Warm, less humid, but still very dry – the weather makes me think of that old song by The Temptations, “I Wish It Would Rain”. My interest today was captured by a variety of flying creatures: A female Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) nectaring on a Zinnia flower, a Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) nectaring on Verbena bonariensis and the dreaded Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatulus). This last one is an Asian invasive that wreaks havoc on our grape, orchard and logging industries – I followed environmental agencies’ instructions and squashed it dead!
Frequent contributor, Steve Kanan wrote: “Went to the garden today (Fri) and was happy to see a couple butterflies and one slightly cooperative hummingbird moth.”
Quintessential mid-summer weather: hazy, hot and humid, scarcely a breeze to be found and no relief from the puny little puffs of air movement encountered. Stayed in the shade, looking for relief from the heat; thank goodness for the various water fountains dotting the property, their rippling waters and dripping sounds provided some respite from the heat, even if only fleeting. Photos show the Sylvan Terrace pool and fountain, the Shade Garden goldfish pool and mini waterfall, the Rose Garden fountain with its four jets and the trickling fountain next to the pergola behind the Mansion – most of the water features on the property are either in the shade or shade is nearby. Stay cool!
A hot summer day, the gardens are a bit dry and blooming less profusely, but plenty of color can still be found. A medium-sized Crape Myrtle shrub (Lagerstroemia indica cv. Velma’s Royal Delight) is full of flower clusters, the Black-Eyed Susan plants (Rudbeckia) are beginning to bloom and there are pockets of Garden Phlox (Phlox paniculata) blooming in several beds.
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.
Lisa Bencivengo shared a couple of photos taken at the Arboretum recently. A lovely dark pink water lily (family Nymphaeaceae) in the pond in front of Matilda’s cottage, and a Bonfire Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum ‘Bonfire’) in front of the Mansion beginning to show early fall foliage due to root girdling.
The Arboretum’s gardens are overflowing with lots of colorful, and some unusual flowers. The bright orange Zinnias are a cheerful addition to this garden bed. Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus) is a dramatic annual flowering plant with long strings of dark red flowers; lovely surrounded by Purple top vervain (Verbena bonariensis) and Lantana. And who can resist the beautiful yellow Sunflower (Helianthus sp)?
Lisa Bencivengo was at the Arboretum recently and shared a couple of her photographs with us. Hard to believe we’re in the final couple of weeks of summer, you certainly can’t tell from what’s still blooming in the gardens at the Arboretum! Schedule a visit soon.
In the meantime, enjoy Lisa’s photos of a delicate, pale yellow Canna, a gorgeous apricot colored Rose and the architecturally striking Celosia ‘Cramer’s Burgundy’ flower.
That’s to Steve Kanan for another in his long-running Sunday Saunter series. As always, he has nicely captured the beauty of the gardens at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum.
Chef Paul Gatzke presented a cooking demonstration on Saturday, August 8th, which by all accounts was wonderful and a lot of fun. Among the dishes he prepared were curried apple walnut deviled eggs, fresh peach ice cream with grilled balsamic peaches and chilled Andalusian gazpacho. Lucky attendees were able to sample everything!
She isn’t bashful and completely owns her spot in the border, blooming pretty much continuously from late July through mid-August. Her name is Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Mars Madness’ (Rose Mallow) and she produces 6 to 8-inch wide, deep red flowers with a darker red center framed by wine-purple maple-like foliage. She’s a cold hardy perennial that can grow 4-6 feet tall by 4-6 feet wide. She thrives in full sun and moist, well-drained soil. Trim the dead stems to the ground early in spring once new shoots begin to grow. May need a little protection from late frosts.
I had the good fortune of being invited to tour a private garden last week. It just goes to show what endless hours, energy and plants can produce, to say nothing about the maintenance and watering required to keep it all looking beautiful. Even the “hell strip” is a work of art!
Needless to say, I left with a huge case of garden envy and a renewed determination to work on improving my own garden!
Last Sunday, the Friends hosted Barbara Melera who presented a very interesting history covering a wide variety of topics, from the Tomato Story, to Luther Burbank’s Shasta Daisy, to the Great Potato Famine and the Constitutional Convention story and how a visit to Bartram’s Gardens on the outskirts of Philadelphia helped the delegates from the 13 quarrelling states vote to become One Nation. The presentation was followed by a sale of plants and Heirloom Seeds and light refreshments. See photos of the refreshment table and plant/seed sale table.
What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday afternoon!
There are so many lovely plants currently blooming in the Arboretum’s gardens; here’s just a small sampling of what you’ll see when you visit. The flowering panicle of a Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora), Southern Globethistle and friend (Echinops ritro), Balloon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), and a lovely deep red Bee Balm (Monarda spp).
Frequent contributor, Steve Kanan, sent these pictures a few weeks ago, but travel on my part unfortunately derailed posting them on a more timely basis.
Happily they didn’t age in my mail box. Thanks to Steve for these beautiful and enjoyable pictures of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum.
Regular contributor, Steve Kanan, sent the results of a “Sunday Saunter” from yesterday, mentioning “A few from late afternoon yest[erday] amidst the drizzle.”
