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.
Here is a new batch of photos taken at the arboretum from frequent visitor, Steve Kanan. He has done a good job of capturing late spring’s progress, including a couple of our feathered friends.
Currently in full bloom at the Whippany Road exit from the Arboretum is a gorgeous Cladrastis kentukea (Yellowwood) with its white, sweetly scented, pea-like flowers. Several Cornus kousas (Kousa Dogwood) are blooming around the property with their pointy white bracts. Last, but not least, a Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringe Tree) is full of its delicate, strappy white flowers.
There are many other white blooming shrubs and trees at the Arboretum; pay us a visit and see what you can find!
Steve Kanan sent these pictures from a visit to the Frelinghuysen last Thursday, May 18th. He particularly noted the uncommon poppies amongst the other beautiful images.
The Frelinghuysen Arboretum’s grounds are lovely to stroll through, but you might also want to sit, relax and simply enjoy your surroundings. There’s a wide choice of seating areas, in the sun, in the shade, under cover, etc. The teak benches next to Matilda’s cottage offer a shady place to rest, read or just sit. The benches in the blue garden in front of Matilda’s are in the sun and are a lovely complement to the blue flowers in the beds. The table and chairs in the gazebo overlooking the Marsh Meadow offer a comfortable place to enjoy a picnic lunch and watch the birds. These are by no means the only seating areas at the Arboretum, come for a visit and discover others on your own!
Lovely, dramatic color combinations and textures, Mother Nature is quite the artist and her craft was amply visible at the Arboretum this week!. A lovely, strongly scented Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ (Meyer Lilac) watches over the delicate, pale blue flowers of Amsonia tabernaemontana (Eastern Bluestar); a newly pruned Cotinus’ foliage (Smoke Bush) dramatically emerges among a bed of fresh, green strappy Hemerocallis (Daylily) foliage. A bee busily works the lemon yellow flowers of Euphorbia palustris (Marsh Spurge). So much more to see, visit soon!
The gardens around Matilda’s Cottage are filling in nicely with lots of flowering plants, growing bulbs and newly leafed out shrubs. The Alpine Garden is a treasure of small plants and flowers, including a mass of tiny yellow flowers blooming amongst the rocks; unfortunately, the plant was not labelled and I am not familiar with it. I’d welcome an ID if anyone knows what it is!
A variety of colorful ground covers are emerging around the Arboretum, i.e., a lovely, tiny, yellow-flowered Euphorbia cyparissias cv. Fen’s Ruby (Cypress Spurge), a drift of white Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft) and the delicate, light blue flowers of Myosotis (Forget-Me-Not) can all be seen in the vicinity of Matilda’s Cottage. Also, a striking red-flowered Paeonia cv. Cardinal’s Robe (Peony) is in full bloom in the Cottage Garden (the yellowish shrub in the background is a Spirea).
Katharine Boyle sent a batch of photos, saying, “Enclosed are some highlights from my visit on Saturday, Earth Day…. Thank you and wishing you and the friends a wonderful week!”
After some unusually warm April weather, temperatures have fallen to more seasonal levels. The warm weather did promote all kinds of early blooming, though. This year, the bulb planting at the entrance to the Haggerty Education Center is a happy combination of white daffodils interspersed with orange tulips. The display is funded by a grant from the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum.
So many plants are in bloom that it was difficult to choose what to photograph; I settled on the Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) plants sporting arched stems of lovely pink heart-shaped flowers and Witch Alder (Fothergilla) shrubs covered in white brush like flowers. Spring at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum, what could be better?
Our frequent contributor, Katharine Boyle, sent these beautiful pictures from a visit to the Frelinghuysen yesterday.
She said, “Today was a perfectly cloudy day for macro and wide angle photography. The bumble bee in the last few photos was enormous and hard to keep up with its busy pollination activities! Spring has sprung!”
The warm weather we’ve been experiencing is promoting all kinds of growth in the form of leaves, flowers, bulbs, etc. A Viburnum carlesii cv. Compactum (Korean Spice Viburnum) is about to burst into full bloom and release its lovely fragrance; the Magnolia x ‘Butterflies’ (Hybrid Magnolia) next to the Waterwise Deck is full of large, pale yellow flowers (notice the unopened bud clusters of the Viburnum carlesii under the tree); and a Prunus x cistena ‘Purpurea’ (Purpleleaf Sand Cherry) in the Four Seasons Garden next to the parking lot has a myriad of very delicate white flowers beginning to open all along its branches. It is a lovely time at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum – make time for a visit soon!
A beautiful early spring day in the mid-70s. Many visitors were out enjoying the Arboretum’s grounds today, from painters to photographers to families enjoying the great lawn. Large sweeps of daffodils are spreading their cheery blossoms for all to enjoy, the cherry trees are beginning to bloom and all manner of buds are breaking their long winter rest.
A day that started out cloudy became sunny in the afternoon. A small PJM Rhododendron is beginning to bloom along the four seasons path next to the parking lot; farther down the path, a Pieris japonica has burst into bloom and on the road coming up from Hanover Avenue a lovely, sweetly fragrant Loebner Magnolia’s flowers were gently dancing in the breeze. Do plan a visit soon!
