Category: PhotoGallery

Regular contributor, Steve Kanan, sent the results of a “Sunday Saunter” from yesterday, mentioning “A few from late afternoon yest[erday] amidst the drizzle.”

Thanks, Steve, for these beautiful shots.

The gardens at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum are offering much beauty, serenity and color these days. The pink Dogwoods (Cornus spp) behind the tent are lovely this year. There are several planters around the property, this one is a sweet combination of pansies, columbines, scabiosa, etc.  Also, wearing a full coat of dark red, dissected leaves, the Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) next to the pond in front of Matilda’s Cottage is a lovely sight. Thanks to Gerry Pappalardo for the Maple photo and to Margery Ennist for the pretty, pink dogwood.

The Frelinghuysen Arboretum is a lovely 127 acre garden with perennial beds, woods, vegetable gardens, etc. Plan a visit soon!

Friends Member Gerry Pappalardo shared his photo of the stunning red leaves on a Cercis canadensis ‘Flame Thrower’ which was available for purchase at our Plant Sale.

A variety of nicely arranged planters can be found around the grounds at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum; Member Debby Holz captured a lovely one in the vicinity of the Rose Garden; another planter combining Pansies and Euphorbia was at the tent entrance to the Friends Plant Sale.

Several Jack-in-the Pulpit (Arisaema tryphyllun) plants found a home nestled at the base of a Redbud tree; known for its distinctive flower structure, this lovely New Jersey native woodland perennial thrives in rich, moist, shaded woods.

The pictures of the Pansy/Euphorbia planter and the Jack-in-the Pulpits are courtesy Margery Ennist.

The grounds around the Arboretum are just bursting with color and so many different textures, shapes, sizes, etc. Make sure to plan a visit soon!

In addition to the gift items mentioned in last week’s eblast, you will also have the opportunity to purchase Womanswork Arm Saver Gloves, Green Gorilla Tubs and Marseilles Grapefruit Mini Soap. Remember Mother’s Day is coming!

Aesculus pavia (Red Buckeye), a species of deciduous, flowering small tree native to the eastern parts of the United states. Aquilegia canadensis ‘Little Lanterns’ (Little Lanterns Columbine), a dwarf selection of our native Columbine with downward facing red and yellow flowers, great for a shade or woodland garden and attracts hummingbirds! Last, but not least, Phlox subulata ‘Drummond’s Pink’ (Drummond’s Pink Creeping Phlox), a low growing, mat forming perennial that can reach 4-6″ high with a spread of 18-24″. The foliage makes a great evergreen groundcover.

A variety of gardening related gifts will be available for purchase at the Plant Sale, i.e., Womanswork Pink Weeder Gloves, Womanswork Plant Snips in green or pink, Gorilla Tubs medium or large, Very Dirty Hands Soap etc. These make wonderful Mother’s Day gifts or gifts for any lucky gardener!

Spring has come full force to the Frelinghuysen Arboretum as beautifully illustrated by these pictures from Steve Kanan.

Here’s a preview of some of the rare and unusual beauties that will be available at this year’s Plant Sale: Bletilla Yokohama (Ground Orchid) sports some lovely star shaped lavender flowers; Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘White Surprise’ (White Surprise False Blue Spirea) with lovely white edged leaves and small blue flowers; Fragaria variegata (Variegated Alpine Strawberry), another white edged leaf plant producing crops of sweet flavorful fruit; Gladiolus dalenii ‘Boone’ (Boone Hardy Gladiolus) this is a cold hardy gladiolus with gorgeous apricot colored flowers; Lilium ‘Springville’ (Springville Lily) a natural hybrid of two North American native lilies, the pendent scarlet red flowers are each spotted brown toward the throat. Nepeta racemosa ‘Little Titch’ (Little Titch Catmint) a compact Catmint growing up to 10″ tall with masses of fragrant, tubular lavender flowers; Streptocarpus ‘Spin Art’ (Cape Primrose) makes an excellent houseplant for a low light area, with royal purple flowers streaked with red.

Most of these are tender perennials, so they will look great in containers and/or as house plants: Abutilon savitzii (Variegated Flowering Maple), Alternanthera ficoidea ‘Party Time’ (Joseph’s coat). Farfugium japonicum var. giganteum (Giant Leopard Plant), Pelargonium ‘Mr. Henry Cox’ (Henry Cox Geranium), Rodgersia pinnata ‘Superba’ (Rodger’s Flower) and Alocasia cuprea ‘Red Secret’ (Elephant Ear).

All of these gorgeous plants will be available at this year’s Plant Sale!

Here are some beautiful black & blue hued annuals that you will find at the Friends 2026 Plant Sale. Won’t they look great in your garden?

The 16th Annual Community Garden Conference is a wrap. Keynote speakers Christopher Bolden-Newsome and Owen Taylor presented a wonderful, interesting and informative program, and their Truelove Seeds were available for purchase at the Conference. Thank you to all the presenters and roundtable moderators for another successful Conference. See you next year!

Here are a couple of photos of the keynote speakers and the seed sale table. Thanks to Peter Nitzsche for the Truelove Seeds table photo and to Judy Snow for the photo of the keynote speakers at the table.

Take a visual journey through Marge’s remarkable 40-year career in floral design. This special display showcases a small portion of her stunning arrangements over the decades, highlighting her creativity, artistry, and lasting impact on the world of floral design.

On a recent visit to the Arboretum, Lisa Bencivengo and Heather Emelander captured several lovely examples of winter interest in the garden. The red twigs of a Cornus sericea (Red Stemmed Dogwood – Lisa) and the reddish, early blooming, strappy flowers of Hamamelis vernalis (Red Imp Witch Hazel – Heather) are delightful on a late winter day, as is the exfoliating bark on the Acer griseum (Paperbark Maple – Lisa) at the entrance to the Haggerty Education Center. Subtle, but beautiful nevertheless.

Thanks, Lisa & Heather!

Explore these trees, shrubs, and seasonal highlights in our Garden Drop Video Series on our  YouTube Channel  — your source for year-round garden inspiration. 

The annual Benjamin Blackburn Scholarship Lecture was held on Saturday, February 7 in the Haggerty Education Center at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum.

We want to thank all volunteers who helped make this program enjoyable for everyone in attendance by making sure everything ran smoothly. Thanks also to Marge Hulstrunk, who created the lovely centerpieces on the food and beverage tables.

A recent visit to the Arboretum on a cold, windy day was short, but enjoyable. A striking dark leaved Euphorbia was a surprise as was the pastel-hued ornamental cabbage, both nestled among thin leaves of grass. The arbor was decorated with a series of grapevine globes and a whimsical pair of grapevine “snowmen” greeted me on the way into the Haggerty Education Center.

Even on a chilly, early winter day, there was beauty to be found. Plan a visit soon!