The Friends are happy to bring you several articles about plants at this year’s plant sale by Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture for the Morris County Park Commission. This article focuses the genus, Trilium (common name, Wakerobin or Toadshade), and talks about several of the beautiful species we can grow here.
Read Bruce’s opening paragraph, and click on the link below to open the full article in a PDF.
Trillium, Bruce Crawford
There is an old saying that good things come in three. Supposedly, it stems from an ncient belief that three of something is complete and ideal. Hence, ‘third time is the charm’ and, should you have the good fortune of finding a Genie, you will be the beneficiary of three wishes! Even in the world of gardening, arranging plants in groups of three makes them look more natural. One plant that certainly embodies the beauty of three is the genus of Trillium! Commonly called Wakerobin or Toadshade based on whether the flower has a floral stem or is sessile, these April bloomers add a beautiful touch of 3’s to the woodland garden! Trillium grandiflorum is pictured at right.
Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture for the Morris County Park Commission, has written another article for us. He uses Sanguinaria canadensis (common name, Bloodroot), to talk about early spring bulbs in general, but with a focus on this beautiful example.
Read the first paragraph, below, and click on the link below to open the full PDF.
Sanguinaria canadensis, Bruce Crawford
The garden truly awakens during the month of April. The once bare earth suddenly comes alive with a bevy of flowering bulbs and perhaps even a few spring ephemerals. Most gardeners understand how to effectively work bulbs into a garden, but many remain puzzled over the use of spring ephemerals. By definition, this group of plants emerge in early spring, flower, set seed and enter into dormancy by the start of summer, very similar to most bulbs. Their strategy is to complete their annual life cycle before the tree canopy is fully leafed-out and competition for sunlight and water becomes more intense. Unlike most bulbs, this group of plants can be more challenging to work into the garden since the declining foliage can be more of a distraction to the beauty of the late spring garden. Fortunately, some ephemerals retain their foliage well into summer when there are ample floral distractions. Sanguinaria canadensis, commonly known as Bloodroot is just such a plant! A beautiful wildflower that erupts into color in March and April (as seen at right in early April in Northern NJ), it quietly enters into dormancy during the middle of summer.
Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture for the Morris County Park Commission, writes in this article about Jeffersonia diphylla (common name, Twinleaf), elaborating about its description and history as well as using it as a primer on botanic naming.
After reading the first paragraph, below, you can click on the link to open the full PDF.
Jeffersonia diphylla, Bruce Crawford
Botanical plant names often prove to be a stumbling block for gardeners. They are meant to impart descriptive details about the plant, yet understanding the Latin or Greek roots of the names can prove troublesome. To add to the confusion, in some instances the botanical name honors individuals who were important in horticulture. This can be equally as mystifying since many of these honored individuals lack widespread recognition. However, one plant that should instinctually draw recognition for the honoree is Jeffersonia diphylla, commonly called Twinleaf. The name pays tribute to Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the US and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence.
We’re just 30 days away from the best plant sale in Morris County! Proceeds from the Friends’ Plant Sale support the efforts of the Morris County Park Commission to beautify and maintain the wonderful gardens, trees and trails at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Next week we’ll deliver the Master List of plants, but here are a few choice selection to consider:
Calycanthus floridus ‘ Michael Lindsey’,Carolina Allspice or Sweetshrub, a native, woody ornamental with reddish brown, fragrant flowers that bloom for a long period in April and May. The plant has dark green, lustrous foliage with clear yellow to gold fall color. It is wet site tolerant, does well in sun or partial shade, deer resistant, attracts pollinators and may rebloom sporadically throughout the summer. Sweetshrub will grow to a height of 8 feet with a spread of 5 feet.
Matteuccia struthiopters, Ostrich Fern a native of Eastern American woodlands. It gets its name because the open plumes look like Ostrich feathers. Ostrich Fern prefers cool, moist conditions and will spread in any wet, shady area of the garden. Ostrich Fern is deer and rabbit resistant and will grow to a height of 36-60″ and a spread of 36-48″ wide.
Solidago sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’, Golden Fleece Goldenrod. A small growing Goldenrod, with arching yellow flower spikes in late summer. It is deer resistant, attracts butterflies and bees, great for full sun and will grow to a height of 15″ by 24″ wide.
Ostrich Fern
Ostrich Fern
Solidago Sphacelata 'Golden Fleece'
Solidago Sphacelata 'Golden Fleece'
Calycanthus Floridus
Calycanthus Floridus
The Friends of the Frelinghuysen Arboretum invite you to our Annual Plant Sale on the first weekend in May.
As in past years, there will be special early shopping — plus refreshments, door prizes and a plant dividend — for Members Only on Friday evening May 2nd from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Reservations required, so reserve a spot using our Google Form. Registration closes at noon on May 2nd.
Throughout the sale you’ll be able to get advice from local plant experts and to select from a huge variety of houseplants, annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees. Preview the sale by signing up for free Zooms every Tuesday evening during the month before the sale. Details on our Events Page.
Volunteer Opportunities
Want to get involved and learn more about the plants at the sale? Volunteer to help us set up May 1-5 and during the sale May 5-7. See all the 2025 Plant Sale Volunteer Opportunities and sign up HERE.
New Jersey sometimes feels like deer heaven, so the quest for deer resistant plants seems endless.
This Rutgers webpage (https://njaes.rutgers.edu/deer-resistant-plants/) can be of real help in finding plants that Bambi won’t enjoy as much as you. They caution us all, though, that “no plant is deer proof,” so be forewarned.
This year’s Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum Plant Sale will have a big array of plants covering all types of garden needs. Here are some of the spectacular Clematis, Vines and Climbers we’ve got for your gardening pleasure. Click on the images to enlarge them.
Clematis Henryi
Clematis Henryi
‘Henryi’ features profuse, showy, eight-sepaled, 6-8″ in diameter, white ...
Many thanks to Farmer Shaun from Grow It Green Morristown who is growing Rutgers tomato seedlings for our 2025 Plant Sale. The following tomatoes will be available: ‘Rutgers 250’ and ‘Rutgers Scarlet Sunrise’ as well as Basil Devotion which is downy mildew resistant. Here are some details.
Rutgers Scarlet Sunrise tomato
Rutgers ‘Scarlet Sunrise’ tomato
Released in 2020 ...
The Friends are happy to bring you several articles about plants at this year’s plant sale by Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture for the Morris County Park Commission. This article focuses the genus, Trilium (common name, Wakerobin or Toadshade), and talks about several of the beautiful species we can grow here.
Read Bruce’s opening paragraph, and ...
Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture for the Morris County Park Commission, has written another article for us. He uses Sanguinaria canadensis (common name, Bloodroot), to talk about early spring bulbs in general, but with a focus on this beautiful example.
Read the first paragraph, below, and click on the link below to open the full PDF.
Sanguinaria ...
Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture for the Morris County Park Commission, writes in this article about Jeffersonia diphylla (common name, Twinleaf), elaborating about its description and history as well as using it as a primer on botanic naming.
After reading the first paragraph, below, you can click on the link to open the full PDF.
Jeffersonia diphylla, ...
We’re just 30 days away from the best plant sale in Morris County! Proceeds from the Friends’ Plant Sale support the efforts of the Morris County Park Commission to beautify and maintain the wonderful gardens, trees and trails at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum. Next week we’ll deliver the Master List of plants, but here are a ...
Many thanks again to everyone who participated in the Friends’ 2024 Plant Sale, either by volunteering, organizing, advertising, purchasing plants, etc. Thanks to everyone, we had a very successful sale this year which will allow us to continue supporting The Frelinghuysen Arboretum with planting grants, grants for summer interns, etc. Here are just a few ...
The Plant Sale began in earnest Monday morning by putting shelving together and hanging lights before the “stars of the show’ (3,700 plants) arrived. The afternoon was spent organizing and tagging the plants for sale. We had fun. A very exciting start to a great Plant Sale!
Thanks to Heather Emelander for these nice pictures of ...
Many thanks again to everyone who participated in the Friends’ 2024 Plant Sale, either by volunteering, organizing, advertising, purchasing plants, etc. Thanks to everyone, we had a very successful sale this year which will allow us to continue supporting The Frelinghuysen Arboretum with planting grants, grants for summer interns, etc. Here are just a few shots of this year’s sale.
Many thanks to volunteer and Member, Ann Mauro, for her great photos!
The Plant Sale began in earnest Monday morning by putting shelving together and hanging lights before the “stars of the show’ (3,700 plants) arrived. The afternoon was spent organizing and tagging the plants for sale. We had fun. A very exciting start to a great Plant Sale!
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
2024 Plant Sale Shelving Setup - HE
Thanks to Heather Emelander for these nice pictures of the activities.
Among the many beautiful plants at this year’s plant sale, we are offering these beautiful vines and climbers.
Clematis Henryi
Clematis Henryi
‘Henryi’ features profuse, showy, eight-sepaled, 6-8″ in diameter, white flowers with purplish brown anthers that cover this vine in summer. Bloom on this cultivar comes primarily from the previous year’s stems in early summer, but also occurs in a second flush later in the summer on the new (current year’s) growth.
