Gardener’s SOS: green therapy

With no evidence at all of anything green outside, I was fondly remembering our trip to Longwood Gardens last summer and the lush tropical displays in their giant greenhouses.

It was particularly these fern plantings that made me fall in love with those plants again and think about ways of showcasing them both in the garden and in the home.

But of course growing ferns in the house during the winter time is a bit of a challenge since our indoor air tends to be so dry.  Placing the pots on pebble trays filled with water so that their bases are raised on the stones and the water around them provides constant humidity is one answer.

Or perhaps incorporating a humidifier around your ferns.  Whatever you do, don’t place them in direct sunlight near a heat source.  This will be too dry and hot for them and you’ll see a lot of browning foliage and crispy bits that will end up littering your floors.

Although this planting is tempting, forget about growing grass inside your house lol!  Unless you don’t mind it being a temporary situation, and you choose to grow cat grass, you’ll need LOTS of light and ventilation.   This is a lovely display that combines citrus plants in a row with identical glazed pots.   They look to be a good age and are probably pruned lovingly on a regular basis to keep their canopies in bounds.

Back in the fern house with ample humidity and filtered light was this beautifully constructed yet ancient display growing pitcher plants (known by the genus Sarracenia).

They are so incredibly beautiful with their elegantly flared cups and red veining.

And then these monster plants with their dangling pitchers; a different genus that makes its home on tree branches in the air rather than on the ground (Nepenthes).

Philodendron, Dieffenbachia, Aglaonema and others all share space along this walkway, showcasing their spotted, chartreuse and purple foliage.

Maranta, Calathea and Spanish moss share space in this sumptuous planting.

Take a deep breath, and smell the plants growing.  Spring will come again.

 

Moonscape

One of the highlights at Longwood Gardens this past August was the apprentice  displays in a discreet corner of the property.  You would have missed these little jewels if you weren’t keen on seeing every square inch of this world-renowned garden, as we were.

This garden was named ‘Moonstruck’ and was designed by student gardeners Jessica Whitehead and Deirdre Berthiaume.  Their inspiration was a walk on the moon, where they imagined the plants would be silver and ghostly.

Plants like agave, artemisia, acanthus, plectranthus, echeveria, silver sages and others form the story in this sweeping landscape.

Two kinds and colours of scree or pebble makes a perfect foil for these desert plants.

The contrasting texture of the foliage and the tones of grey, silver, blue, purple and green all contribute to this garden’s striking effect.

Negative space is clearly just as important as planted space.  Especially when you incorporate strong edges or transitions.

Be sure to look out for these ‘novice’ gardens when you visit.  They’re extremely creative and very well orchestrated.

 

Moments of watery contemplation at Longwood

After the grandeur of the mechanized fountains and the giant scale of the courtyard waterlily pools at Longwood Gardens, I thought I’d also show you the smaller, more intimate water features on display there.

This stream, looking like it has always been here, could be easily overlooked among all the spectacle.

This raised circular pool that intersects the long colour-blocked border is approachable and easy to experience by walking around.  The concrete edge is softened by a hedge of lavender.

This angular courtyard pond is in full bloom with hardy waterlilies and can be enjoyed from a comfortable vantage point.

This small formal pool with its central fountain is encircled by a riotous display of colour (pink and yellow should never be seen together?!) from varieties of New Guinea impatiens and coleus, as well as towers of tropical Mandevilla.

Nerves of steel here with colour.  How about you?

 

Water and water plants as spectacle at Longwood

When we visited Longwood Gardens this past August, I was blown away by the sheer spectacle of it.

The grounds were expansive, with ancient trees at every turn -

Big.  This place is big.  Everything here is large, impressive and impeccably maintained.

The sheer size of everything was manifested most impressively, I think, by the water features.

The mechanics of making water dance seems to have mesmerized the rich and powerful for a long time.  Think Versailles, the Villa d’Este at Tivoli, the Alhambra and today, the epitome of such ostentation, the Dubai fountain.  Pierre du Pont was no exception and you can’t help but be appropriately impressed by his creation almost a hundred years later.

Although the pump house that hides the guts to this incredible display is discretely hidden from view behind an allee, the building is no less architecturally beautiful with its stone details: balustrades, urns on pedestals and spouting heads.   It is obvious to all who visit that this kind of display demanded a lot of vision, ‘good taste’, expertise and of course, money.

(This photo above actually makes me chuckle because of the incongruous scale.  The view is from behind the balustrade on the deck of the Conservatory complex; if not for the unexpectedly large (in scale) people meandering about, one would imagine the dimension of this waterworks display to be much larger…a trick of the eye spoiled by the unsuspecting visitors.)

But the place where water and plants come together in the most impressive display is in the courtyard waterlily garden, embraced by the gigantic conservatories with their towering windows.

Here the visitor is immediately stopped in their tracks as they witness not only over one hundred varieties of water plants (waterlilies, hardy and tropical, reeds, lotuses, papyrus, elephant ears, etc.) :

But the piece-de-resistance is the Victoria waterlily:

The tropical Victoria waterlilies above, with their hugely pronounced rims, represent the native species that come from South America, specifically from along the shallow edges of the Amazon and Parana rivers.  The two species (Victoria amazonica and Victoria cruziana) were ‘discovered’ by European plant explorers Aime Bonpland (France) and Robert Schomburgk (England) in the first half of the 19th century and were named in honour of QueenVictoria.

They are parents to the even larger waterlily that was hybridized at Longwood, and was given the name Victoria ‘Longwood Hybrid’.   It is showcased in the circular central pool.

Believe it or not, this spectacular hybrid waterlily is grown from seed by the Longwood gardeners each year.  It is started in February and by summer, the plants are producing leaves that reach six feet in diameter!

This aquatic horticultural display does not date from Pierre du Pont’s time.  The pools that exist today were pre-dated by thirteen curving ones that were constructed in 1957.   This arrangement was re-designed in its present configuration (four pools around the perimeter of the courtyard, with a central circular pool) in 1989.

You’ll notice in these photographs that the water in these pools appears black, and the visitor can barely see any of the pots or other mechanics under water.  This is because Longwood uses an organic black dye (as does Wave Hill garden in New York City, and probably many botanic and public gardens around the United States) in order to slow algae growth.  It also provides high contrast between the bright green foliage and the water.  The pools also contain small fish (mosquito fish, Gambusia affinis) that feed on mosquito and other larvae in these 30″ deep pools.

The outdoor waterlily display is open from early June through mid-October. Peak bloom occurs mid-July through the end of September.

 

 

Ghostly planting; genius combination

What an inspired combination.

This planting was in one of the annual beds at Longwood Gardens.  Combining papyrus with purple pennisetum and coleus — genius.

 

Pots and planters at Longwood Gardens: Part II

I had given you a taste earlier of my visit to Longwood Gardens back in August and promised to return for Part II.  Looking through my photos, it is amazing to me how soon I forgot just how spectacular that place is!  Here are some images that consider the place of the ‘pot’ and the benefit of planters – sit back, enjoy and imagine being there yourself.

 

Wordless Wednesday: The spell of Chanticleer lingers…

 

Longwood Gardens: Part I

Back in August I went on a trip with my very good friend, Patti, and trekked to both Chanticleer and Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

Funnily enough, she warned me that Longwood would be a disappointment after we had visited Chanticleer (see my post on this wondrous garden to understand what she meant).  I foolishly believed her.  So when we approached the entry building and saw these wonderful plantings, I said to myself  “Really?”  Readers, what do you think?

What an interesting take on a green, white and silver garden.

I would never, ever in my entire life think of combining this pale Sanseveria with ghost fern, giant white periwinkle and euphorbia!

*Swoon*

I love this combination, in fact, I just love papyrus.  Especially in planters.  A great alternative to grasses.

What I loved about this elegant entrance garden is the way in which it sets the stage for what’s inside:

Glorious displays of colour.  And more unexpected combinations.  Here, its a squat Agave surrounded by fan flower and in the right background those spiky, vertical plants are actually a form of Sanseveria (S. cylindrica)!

And in case you thought that the gardeners at Longwood (over 500 of them!) had a thing for cool colours only, you’re most definitely wrong.

See?

Does this whet (Patricia?) your appetite?

More Longwood coming…. ;c)

 

Chanticleer: a gardener’s wonderland

I’ve had a very hard time putting this post together.

This is, I think, because the garden I’m profiling has had such an impact on me.  In my garden-conscious life, only a handful of places have made such an impression:  the Japanese strolling garden at Butchart Gardens, Christopher Lloyd’s creation at Great Dixter, and two New York City gardens — the marvelous Wave Hill and the striking plantings in Central Park’s Conservatory Garden.  All of these spaces are spectacular and all had the effect of actually weakening me in the knees upon first viewing.

There are moments we remember for different reasons:  a glorious vista that washed a feeling of  smallness over us, an interaction with wildlife that makes us feel a profound connection with nature or a feeling of being embraced by the natural world.  Like those pure feelings we had as a child.

In terms of garden spaces, for me it is a feeling of communion with beauty …

… and when this is combined with some understanding of plants and the work involved in maintaining a spectacular creation, the result is beyond appreciation: it is pure joy.

Some gardens are gardener’s gardens.  We are familiar with the plants, their culture and often their fussiness.  We are also familiar with their ubiquitous uses.  When we see a plant that is used creatively, whether it is juxtaposed with its perfect companion(s) or placed in a situation that is unusual, we have a moment of acknowledgement that is also wrapped in exquisite pleasure.

So here’s my experience of exquisite pleasure.

On a Friday in mid-August, my friend Patti and I left town early, armed with her excellent home-made lunch, Bridgehead lattes and good walking shoes.  We were anticipating an eight hour drive south, to a small town called Wayne, Pennsylvania.  This place is on what’s called the “Main Line”, that is, a direct railroad line from Philadelphia hence the perfect spot for wealthy east coasters to build and enjoy their grand summer homes.  Indeed, many of the homes in this area are spectacular, with grounds that rival arboretums.

But our destination was not just any home – it was Chanticleer.

Anticipating a visit to such a horticulturally important place can also be filled with dread.   We chatted on the drive down: what if it doesn’t live up to our expectations?  What if we find nothing but flaws?  Of course, we should not have worried.

This estate was the home of Adolph Rosengarten, Sr. and his wife Christine, whose family owned Rosengarten and Sons, a pharmaceutical company that produced quinine, a substance found in the bark of the cinchona tree and used to treat malaria, since 1822.   That firm would later become part of Merck & Company in the 1920s.

Perhaps it is poetic justice that the estate quinine built would be home to gardens that revel in all things tropical:

Chanticleer is 35 acres of gardens, rolling hills, woods and lawns.  The house that looks down onto the pond garden (pictured above) is approaching its 100 year anniversary as it was completed in 1913.   The spectacular terraces that surround the house were designed by landscape architect Thomas Sears, but the plantings there have been developed since Adolph Rosengarten Jr.’s death in 1990 and in the years since Chanticleer’s opening to the public in 1993.

Chanticleer’s gardens are maintained by twelve full-time gardeners.  Each section of the grounds is overseen by one person, allowing him/her to form a relationship with it and over time, achieve its horticultural potential.

Although this garden has only been in the public eye for only 20 years, images of certain parts of it have now become iconic.

While it was wonderful to see these magazine images in real life, I almost preferred the smaller, less photographed corners of the garden.

… unbelievably, there is more to see but I don’t want to overdo it ;c)

I would like to thank each and every one of the gardeners who work in this garden:  you can see their happy (who wouldn’t be?) mugs here.

The all-season staff are:  Przemyslaw Walczak, Lisa Roper, Ron Di Pietro, Dan Benarcik, Joe Henderson, Laurel Voran, William Stuart, Scott Steinfeldt, Douglas Randolph, Doug Croft, Peter Brindle, Jonathan Wright and Terry Struve.   And the seasonal staff are: Marilyn Leonard, Erin McKeon, Nate Pinelli, Tom Maczko, Yvonne England, Tom Lieb, Lucy Dinsmore, Patty Volpi.

And the staff in charge of greeting and informing visitors are:  BJ Johnson, Cynthia Pierce, Anne Sims, Taddy Dawson, Anne Rhoads.

And not least, the administrative and facilities management people:  Ed Hincken, Facilities Manager; Bill Thomas, Executive Director & Head Gardener; Fran DiMarco, Administrative Assistant; Bryan Christ, Assistant Facilities Manager.

Thank you all for such an enriching garden experience.

I’ll most definitely be back.

(By the way, if you’d like to look at an excellent piece on this garden through another gardener’s eyes, go here to James Golden’s blog.)

 

Road trip! Two very distinct and breath-taking American gardens

I am so incredibly inspired and over the moon about the two gardens that we’ve just visited over the past two days.

The first was Chanticleer, in Wayne, Pennsylvania (near Philadelphia) -

and  this…

and this…

To Longwood Gardens, in Kennett Square, near Philadelphia as well -

and this -

and not least of which, things like this -

What an incredibly enriching experience, of which I’ll tell you a lot more about when I get home…

later.