Thanks to frequent contributor, Steve Kanan, for this group of beautiful images from yesterday.
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.
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.
Last week on a gloriously perfect fall day, I had the pleasure of visiting Hershey Gardens, a 23-acre botanical garden and arboretum. The gardens were built by Milton S. Hershey, the chocolate magnate, as a gift to his community and to honor his wife, Catherine.
The gardens opened in June 1937 with a display consisting solely of 7,000 roses arranged in formal beds. Over the years, Hershey Gardens has grown to contain five themed gardens and a rose specific area with nearly 14,000 roses and some 800 varieties.
As a Member of the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum, I took advantage of the American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocal Admissions Program (RAP) that Hershey Gardens participates in and my entrance fee was waived. Just one of the many benefits of being a Member of the Friends!
The photos show the Rose Garden with the Conservatory in the background, the Japanese Garden and Swan Lake with the Rose Garden behind it.
Over 400 gardens participate in the RAP program. Click here to see a list of participating gardens: https://ahsgardening.org/ahs-garden-network/
If you are not currently a member of the Friends, you can join us here: https://www.arboretumfriends.org/benefitshowto/
Margery Ennist
Paul Gatzke presented a cooking demonstration entitled Hassle Free Holidays on Saturday, October 3rd. By all accounts, Chef Paul outdid himself this time around! Along with his able assistant, Russell Gatzke, a beautiful Charcuterie Board, Baked Brie and other yummies were prepared and sampled by the lucky attendees.
Thanks to attendee, Kathleen Levey, for the photograph of Paul and Russell. And to Betsy Oliveira and Susan Ricciardi for photos of the dishes, they certainly captured them in a very appetizing way!
The lovely Dahlia bouquet was created with flowers grown by Russell in his Community Garden plot. Thank you Russell!
Our bus trip to Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania last Friday could not have provided a better experience, even the weather cooperated: we enjoyed a perfect mid-70s, partly sunny day with no rain!
As we exited the bus, we were met by a Visitor Services representative who handed out maps and provided information on where to go to find picnic tables for lunch. We were also asked to return to the entrance for our 1:30 PM guided tour. Our tour guides were terrific, full of information about the property, the house and the horticultural staff.
The gardens were in their early fall glory with many plants blooming and just a hint of fall in the air: Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ (Japanese Anemone or Windflower), Tricyrtis hirta (Japanese Toadlily), a fantastic looking pitcher plant, and a lovely floating flower arrangement
were just a very few of the blooming plants we saw. Also the Chanticleer Hillside looking down toward the Serpentine and perennial gardens and a lovely garden bench created by one of the very talented Chanticleer gardeners.
Following the 1-1/2 hour tour, we had plenty of time to explore the property on our own. A tired but happy group boarded the bus and departed for the Arboretum at 5:00 PM.
Picture credits: Margery Ennist.
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.
For an explanation of this problem by Kristin Prommel, Superintendent of Horticulture at the Arboretum, click here: https://youtube.com/shorts/jj-Bby1kG6c?feature=share
Thank you Lisa.
A few more photos courtesy of Lisa Bencivengo.
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)?
Thanks Lisa!
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.
Thanks Lisa!
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.
August marches on and with it the beautiful blossoms of Summer.
Thanks to Steve Kanan for chronicling summer 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!
Thanks to Meri Tango for the photographs.
Thanks to Steve Kanan for another batch of his pictures from the Arboretum. Summer is showing off her splendid garb in these beautiful pictures.
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.
She’s a true show stopper!
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!
Margery Ennist
Thanks to Steve Kanan for another of his series of always beautiful pictures of the Arboretum.
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).
Plan a visit soon to this lovely public garden.
Despite all the rain and heat, Steve Kanan was able to get these beautiful pictures on another Sunday Saunter at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum.
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!
Picture credits: Margery Ennist.
Thanks to frequent contributor, Steve Kanan, for these fine closeups taken at the Frelinghuysen on Friday, 7/1/22.
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).
Picture credits: Margery Ennist.
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.
A new batch of closeups from contributor, Steve Kanan who says, “Relaxing with the macro early Friday evening after a long week. Thank you Frelinghuysen for being there.”
Cloudy and muggy with rain in the forecast. Nevertheless, lots in bloom in the gardens. A sea of Callirhoe involucrata (Purple Poppy Mallow) gently swaying in the breeze, a tall Verbascum thapsus (Common Mullein) blooming against a Blue Spruce in the background, the complex, scented flowers of Asclepias syriaca (Common Milkweed), the fluffy white flowers of Sambucus canadensis cv. Maxima (American Elderberry) and the tall, feathery, pale yellow flowers of Thalictrum flavum subspec. glaucum (Meadow Rue).
Picture credits: Margery Ennist.
There used to be a set of stairs going up to the patio on the side of the Haggerty Education Center. Several years ago, the patio was renovated, the stairs were eliminated and new railings were installed; there is a handicapped accessible ramp to the patio, as well. The four lamp posts that were on the sides of the steps were left. The following spring, new plantings were installed where the stairs were; at first they really didn’t look like much, but as the plants became established, grew and spread, the area turned into an attractive garden visible as you come up the driveway at the Arboretum.
The plantings are a combination of Prunus laurocerasus cv. Schipkaensis, Oakleaf Hydrangeas, Epimedium x versicolor ‘Sulphureum’, Hosta sieboldiana cv. Elegans, a lovely purple variegated leaf Iris, a perennial Geranium (Wargrave Pink, perhaps?) and some Columbines. Enjoy the photos.
Picture credits: Margery Ennist.
