Frequent contributor, Katharine Boyle sent these beautiful images along with the following note:
”Enclosed are some recent images from Friday. I’ll admit that the up close and personal photos of the honeybee are a bit intense. You can see its tongue (proboscis) and its ocelli (tiny “simple eyes”) in the shots. Bees have two large eyes and then three tiny eyes above them. Hope you and others enjoy them! “
Thanks to a few showers yesterday, the humidity is down and it feels much cooler today, what a relief! The Gardens next to Matilda’s cottage are blooming beautifully in a riot of colors, textures, shapes and heights. There are bright red Daylilies (Hemerocallis), light pink Hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos), mauve Cluster Top Vervain (Verbena bonariensis), tall white Tobacco plants (Nicotiana), bright orange Turks Cap Lilies (Lilium superbum), and several decorative dry Allium giganteum (Giant Onion) seed heads. Plan to visit soon, these are not the only gardens in bloom.
Mid-80s today at the Arboretum. Walking from spot of shade to spot of shade and sitting often, so grateful for all the comfortable benches along the way! The Adirondack chairs in front of the Mansion provide an expansive view of the Great Lawn; blooming in the gardens were bright red Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ (Montbretia), periwinkle blue Platycodon grandiflorus (Balloon Flower) and, in a large pot in the shade, Eucomis ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ (Pineapple Lily) with Oakleaf Hydrangea flowers behind it.
The sunny beds flanking the entrance to the Haggerty Education Center have been planted differently this year with a “hot” combination of tropical plants, including Aechmea blanchetiana ‘Hawaii” (Bromeliad), deep red Coleus spp, bright orange Marigolds (Tagetes) and delicate Tassel Flowers (Emilia spp). It makes for a striking arrangement, especially when planted in front of the dark green hedge behind. Visit and see for yourself!
Picture credits: Margery Ennist.
Achmea Blanchetiana Hawaii
Achmea Blanchetiana Hawaii
Achmea Blanchetiana Hawaii
This is the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum’s Photo Gallery. Click on the title of one of the albums below to open it where you may then browse the pictures. To receive photos regularly, sign up for our weekly email blast by clicking here.
We welcome pictures from all our friends and visitors — send any you would like to see here to webmaster@arboretumfriends.org.
Thanks to Katherine Boyle for the photograph of a Ladybug approaching a group of aphids; Ladybugs are wonderful, natural pest controllers. The aphids suck all the juices out of plants, damaging and killing them; the ladybug, however, eats the aphids (as many as 50 a day) and does no damage at all to the plant. They’re great to have in your garden! You can see more of Katharine’s pictures in several recent photo galleries on our website.
Thanks also to Judy Snow for the pictures of a container collection (Pansies, Geum and maybe a dark leaf lettuce?) next to the sundial in the Rose Garden, a lovely lavender Pulsatilla halleri ssp.styriaca and a gorgeous Cercis chinensis cv. Don Egolf in full bloom.
These pictures sent by Steve Kanan after his Saturday visit show off spring blossoms — mostly tulips, but with a daffodil and flowering trees for good measure. Thanks, Steve, for the lovely pictures.
Katharine Boyle wrote on April 18th, “Today’s rainfall and this evening’s cloudy sky made for some good photo opportunities of some lovely subjects. Here are photo highlights from tonight’s visit. “
Spring brings change every day of the week. Thanks to Katharine for capturing another day at the Arboretum on its journey through the seasons.
Katharine Boyle emailed yesterday, “Enclosed are some images from my visit to the arboretum Monday evening. The image of the ladybug is quite interesting. It wasn’t until I looked through the images tonight that I realized those little green dots are likely family members of the ladybug! Nature always amazes me. “
Thanks, Katharine. Nature is indeed putting on a great display.
1 Summer Snowflake 2024 Apr 15 from Katharine Boyle
1 Summer Snowflake 2024 Apr 15 from Katharine Boyle
2 Bleeding Hearts 2024 Apr 15 from Katharine Boyle
2 Bleeding Hearts 2024 Apr 15 from Katharine Boyle
3 Ladybug and Family 2024 Apr 15 from Katharine Boyle
3 Ladybug and Family 2024 Apr 15 from Katharine Boyle
4 Cherry Blossoms 2024 Apr 15 from Katharine Boyle
4 Cherry Blossoms 2024 Apr 15 from Katharine Boyle
On this glorious day it’s all about the infinite variety of spring bulbs. From the diminutive species tulips in the alpine raised bed and the many forms of daffodils, to the stately tulips and frothy narcissus in the entry borders, you have to marvel at the amazing display that bulbs provide. However, the blooms don’t last long, so plan to visit the Arboretum soon!
Thank you, Judy Snow, for the lovely words and photos!
Spring has taken the Arboretum by storm with bulbs, flowers and flowering trees putting on a splendid display as shown in these images from frequent contributor, Steve Kanan.
Thanks to Steve for letting us see that the cold ugly days of earlier spring have paid off yet again.
All sorts of plants and flowers are making an appearance in the gardens at the Arboretum. The pretty red stems and leaves of a Peony have broken ground, a Spirea thunbergii cv. Ogon is showing off its lovely, delicate white flowers and a beautiful double Daffodil is a putting on quite a show. Enjoy!
A nice day at the Arboretum, a bit chilly, but refreshing. A lovely Corylopsis gotoana tree (Winterhazel) is in full bloom on the left as you crest the hill from Hanover Avenue. It’s covered in small, delicate yellow flowers – don’t miss it!
Spring has officially arrived and with it the flowering trees we love so much. Several Prunus cv. Okame trees (Flowering Cherry) are in full bloom, one to the right as you come up the driveway from Hanover Avenue and another in the upper parking lot. The beautiful white flowers on the Loebner Magnolia are beginning to open on the tree to the left as you come up the driveway. Also in the upper parking lot a large Salix chaenomeloides (Giant Pussy Willow) is putting on quite a show, full of fuzzy, young catkins. There are also many other plants blooming, i.e., Daffodils, early Irises, Crocuses, etc.
Make plans to visit soon. Picture credits: Margery Ennist.
Katharine Boyle sent these beautiful pictures from her visit to the Arboretum on Sunday, saying, ” I went to the arboretum yesterday and was especially enamored by the hyacinths in sight and smell. It’s very inspiring seeing new flowers budding all around!”
Spring is decidedly in the air! Blue skies, temperatures in the 60s and many plants beginning to break ground, budding and blooming. The Prunus mume cv. Kobai (Japanese Apricot) is in full bloom against the Carriage House wall, its flowers’ sweet scent wafting through the air, calling to humans and bees alike. The delicate little yellow/green flowers of the Corylopsis gotoana ‘March Jewel’ (Winterhazel) are beginning to open on the plant’s bare branches.near the arbor and a bunch of Hyacinth buds are getting ready to burst into bloom by Matilda’s Cottage.
Don’t miss all this early spring activity at the Arboretum! Picture credits: Margery Ennist.
Chilly, rainy and damp, but spring will not be deterred!!! The first daffodil flower is about to open, the Edgeworthia buds are finally beginning to show their pretty little flowers and a nice clump of purple Crocus buds are about to burst open.
Spring is coming, you can feel it in the air and hear it in the birds’ songs!!! The tiniest and most delicate little Irises are blooming in the gravel/crevice garden, lovely yellow and white and pretty lavender and white flowers, standing no more that 6-7 inches tall. A busy little bee was climbing all over the Eranthis hyemalis (Winter Aconite) flowers looking for an early snack. And the Adonis amurensis ( Pheasant’s Eye) is in bloom next to Matilda’s Cottage. It is wonderful to walk around the grounds and discover all these little gems.
Another snowfall over the weekend is keeping the grounds covered under a white blanket. Crisp, clear and cold today, but the sky was a magnificent shade of blue. The fuzzy buds of a Magnolia x ‘Butterflies’ (Hybrid Magnolia) were lovely against the azure sky. I was lucky enough to capture a male Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) flitting about in the shrubs along the Four Seasons Garden path. A patch of lemon yellow Eranthis hyemalis (Winter Aconite) is blooming in the snow under the Cornus alba cv. Siberica (Red Twig Dogwood) providing a nice contrast between the yellow flowers and the red twigs on the Dogwood.
The days are getting longer, Daylight Saving Time is due to arrive on Sunday, March 10th and Spring is less than a month away. To quote Leo Tolstoy in Anna Karenina “Spring is the time of plans and projects”, for me that means thinking about my garden, creating new beds and introducing new plants.
White and pale orange captured my attention today as I strolled through the various gardens at the Arboretum. A huge, very fragrant flower on the Magnolia grandiflora cv. Edith Bogue (Southern Magnolia Cultivar), the large trumpet shaped flower on a Brugmansia (Angel’s Trumpet), the spidery white flower on the annual Cleome hassleriana (Spider Flower) and the light orange flower on the Campsis radicans (Trumpet Creeper Vine) climbing over the arbor leading into the Haggerty Education Center. Plan to visit soon!
A gorgeous warm, sunny day with clear blue skies and abundant white fluffy clouds floating overhead. The cottage next to the Haggerty Education Center is surrounded by many different plants and flowers. Some of the flowers blooming today: a lacy, light blue Nigella damascena (Love-in-a-Mist), an Oakleaf Hydrangea, a spike of Stachys cv. Summer Romance (Betony) being visited by a pollen covered bee, and a bright yellow Coneflower (Echinacea).
On hand for the day were members of the North American Butterfly Association, as well as Lorette Cheswick, horiculturist and beekeeper, Jim Walker, owner of the Wild Birds Unlimited store in Denville, Gail DiDomenico, a Master Gardener, popular local speaker and plant expert, and members of the Home Garden Club of Morristown. Helping out were Master Gardener volunteers, teen volunteers, and of course, members of the Friends of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum.