scholarship to a student or students in the Landscape and Horticultural Technology Program at County College of Morris. Thank you so much to all who purchased tickets to the event, or simply made a contribution. Also many thanks to Mendham Capital Management for their generous sponsorship of the program.

Mr. Cardillo presented a wonderful talk to a very engaged audience, offered books and calendars for sale after his talk and all attendees enjoyed light refreshments following the presentation. Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who make everything run seamlessly!

Marge Hulstrunk and Russell Gatzke created the lovely centerpieces which were raffled off during the event. Judy Snow took the photo of one of Marge’s whimsical arrangements, love all the detail, right down to the tiny little newspaper on the garden bench!  Another arrangement was captured by Lisa Bencivengo, including a tiny birdbath, stepping stone path and garden gate. The photo of Judy Snow, Rob Cardillo and Kerry Mellot from Mendham Capital Management, was taken by Member Debby Juterbock. Thank you all.

Just a few winter images taken at the Arboretum last week. The gorgeous exfoliating bark of Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple) at the entrance to the Haggerty Education Center; there used to be two of them, sadly the one on the left suffered damage during a storm and had to be removed. The fuzzy buds of the Magnolia x ‘Butterflies’ (Hybrid Magnolia) photographed against a bright blue sky. Last but not least, the Barkman Vegetable Garden sleeping under a blanket of snow. In case you’re wondering, that’s the Ficus carica (Fig Tree) all wrapped up in burlap as protection against the winter chill.

Picture Credits: Margery Ennist.

No chance to visit the Arboretum this week, but here are some photos taken of the grounds following snowfalls in past years. The herm at the end of the Holly walk wearing a jaunty snow cap; the red barn in the hollow on the left as you drive up the road to the Haggerty Education Center; the Mansion following a winter storm; the frozen pond in front of Matilda’s Cottage surrounded by snow. These timeless images are repeated over the years as the grounds are blanketed with freshly fallen snow. Schedule a visit soon, and enjoy the quiet beauty of the grounds in winter.

Picture Credits: Margery Ennist

The annual Members Only New Year’s Party was held at the Arboretum on Sunday, January 12. Attendees were treated to an interesting and informative talk by Kristin Ace, Chairperson, Morristown Shade Tree Commission as well as an array of sweet and savory treats, hot beverages and Prosecco. The lovely table arrangements were created by Marge Hulstrunk and Russell Gatzke; The arrangements were raffled off and ten lucky winners got to take one home. Upon departure, attendees walked out to the parking lot down the festively lit walkway and were treated to a dramatic skyscape.

Picture Credits: Margery Ennist