Morning Glories

Trip to Hershey Gardens

Over Labor Day weekend I took a trip to Hershey Gardens (PA) with my sisters and
their families. The gardens cover 23 acres and include a variety of themed areas.

Entering the gardens:
 
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The Italian Rose Garden:
 
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A stunning row of hanging baskets:
 
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Among many beautiful sights:
 

  
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Looking up at the Hershey Hotel:
 
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A view of HersheyPark:
 
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The Butterfly House is a highlight of the gardens:


 

 

 

  
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Charming pergola:
 
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Part of the Herb Garden:
 
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Water sculpture:
 
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Color palettes:
   
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A gorgeous garden overview:

A Change is Gonna Come

What will I be when I grow up?

You might reasonably think that I'm destined to be yet another yellow flower in the Morning Glories garden. But you'd be wrong.

Here's a clue: In earlier posts I was referred to as "mystery purple shrub." In a more recent post I was identified by my correct name, caryopteris (bluebeard) 'Longwood Blue.'

That's right, a violet-blue color will be my ultimate hue, though it's hard to imagine right now. I'll check back in when the transformation is complete.

For a view of blooming caryopteris in its violet-blue glory, scroll down to the Caryopteris Allee photo on Longwood Gardens' website. 

Green Thumb Sunday - 09/23/07

Mexican Giant Hyssop at Longwood Gardens

Medicines may be necessary.
Flowers lift the heart.
But your smile is the best restorative of all.
Pam Brown

HAPPY...

The Plant from Outer Space

I was at Longwood Gardens over the weekend and spied this plant, which looks like it sprouted from seeds that were dropped to Earth from a flying saucer:

From the unique "blossom" form of the hollow balls to their green color and prickly "hairs" poking out of them, to the way they're nestled furtively among the foliage -- this plant definitely looks like an alien species. The lack of a plant ID tag only intensified the intrigue. Can anyone put a name to this unusual specimen?

Purple Shrub Mystery Solved

At long last, the identity of the mystery purple shrub (obtained in the Plant Swap with my sister in June) has been revealed! My niece saw the plant at a nursery and wrote down the name -- caryopteris (bluebeard) 'Longwood Blue'. When I visited my sister yesterday, theirs was in full bloom:

So that's what I have to look forward to! I love the soft, freeform look and the violet-blue flowers. It fits beautifully into my cottage garden theme.

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Dave's Garden provides this information:
BLUE MIST SPIRAEA, BLUEBEARD
Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Longwood Blue’
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Caryopteris
Species: x candonensis
Cultivar: Longwood Blue

Perennial Resource describes the plant like this:
"An abundance of fragrant, soft violet-blue blossoms radiate from the silvery-green, spicy-scented foliage of this variety from late summer into fall. This late bloomer is especially valuable because it looks its best when many other perennials are done for the season. The beautiful blossoms can also be cut for bouquets that will last a week or longer. Forming a large, airy mass, C. 'Longwood Blue' makes an outstanding filler plant in the border. Groups planted in sunny, dry areas will catch everyone's attention, and the foliage will remain fresh-looking all summer long due to its drought tolerance. Selected at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA."

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Here's what it looked like when I planted it on June 14:

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And here's what it looks like today:

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I assumed mine would be too young to bloom this year, but upon close examination today I found this:

Sure looks like a bud to me!

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Here's the caryopteris 'Longwood Blue' in context. It's behind the liriope and pink gaura, to the right of the azalea and to the left of the tall blue veronica. (Looks like a faint green Y against the wall in the photo.) This has turned out to be quite the Longwood Gardens themed location -- the liriope was purchased several years ago after discovering it and admiring it at Longwood, as was the gaura 'Pink Fountain' this year; and now the mystery purple shrub turns out to be Longwood-inspired too!

I really like the variation in height, foliage and color (blue, pink, lavender) that this section of the right front border has developed this season. It will look even better when the caryopteris comes into bloom. What a great addition to my garden!

More Longwood Annuals

This is the last batch of photos from my recent visit to Longwood Gardens, where I spent my time in the annual section of the Idea Garden. Here's a map of the Idea Garden so you can see what it contains. The annual section (in the upper lefthand corner) is rich with inspiration and ideas, yet it is just a small fraction of the Idea Garden. And the Idea Garden is just a small portion of Longwood.

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Cleome 'Senorita Rosalita'
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Madagascar Periwinkle
Catharanthus roseus
'Cascade White'
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Globe-Amaranth
Gomphrena
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Lisianthus
Eustoma grandiflorum
'Flamenco Lime'
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Zinnia & Friend
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Bishop's-Weed
Ammi visnaga
'Green Mist'

This picture of the Bishop's-Weed may be my favorite Longwood photo of the season. There's a sense of tranquility, beauty, freedom and simplicity that emanates from this view. To me, it reflects the essence of summer. It's been a good one, hasn't it?

Related Posts:
A Word of Encouragement
Small Flowers, Big Impact
Stunning Sights at Longwood Gardens
Colorful Coleus at Longwood Gardens
Color Theme Borders (and More) at Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens Wish List
Longwood Gardens - Pure Inspiration
   

A Word of Encouragement

Everyone has problem spots.... even Longwood Gardens:

So if there's an area of your garden
that isn't meeting expectations,
that you're giving a bit more time to turn around,
that mysteriously went south in a hurry,
or that just won't do anything right....
You are not alone.
The pros face those situations too!

To view some of Longwood's non-problem spots, visit:
Small Flowers, Big Impact
Stunning Sights at Longwood Gardens
Colorful Coleus at Longwood Gardens
Color Theme Borders (and More) at Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens - Pure Inspiration
Longwood Gardens Wish List

Small Flowers, Big Impact

All season long I've been collecting ideas of plants that would look at home in a cottage garden, because that's what I'd like to create as I develop my current garden areas and create new ones. I printed out a post called What Plants Go in a Cottage Garden? from GardenWeb and was pleased to find some of the plants already in my garden included there. I've also added some new plants from the list this season.

In my most recent trip to Longwood Gardens, I noticed a number of plants in the annual section of the Idea Garden that looked quite "cottage-y" to me. I puzzled over it a bit, identified the common denominators, and decided it was because they all covered a lot of territory but had small flowers. They were all plants with some height, rather than the low groundcovers frequently associated with the feature of many tiny blooms. I think this combination of rambling, mulch-hiding foliage with diminutive blossoms fits the cottage garden look to a T. The plants have a big visual impact, but through charm rather than drama. Here are some examples:

Marguerite
Argyranthemum frutescens
'Butterfly'
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Cupflower
Nierembergia hippomanica
var. violacea
'Purple Robe'

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Blackfoot
Melampodium
'Lemon Delight'
(the upper layer in this photo)
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Twinspur
Diascia
'Diamonte Coral Rose'
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As a result, I seem to have established a cottage garden principle for myself: Big plant, small flowers. (Not that all plants in the garden should follow this rule, but that plants following this rule will fit the design concept.) Got it! Thus the wish list is shaped by vision and grows (big surprise) ever-longer.

Stunning Sights at Longwood Gardens

At Longwood Gardens, there's a wonderful combination of down-to-earth plants and stunners that command special notice. Here are some examples of the latter that I came across in my recent visit.

This optical illusion calls for careful examination. Where do the leaves end and the petals begin?

Snow-on-the-Mountain
Euphorbia marginata
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These pure white angel's trumpets are simply glorious:

Angel's Trumpet
Datura meteloides
'Evening Fragrance'
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The vividness of this dahlia color was off the chart. It was a cloudy/rainy day, yet I felt like I needed sunglasses to look at them:

Dahlia
Dahlia coccinea
'Bishop of Landaff'
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The "tails" on this dark fountain grass look like they're made up of tiny golden beads.

Fountain Grass
Pennisetum glaucum
'Purple Majesty'
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Charcoal foliage, petite purple blossoms, and glowing black berries.... 'Nuff said. (Except maybe "Wow.")

Ornamental Pepper
Capsicum annuum
'Black Pearl'
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I'm guessing this plant (couldn't find an ID tag) stood about 7 feet tall, because when I looked up at the orange blossoms the only backdrop was sky.

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This container plant grabbed my attention not only because of its size and beauty....

Glory-Bush
Tibouchina grandiflora
Melastoma Family - Brazil

...but because of the soft, velvety texture of its huge leaves.

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Related Posts:
Colorful Coleus at Longwood Gardens
Color Theme Borders (and More) at Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens - Pure Inspiration
Longwood Gardens Wish List

Colorful Coleus at Longwood Gardens

Earlier this summer I was inspired by a trough filled with several coleus types (shown in this post) that I saw at a favorite country store. So one of my plans for next year is to put together a coleus-only container. In my latest visit to Longwood Gardens, where I spent my time in the annual section of the Idea Garden, I came upon coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) after coleus. What a rich variety of shapes, designs, and colors!

'Swallowtail'

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'Dark Star'

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'Killer Klown'

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'Peachy Kean'

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'Kingwood Torch'

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'Sedona'

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'Garnet Robe'

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'Glennis'

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'Trailing Salamander'

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'The Flume'

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'Splish Splash'

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'Merlin's Magic'

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Related Posts:
Color Theme Borders (and More) at Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens - Pure Inspiration
Longwood Gardens Wish List