The Elms: A Luxurious Newport Mansion Garden

The Elms is one of the grandest mansions in Newport. Fans of The Gilded Age serial have seen the servant kitchens and one of its bedrooms appear as parts of the Russell residence. One of the finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture and landscape in America, The Elms was built by Edward Julius and Herminie Berwind of Philadelphia and New York. Edward was the son of a German immigrant and made his fortune in the coal industry. He was considered one of the 30 most powerful men in the United States, and counted President Teddy Roosevelt and Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany among his personal friends. Herminie’s father was a junior partner at the largest American marble works, served as the American Consul to Florence, Italy, and was an accomplished sculptor. Together, the Berwinds shared a passion for music, the arts, and entertaining.

They hired Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer to design a summer estate modeled after the mid-18th-century French chateau d’Asnieres. Construction of The Elms was completed in 1901 at a reported cost of $1.4 million. 

The gardens of The Elms were developed from 1902 to 1914 under the direction of Trumbauer, who produced the drawings and plans for the grand allée, marble pavilions, and sunken garden. The gardens were originally conceived as a place for staging grand entertainments and as an outdoor sculpture gallery, with several large pieces by European sculptors.

The Elms is a prime example of the Classical Revival Style in architecture and landscape design. During the late 1880s, both patrons and architects were attracted to French classicism as a new approach for estates with formal, aristocratic pretensions. Newport had become the most fashionable summer resort, and therefore the logical site for the American version of the maison de plaisance, or pleasure pavilion, a French concept that idealized a perfect unification of house and garden. At The Elms, the terraces ease the transition from the ballroom to the open air. They also provide a platform from which viewers could observe the garden. 

From 1902 to 1907, the gardens were a picturesque park with specimen trees and a small lily pond. After 1907, the garden underwent changes due to newer theories in American landscape architecture. In the early 20th century, tastes in America became heavily influenced by Charles Adams Platt and Edith Wharton, both of whom published works exhorting Italian villas and their gardens.

Stylish Americans adapted their country estates by adding gravel-lined forecourts, planted terracing, formal stairs and water features, herbaceous borders, and pergolas. Trumbauer reworked The Elms’ garden to reflect this new revival of classical Italian design. The pond became the present sunken garden at the back of the estate. Viewed from the terraces and summerhouses, the intricate patterning of annuals, ivy, yews, and euonymous is delightful. 

The Great Lawn, planted with specimen trees, connected the house to the new gardens. Immense weeping beeches partially concealed the fountains and pavilions, creating a sense of intrigue. An allee of topiaries was installed parallel to the sunken garden. A new garage, stable, and carriage house complex was designed to appear as a French chateau with its own terrace, arcade, fountain, and topiaries.

The Berwinds did not have any children. After his wife's death, Edward enlisted his sister, Julia, to act as the hostess at his homes in Newport and New York City. Edward died in 1936, and Julia enjoyed spending summers at The Elms until her death in 1961. Since none of the relatives were interested in the property, the family auctioned off the contents of the estate and sold the property to a developer. In 1962, just weeks before it was to be demolished, The Elms was purchased by the Preservation Society of Newport County for $116,000 and opened as a museum.

The Elms is a wonderful destination at all times of the year. The mansion is beautifully decorated for Christmas every year, and a new cafe in the carriage house offers lunch both indoors and on the patio.

The Elms, 367 Bellevue Ave., Newport, RI (401) 847-1000, newportmansions.org/explore/the-elms

Mythic Plants: Potions and Poisons from the Garden of the Gods

By Victoria Larson

Interested in plant lore and ancient myths? Mythic Plants: Potions and Poisons from the Garden of the Gods (Workman, 2025) is incredibly informative and fun, a wonderful combination for people interested in plants and history, learned yet not too serious, and practically suitable for all ages! 

Author Ellen Zachos brings alive the myths in a completely new and exciting way by telling us stories about how the Greek gods used plants in most of their exploits. Zachos captures a Zeitgeist not only in her knowledge of myths but of the booming interest in horticulture and plants, sustainability and healing in the U.S. and around the world. “Gardeners have lots of reasons for loving plants. We appreciate them for their beauty, for their fragrance, and for their flavors. They give us shade, they feed insects and birds, they help us celebrate the seasons as they leaf out, bloom, fruit, and go dormant. But many plants also have fascinating histories, and in Mythic plants you'll learn how the ancient Greeks used plants for food, medicine, warfare, and rituals. A surprising number of these plants are still used in the same ways today,” says Zachos.

Through her stories, Zachos has us cringing, laughing, and shaking our heads in amazement that the connections between the Greeks and us today are still so strong and vibrant. Related in a humorous and fun manner, the author dives into the history of the plants and their medicinal and curative qualities 3,000 years ago. In Greek mythology, plants were used for tools, intoxication, warfare, food, medicine, magic, and rituals. Some of those plants were real and many of them still exist today and this is where the Zachos really makes the reader sit back in amazement and want more and more.

The myths may seem to be about immortals, but at heart they are intensely human, depicting triumph and failure, desire and despair. And when you combine the mythological with something as real and grounded as plants, it makes those original myths ring true. 

 Exploring these legends through the lens of horticulture brings us closer to understanding why these narratives were so important to the people who created them. Plants bring the stories down to earth. And knowing that some of the plants actually have the powers and properties extolled in the myths makes these accounts more immediate and real.

 So, from mandrakes and apples to barley and grapes, Zachos explains and hearkens the importance of contemporary well-known plants as they were used in ancient Greece but also as they were relayed in the Greek myths.

The plant Moly, featured in The Odyssey is such a case. Circe turned Odysseus’s men into pigs, but Hermes gave Odysseus a plant to save them. Homer describes Moly as having a white flower, bulbous root, and straplike leaves—details that match Galanthus nivalis, the snowdrop, which is native to Greece. Snowdrops go dormant in summer, making them hard for humans to find, though not for gods. The science behind this is fascinating: ancient herbalists knew that plants like mandrake and henbane caused hallucinations and delusions. Snowdrops contain galantamine, a compound still used today to counteract such effects. Circe could have dosed Odysseus’s men with hallucinogens to make them think they were pigs, then used Moly to reverse the intoxication. How amazing is that? 

These stories have lives of their own, and once you’ve heard them, they’re hard to forget. They bubble up when you pick fresh lettuce from your garden or taste a pine-scented retsina on a hot summer day. The gardens of the gods are still alive after thousands of years. They survive in art, in mythology, and in our minds. As do the lessons learned from mythic plants.

 This book is a true resource for plants lovers, gardeners, medical researchers, history buffs, students of mythology and myth appreciators. It is beautifully designed with whimsical illustrations by Lisel Jane Ashlock.

photo by Matthew Carasella

 Ellen Zachos is a Harvard graduate, a Broadway veteran, and a Greek-American horticulturist who has authored eleven books and speaks at horticultural organizations both nationally and internationally.

Gilded Age Garden on the Connecticut Shore

During my recent Long Island’s Splendor trip, we stopped at this historic mansion and gardens. With gorgeous views of Long Island Sound, Harkness Memorial State Park is a beautifully landscaped recreation area along the Connecticut shoreline. It was the private summer home of the Harkness family during the Gilded Age, and boasts elegant gardens designed by Beatrix Farrand.

The focal point of the park is Eolia, a 42-room Roman Renaissance-style mansion built in 1906, and purchased by Edward and Mary Harkness in 1907. It was named Eolia for the island home of Aeolus, keeper of the winds in Greek mythology. The Harknesses acquired their fortune through substantial investments in John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company, and like many of the wealthy class during this period, they spent summers in the countryside.

Eolia was one of seven Harkness residences and the family’s summer retreat. The 230-acre property was a working farm with poultry, dairy cows, a vegetable garden, and an orchard. The grounds included a nine-hole golf course and a windmill that pumped water into the home’s 20,000-gallon water tank.

James Gamble Rogers created a grand walled garden with classical sculpture, an elevated wisteria-clad pergola overlooking Long Island Sound, tennis courts, and a lawn extending from a formal fountain court.

In 1919 Beatrix Farrand remodeled the gardens. She converted the tennis court into the Oriental Garden—a special setting for the family’s collection of Chinese and Korean vases and sculpture. Formal in layout, the garden featured a sunken grass panel and a central reflecting pool, and was planted with billowing flowers in soft pastels—baby’s breath, dianthus, roses, lavender, and lilies—punctuated with heliotrope standards.

Farrand revised the West Garden to a more naturalistic planting scheme, added a boxwood parterre surrounded by a whimsical wrought iron fence, and planted a sloping rock garden with alpine plants. Upon Farrand’s retirement from practice in 1949, Marian Coffin updated the plantings in the East Garden. The gardens were faithfully restored to Farrand’s and Coffin’s plans by the Friends of Harkness in the 1990s.

The property includes the original farmhouse and servants’ quarters, as well as the remains of the windmill and the Lord & Burnham greenhouse that once provided seedlings for the Harkness gardens and later for the State Capitol and other park facilities. Mature specimen trees and the remains of a cutting garden provide a glimpse of the property’s bygone days. A stroll along the Niering Walk, a grass trail that winds through a native marsh, leads to Goshen Cove. A footpath from the imposing back lawn leads right down to the sandy beach.

Upon her death in 1950, Mary Harkness left the property to the State of Connecticut “for health purposes,” with a third designated as a summer camp for handicapped groups and the remainder as a state park.

Harkness Memorial State Park, 275 Great Neck Rd., Waterford, CT 06385, ct.gov/deep, friendsofharkness.org

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Hayward Gardens: A Slice of England in Vermont

One of the highlights of my recent Vermont Nurseries and Gardens tour was a visit to Hayward Gardens in Westminster. Gordon Hayward is a nationally recognized landscape designer, garden writer and lecturer. He was a contributor to Horticulture magazine for 25 years and wrote several books. In fact, that is how I was introduced to him, through his excellent book, Your House, Your Garden.

Gordon and his wife Mary have been developing the 1.5 acre garden around their 220-year-old farmhouse in southern Vermont for the past 38 years. They come from two different worlds. Mary grew up in the North Cotswold Hills of England on a 140-acre farm across from the famous Hidcote Manor Gardens. Gordon is from a family farm with a 38-acre orchard in northwestern Connecticut. Needless to say, they both have horticulture in their blood.

When the Haywards purchased property in 1983, it had been a dairy farm in the Ranney family for many generations. The eight-room farmhouse with attached barn was built in the 1790s. Suffering from years of neglect, the house needed some major work to make it livable again. It took Mary and Gordon more than a year to clean up the yard, removing truckloads of scrap metal, tearing down a rotting barn, burning brush and dead trees, and hauling out junk cars. 

While deep in the throes of clearing the property, Gordon had a visit from his friend and mentor, landscape designer Howard Andros. Howeard pointed out the connection between the front door of the house and an old apple tree 250 feet away, saying simply, “That’s an important line.” The Haywards ran a string from the threshold of the door to the tree, marking out the sightline, and eventually built paths and gardens along that line. All of the subsequent garden beds and pathways were laid out parallel or perpendicular to that string line, providing coherence to the design of the entire garden.

Gordon and Mary organized their garden into a series of 15 garden rooms, a concept that was inspired by Hidcote. They sought to preserve remnants of the historic dairy, and create a personal garden that reflected its sense of place. Across from the house is the crab-apple orchard, a nod to Gordon’s background. Two beds with six trees each are cut into the lawn and underplanted with hardy geraniums, epimediums, bloodroot, lamium and other shade lovers that bloom in the spring with the ‘Prairie Fire,’ ‘Sugar Tyme,’ and ‘Adams’ crabapples. The bright red fruits of the trees add winter interest to the garden.

A tunnel made from purple-leaved beech trees trained over bent steel rods leads to the gazebo. The beech tunnel incorporates Gordon’s sculpture called “Circle in the Square,” which frames a view of the garden. 

Located near the southeastern corner of the property, a wooden gazebo provides a destination and a resting place. It is built from oak and hemlock beams with a cedar shake roof, allowing it to blend in with the woodland garden behind it. Views of the Haywards’ ten acres of fields are framed by its timbers. 

From the gazebo, there are two 90-foot-long herbaceous borders along a straight grass path. Colorful astratias, lilies, feverfews and many other flowers bloom from spring through fall. Shaped boxwood marks the corners of the beds.

The Mound is a mossy shade garden punctuated by Stephen Procter’s stoneware urn.

Rather than trying to plant a garden over the shallow, matted roots of mature trees, the Haywards paved the area with bluestone and created a shady outdoor dining area. The garden is filled with sculptures collected from local and international artists.

A classic New England four-quadrant herb garden sits adjacent to a former tobacco-drying shed with a grape arbor. The four boxwood parterres are an English armillary on a pedestal. The Herb Garden features a  sculpture of John Tradescant, head gardener to Charles II and the first plant hunter from England to sail to America. Tradescant arrived in Virginia in the early 1660s, seeking new plants for the royal gardens. He and his father introduced many new plants to England including the Tulip tree, cherries, quinces, medlars, fritillaries and tulips. Tradescantia (spiderwort) was named after them.

In their effort to preserve the property’s farming past, the Haywards left the concrete milking parlor floor intact. They filled the cracks with soil and planted sedums, thymes and hens and chicks in between the slabs of concrete. Several rusty milk cans serve as reminders of the cows that were once milked on this spot.

After removing a dilapidated barn, the Haywards built a pool on the base of the old silo. The pool is ringed with moss-covered stones, and water bubbles up through a 200-year-old marble wellhead in the center. A statue of Buddha is nestled among the surrounding ferns.

The lawn at the back of the house was left unplanted as a stone wall–enclosed, grassy paddock. In another nod to Mary’s past, the Haywards had three topiary sheep made to “graze” here. The topiaries are filled with sheep’s wool.

Hayward Gardens is open annually through the Garden Conservancy and Westminster Cares Open Garden Day. For dates, visit haywardgardens.com.

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Highlights from Chelsea in Bloom 2025

This was my first year hosting a garden tour that included the Chelsea Flower Show in London. One of my favorite aspects of the show was the fabulous floral extravaganza Chelsea in Bloom, London's largest free-to-attend festival of flowers that coincides with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

2025 was the 20th anniversary of Chelsea in Bloom—an  annual event that extends the Chelsea Flower Show out into the local neighborhoods. Produced by Cadogan Estates in collaboration with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), it is a delight for residents and visitors alike.

Just like Chelsea Flower Shows landscape and exhibits, Chelsea in Bloom is also a competition, with Gold, Silver-Gilt, Silver, Bronze and Merit awards given to participants by RHS judges and lifestyle judges. Other awards include Best Floral Display, Highly Commended, the Innovation Award, and the coveted People's Champion.

From Monday, May 19 to Sunday, May 25, more than 130 businesses, shops, hotels, museums, and restaurants throughout Chelsea showcased the incredible floral displays. Local florists, designers and horticulturalists used their creativity to transform the streets of London with imaginative flower arrangements. Shops taking part included Ralph Lauren, Lululemon, The Conran Shop, and Sloane Square Hotel, to name a few. In addition to the floral displays, shops and restaurants featured flower-themed products, discounts, and flower themed foods (like a pizza with edible flowers) and cocktails. 

In support of the British Fashion Council, this year’s theme was Flowers in Fashion.  The  stunning floral installations were inspired by iconic fashion moments, legendary designers, and London's creative scene. Large-scale installations included a stylish handbag on Sloane Square, and giant Elton John-inspired sunglasses, and numerous gowns made of fresh flowers.

A Walk Through the Gardens at Lismore Castle

Lismore  Castle is one of the most romantic looking castles in Ireland. Built on the site of a 7th century abbey, the castle was once the Palace of the Bishops of Ireland. Although there has been a tower house on this site since the 12th century, the castle that you see today was built in the 1800s by the sixth Duke of Devonshire.

Portrait of the future Duke of Devonshire by Martin Archer Shee

The Irish home of the Dukes of Devonshire for almost three centuries, Lismore is this oldest, continuously inhabited castle in Ireland. In the 1900s, it was the retreat of Adele Astaire, also known as Lady Charles Cavendish, daughter-in-law of the ninth Duke of Devonshire. Adele’s famous brother, Fred Astaire, was a frequent guest at the castle, as well as Cecil Beaton, Lucian Freud and John F. Kennedy. Today, Lismore Castle is a “castle for hire” with luxury accommodations for up to 27 guests.

The gardens of Lismore are 10 acres in size, and set within the outer defensive walls. They are divided into three distinct sections: the Reilig Garden, the Upper Garden, and the Lower Garden. The entrance is through The Reilig Garden, named after its medieval graveyard. A birch grove planted in 2009 sets the tone for the contemporary, sustainable gardens that you will find here.

The Reilig leads to the Upper Garden which was first constructed by Richard Boyle, the first Earl of Cork in about 1605. Although it is a historic garden, it contains specimens from abroad such as this Chusan palm.

While some of the walls around this garden date back to the 13th century, the plantings have changed continuously to suit the tastes of those living within the Castle. Today the gardens have a contemporary feel, influenced by designers such a Piet Oudolf. 

A staff of six gardeners maintains the property. The head gardener, who toured us around the property spent a year training at Chanticleer outside of Philadelphia.

The Upper Garden is a mix of ornamental borders and productive areas, with vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers grown for the castle kitchen.

The unique, accordion-shaped greenhouses were designed by botanist, inventor, engineer and architect Sir Walter Paxton in the 1800s. Paxton is renowned for designing the Crystal Palace for The Great Exhibition in 1851. The greenhouses were used for growing grapes and other tender fruit.

The orchard in this part of the garden produces apples that are used to make Lismore Castle Apple Juice.

The flower gardens are themed by color, with a white border, a pink and violet border, and the blue and yellow border. 

Flowers like verbascum, persicarias, clary sage, and catmint add an ethereal quality to the garden.

The borders are delightfully loose in their design, with cottage-garden plants clamoring over each other.

Here we see a detail of the rose and lavender border. The blowsy flowers are a nice juxtaposition to the formal yew, beech, and box hedges that divide the garden into smaller compartments.

Spires from the village below provide beautiful focal points and views.

The Lower Garden is entered through the Riding House. Meandering paths lead you through an informal setting of trees and shrubs and out onto open lawns. 

The stately arborvitae walk and collections of rhododendrons, magnolias and other trees create a shaded garden. This is a spring garden, with early flowering trees and shrubs underplanted with bulbs and shade perennials. 

The lichen-covered castle walls provide a romantic backdrop for the plants and flowers.

Lismore Castle is located in Lismore, Waterford County, Ireland, lismorecastlegardens.com. The gardens are open from March through October.

Bedrock Gardens: A Garden of Art, Whimsy, and Inspiration

the landing with a view of the belgian fence and grass acre

Bedrock Gardens is one of the special places that inspired me to write my series of garden travel guides. When I first visited more than 10 years ago, I was awed by the imagination and creative energy of what was then a private garden and a showcase for Jill Nooney’s sculpture. This was an extraordinary place, a hidden gem, that I wanted to share with other gardeners. I have visited many times since then and was delighted that Bedrock Gardens evolved and grew into a public garden that now welcomes thousands of visitors annually.

Excerpt from The Garden Tourist’s New England: A Guide to 140 Outstanding Gardens and Nurseries by Jana Milbocker

Bedrock Gardens was once described as a “cross between Sissinghurst and the Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden.” One of the most creative landscapes in New England, the New Hampshire garden began as the private home of Bob Munger and Jill Nooney. In 1980 the couple purchased this former dairy farm and began a 40-year transformation of the landscape into a collection of themed garden rooms enlivened by whimsical sculptures.

the rock garden

Nooney is a retired clinical social worker, as well as an artist and graduate of the Radcliffe Institute Landscape Design program. She uses old farm equipment and repurposed metal to create a variety of abstract sculptures, arches, arbors, water features and “creatures” inspired by nature and her imagination. Munger is a retired doctor and a lifelong tinkerer. Nooney is the garden’s visionary artist and “problem maker.” He is the “problem solver,” the implementor of those visions, including beautifully patterned walkways and patios, and hydraulics for water features. 

the wave

Nooney and Munger created their garden as a journey with “places to go, places to pause and rest, and interesting things to see along the way.” Nearly two-dozen “points of interest,” many with humorous names, are connected by paths that wind through garden rooms, around ponds, and through woodlands. 

parterre garden

Closest to the house, a yew hedge encloses a formal parterre planted with white flowers, with a diamond patterned bluestone path and a circular pool and fountain. The Straight and Narrow garden features a cobbled-edged path that runs between beds of native trees, shrubs, and perennials. The Swaleway’s woodland wildflowers welcome spring amidst towers of balanced stones. The Garish Garden’s playful sculptures fit in with flowers in flaming reds and oranges and trees and shrubs with bright gold foliage.

the garish garden

Bedrock Gardens is full of new ideas for gardeners as well as new takes on classic garden forms. The Wiggle Waggle is a wavy 200-foot long water channel, planted with lotus and water lilies. The Spiral Garden is a “twist” on a traditional maze garden, with twirling roof ventilators on spiral stands that emphasize the Fibonacci-inspired paving laid in a moss floor. Grass Acre is a “painting” of Switchgrass, Hakone Grass, and Little Blue Stem, anchored by a metal sculpture that evokes a mountain range. The Dark Woods is a grove of dead trees accented with sculptural ghosts, spiders, and other scary creatures. The Wave is a series of 26 small metal characters on pedestals backed by a tall arborvitae hedge. A new Stumpery takes this Victorian-era shade garden into the 21st century. Several ponds and many more gardens await the visitor.

stumpery

baxis

Walking through the gardens is a delightful journey. There are many places to sit and enjoy a vista or a sculpture along the way. The Japanese Garden and Tea House offer quiet repose in the woods, and the two thrones at the Termi at the far end of the large pond offer a stunning view along the 900-foot axis through the garden. Nooney designed the garden with an artist’s eye and her strategic placement of focal points and vistas takes classical garden design concepts into a contemporary setting.

Bedrock Gardens is open mid-May to mid-October, Tuesday–Friday 10-4 and the 1st and 3rd weekend each month. Garden tours are offered daily at 10:15 am, and group tours can be arranged in advance. Special events include art and gardening programs, catepillar lab, and a fairy and hobbit festival.

the spiral garden

Bedrock Gardens: 19 High Rd., Lee, NH 03861, (603) 659-2993, bedrockgardens.org

Excerpt from The Garden Tourist’s New England: A Guide to 140 Outstanding Gardens and Nurseries by Jana Milbocker

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Spring 2025 Rhododendron Damage in New England

Guest Post by Jim Connolly, MCH, MCLP, Weston Nurseries Garden Center Manager, Chelmsford and Joe Bruso, President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society and owner of Boulderwoods Nursery, Hopkinton, MA. Photos by Jana Milbocker

Jim Connolly writes:

With the snow finally melting away and warmer temperatures starting to happen I have been seeing some foliage damage to Rhododendrons specifically, however this could also happen to many broad-leaved evergreens as well. Most of the damage I see is to the top of the plant and I believe it is due for a few reasons. 

Last summer and fall we had a very dry season and because of that many broad-leaved evergreens could have been stressed before the winter even started. All evergreens require having some kind of moisture in their stems to tolerate the winter conditions. With the drought occurring last year this could already put these plants in a position to fail. Why some plants are not affected versus others could be the age of the plant or the health of the soil. 

During the winter it is typical to have a Rhododendron curl their leaves to help protect them from the cold winter conditions. Typically, the colder it is, the tighter the roll. You almost don’t even need a thermometer, just look out your window and if the leaves are tightly curled you know it is freezing outside. Once the weather becomes warmer the leaves unfurl and are in their typical formation and all is good. 

During the growing season when a rhododendron curls their leaves it could be caused from a pathogen like phytophthora root rot or an insect like root weevils or rhododendron borer. These pests would be more likely to be active in May/June or in the summer, not in March and April when we have nighttime temperatures still in the 30s and 40s. 

So why is the top of your Rhododendron showing curling leaves and the bottom leaves are fine then? I will tell you. The bottom branches were protected a few weeks ago by the snow cover we had. The tops of the plants were exposed to the very cold conditions we had this past winter. With the cold temperatures comes winter burn or desiccation of the leaves or leaves and stems. Possibly some root damage occurred from the cold temperatures before the snow came as well. It was a double whammy for the plants – going into the winter dryer then they should be and the extended cold period. Also when we have snow around the plant the sun will reflect off the snow and warm up the branches during the day and then the cold nighttime temperatures freeze the stems and leaves causing damage too. 

So, what can you expect and what can you do? As the days get warmer the plants will react to what damage was done by either dropping all the leaves or stems totally dying back or just the tips dying back. Each plant will vary to the extent of what damage has been done. You would have to wait till late May and see what parts of the plant have new growth emerging. You can prune off any dead stems at that point and hopefully the new growth will replace some of the damaged winter killed growth that occurred this year. Don’t start cutting branches today. Yes, you can water if the soil is dry, but don’t do anything to the plant which could be alive and find out you cut those branches off by accident. 

IN THIS MIXED-SHRUB BED, SOME RHODIES FARED WELL WHILE OTHERS DIED

With plants that are stressed, horticulturist Trevor Smith has recommended using a combination of ¼ cup Neptunes Harvest and ¼ cup Espoma Bio-Tone Starter Plus in 5 gallons of water and drenching the soil. We have in Weston Nurseries Chelmsford a product called Bio-Pak plus and that works phenomenally on stressed plants too. I have also mulched with the Coast of Maine Lobster Compost and seen some great results too. 

If you mulched the plants heavier in the winter, watered more frequently during the drought, improved the health of the soil by incorporating compost or used foliage protection during the winter with Wilt Stop or Wilt Pruf, you may have seen less damage. 

Drought and winter damage on Leucothoe

Small-leaVED HOLLY AFFECTED BY THE WEATHER

We never know what the weather conditions will be like in the winter. Plants are resilient and you should see some positive results by the end of spring. If you don’t, my suggestion would be to remove the plant and look at installing a plant that can tolerate the winter conditions better in your landscape. 

Joe Bruso writes:

I would like to add one critical factor that was omitted from the article. We had colder than normal temps for longer than normal this winter, at least by the standards of recent winters. The ground froze deeply and was still frozen in a few places in our garden as of a few days ago. When the snow came, the ground was solidly frozen. Warm sunny days meant light was reflected off the snow onto the foliage, as you point out, adding to moisture demands on those leaves. Additionally, however, the stems/leaves could not draw water from the frozen soil, leading to leaf desiccation. These conditions occur about once every 10 years in my experience. 

We have thousands of rhododendrons. Some have already recovered from (apparent) desiccation once the ground thawed out, with leaves returning to normal or near normal. Others look permanently desiccated. In some cases the stems are also desiccated (they are crinkled) and will have to be cut back. In other cases it is just the leaves that are toasted and will be replaced when the vegetative buds begin to grow. I wait until July to prune as oftentimes dormant buds erupt along the stems of otherwise dead-looking branches. 

I have not noticed a distinct pattern among which plants are affected, and which are not. About 5-10% are affected either a little or a lot. It seems to be somewhat random among species and hybrids in our garden, and also not related to the size/age of the plant. I will be doing a more detailed analysis to see if I can detect any kind of pattern.  

Outdoor Oasis in the Schmitt Garden

Tricia and Bud Schmitt have lived in their Holliston house in a quiet neighborhood for 34 years. Shortly after they moved in, the septic system failed, calling for an overhaul of their yard. As the site was excavated, local contractor Herb Brockert inquired about what should be done with all of the stones dug out of the ground. The Schmitts wanted them hauled away, but Brockert convinced them that the stones could be used in their landscape. Over the years, those same stones were put to great use by Bud, who developed an interest in stone masonry. His handiwork is evident all through the garden.

After the new septic was installed, the Schmitts were faced with a half-acre blank slate encircled by original trees. Tricia had inherited a fondness for gardening from her father, who supplied some divisions from his New Jersey garden. A magazine article about garden rooms captured Tricia and Bud’s interest, and soon they were dividing their landscape into a series of individual garden spaces. The entry garden is charming graveled courtyard shaded by a mature Japanese maple. Granite steps lead to the upper garden with a pond, ornamental plantings and enclosed vegetable beds. Tricia and Bud collaborate on the garden projects, designing many of the gardens so that they provide lovely views from the indoors, particularly in winter.  

Tricia loves conifers of all shapes and sizes, and her collection beautifully complements the stones that Bud artfully installed. The garden also features a mature stewartia, boxwoods, hydrangeas and Bloomerang lilac topiary. Recently added privacy gardens are planted with 53 new cedars, hollies, rhododendrons and other evergreens. Vegetables are grown in handsome raised vegetable beds created by Peas Love & Parsley. Seating areas and charming accessories create inviting outdoor spaces. The garden is a wonderful outdoor living room for the entire family, including daughter Lauren and two young grandchildren. Lauren also shares a passion for native plants, and works as a horticulturist at Weston nurseries in Hopkinton.

Tricia is a long-time member of the Holliston Garden Club, and is also renowned for her “Schmints”–delicious, chocolate covered mints sold at Superette in Holliston. The Schmitt garden is included in the Enchanted Gardens Spring Garden Tour in May.

The Clark Garden: Working With the Land

By Susan Clark

I have lived for 40 years now on almost two acres that slope down to the Sudbury River. The land is dominated by large white pines, oaks, and hickories, which provide shade to part sun. The soil is pure sand with several inches of topsoil, so it is dry and drains fast. Dry shade is the hardest condition for gardening. Plantings are concentrated on the upper part of the land close to our house. The lower part and the river flood plain are kept mostly wild, full of native ferns, shrubs, and red maples. Lawn and woodland paths tie the various parts together. They provide a meandering loop through cultivated areas, sun, shade and quite wild sections.

the woodland in early spring. photo by susan clark

This place is a landscape rather than a garden in the formal sense. I have always tried to work with the land and its native flora, rather than bend it to my will. I subscribe to what I now know to call ecological horticulture: organic gardening that considers its ecological impact on wildlife habitats, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. I still have many non-natives and keep acquiring more, but I work to keep a balance even as I indulge in my various horticultural obsessions and impulse plant purchases.  

woodland garden by susan clark

 A few years back I had over 180 rhododendrons and azaleas and 40 different hostas. Storm damage of wind and snow, catastrophic droughts, and fierce heat and cold spells have weeded out the less hardy or simply unlucky plants. Deer, rabbits, woodchucks, and voles have eaten an endless list of victims, especially hostas and bulbs. My landscape is now a scarred survivor of all of this. I feel fortunate to still have so many plants that delight me through the seasons: 100 rhododendrons, two stewartias, a large Japanese silverbell, several magnolias, a number of witch hazels and their relatives, lots of spring ephemerals, and daffodils. I have a passion for season-extenders with shrubs that bloom right after the winter aconite and snow drops, rhodies that bloom starting in mid-April, summer-blooming azaleas, and a few fall-blooming shrubs.

Susan is a long-time member of the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society and the North American Rock Garden Society: New England Chapter. Her garden will be open for the Enchanted Gardens Spring Garden Tour in May.

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve is a living museum specifically devoted to native plants. With a variety of diverse habitats, from mature hardwood forests to meadows, ponds, creeks, and steep hillsides, the preserve is home to more than 700 of Pennsylvania’s 2,000 native plants. These plants grow naturally in interdependent communities with resident insects, frogs, birds, and other wildlife.

Thanks to the efforts of two early conservationists—Mary K. Parry, chairman of the Bucks County Federation of Women’s Clubs, and W. Wilson Heinitsh, a consultant for Washington Crossing Historic Park—100 acres were set aside in 1934 as a memorial to George Washington’s encampment and a sanctuary for native plants. In the 1940s, under the leadership of Edgar T. Wherry, botany professor at the University of Pennsylvania, hundreds of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers were planted on the site. His meticulous plant records set the stage for the preserve to become a horticultural institution.

Today, Bowman’s Hill offers 4.5 miles of trails winding through forests and meadows. The woodlands are spectacular in spring, when large swaths of ephemerals burst into bloom. Spring ephemerals are native wildflowers that blossom before the trees leaf out, set seed, and often disappear completely underground during the summer months. In April you will find a sea of Virginia bluebells, carpets of trilliums, hepaticas, bloodroot, and Dutchman’s breeches, followed by mayapples, twinleaf, and crested iris. The ponds and streams are fringed with bright yellow marsh marigolds. With the spring blooms of redbuds, dogwoods, fringe trees, and azaleas, the effect is magical.

In the summer mountain laurels, swamp azaleas, and rosebay rhododendrons bloom in the woodlands, while bee balms, milkweeds, coneflowers, and penstemons fill the meadows with their colorful flowers. Fall brings out asters and goldenrods and brilliant foliage in shades of gold, orange, and red.

Bowman’s Hill is also a haven for birdwatchers. More than 110 species of birds can been seen at the preserve in the course of a year, due to the bounty of seeds, insects, and nesting spots, and the preserve’s location on the Atlantic flyway. Guided bird walks are available on a regular basis. 

If you want to enhance the biodiversity of your own garden, you can purchase native plants at the preserve’s onsite nursery. More than 200 species of wildflowers, vines, ferns, shrubs, and trees are offered for sale throughout the growing season. These plants are propagated and grown on the preserve and represent local germplasm grown without harsh chemicals such as neonicotinoids. Locally propagated plants also are quickest to establish in your home garden. In addition to a staff of knowledgeable gardeners, the nursery offers free resources and plant recommendations for your specific growing conditions.

Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, 1635 River Rd., New Hope, PA, 215-862-2924 bhwp.org

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Pura Vida in Costa Rica

My January tour of Costa Rica’s tropical gardens and landscapes was an amazing experience. Our group of 12 travelers from various corners of the US, along with our local guide, Jose, and driver Danny, enjoyed wonderful camaraderie, stunning views, varied terrain, beautiful flowers and delicious cuisine in a week-long exploration of this Central American haven. 

Day 1

Our first stop on the Costa Rica Garden Tour was the stunning private garden of Senora Ileana Terán in Turrialba. Senora Terán began her garden 60 years ago as a new bride on the coffee plantation. Located on a mountain side, this terraced garden features collections of bromeliads, tropical foliage plants, miniatures, and a large collection of orchids. The plants are beautifully displayed and accented with native stone and ancient vessels. Senora Terán toured us around her garden, and shared her stories, her considerable knowledge of horticulture, and refreshments in her amazing home. 

After lunch we continued on to Cartago, one of the seven provinces of Costa Rica, and its capital in colonial times. Here we toured the Sólo Rosas Rose Garden, where more than 500 varieties of roses are grown for the floral industry as well as for the pleasure of visitors. The owner has collected roses from all over the world, particularly England, France and Germany. The roses are grown organically in an enclosed environment and reach amazing sizes. As you stroll through the garden, you enjoy the sounds of classical music, the array of lovely colors, and the beautiful scents of the gorgeous flowers.

Day 2

We stayed for two nights in Villa Florencia, a small family hotel surrounded by sugarcane plantations and tropical forests. We woke up to the songs of tropical birds and the sight of dozens of Montezuma Oropendolas building their hanging nests in a huge tree in the hotel courtyard. On the way to breakfast, we were greeted by a sloth lounging in a tall tree. Our hotel building was shaded by two towering monkey puzzle trees, and blooming hibiscus adorned the grounds. A kidney-shaped pool beckoned for an early evening swim.

resident sloth, photographed by our guide Jose Saenz

The second day began with a visit of Hacienda Sitio de Mata, a historic sugar plantation with stunning views. Our tour guided greeted us with a refreshing drink called Agua de Sapo, made with brown sugar, lemon and fresh ginger. We learned about the traditional ways of growing, harvesting, and processing sugar cane in an interactive demonstration with two oxen and cooking over an open fire. Throughout the tour, we tasted sugar cane in many different forms - from raw cane to a “fudge” made for plantation children, and the final brown sugar product. The Hacienda is also home to a colonial church from 1850, a pond filled with lotuses, a shrub maze, and a plank house built in 1750 on the slopes of the Irazú volcano. Our visit included a delicious Costa Rican lunch and coffee grown on the plantation.

In the afternoon we continued to the Tropical Agronomy Center for Research and Learning (CATIE), and enjoyed a guided tour of their botanical gardens. The Botanical Garden of CATIE is a special place. There are exotic trees from around the world, collections of gingers and heliconias, robust stands of bamboo and a medicinal plant garden. The research at CATIE focuses on coffee and tropical fruits among other things, and the grounds include 2,000 varieties of coffee plants, and more than 500 varieties of tropical fruits. The garden serves as a laboratory for students and scientists investigating the molecular and morphological characteristics of the conserved species. It is also an educational site focused on environmental conservation and the sustainable use and protection of natural resources. We were able to sample some of the many tropical fruits that are displayed daily for visitors.

Day 3

Our first stop was at the Lankester Botanical Garden,  a beautiful 27-acre property with more than 3,000 species of plants. Here, rare trees and flowers are displayed in a Bromeliad Garden, Japanese Garden, Cactus and Succulent Garden and water gardens. Lankester focuses on the  conservation and research of tropical epiphytic plants, particularly orchids. Hundreds of orchids were on display both in the ground (terrestrial orchids) and in containers.

Driving through the city of Cartago in light rain, we decided to make a spontaneous stop at the historic Ruins of Cartago. The site was home to several churches, the oldest of which was built in the mid-16th century. The original church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1630 and earthquakes continued to plague the location for centuries. Each time the church was rebuilt, only to be leveled by a tornado or earthquake several decades later. In 1910, the infamous and catastrophic Santa Monica earthquake permanently cancelled plans of a church on the site. The remaining ruins now frame a beautiful garden with a walking paths, benches, ponds and flowers.

ruins of cartago

Cloud forest in talamanca mountains

Our final destination for the day was the Savegre Hotel Natural Reserve and Spa. This family-owned hotel is located on 1,200 acres of nature preserves and cloud forests in the Talamanca Mountains. At an altitude of 2,400 ft, it features miles of hiking trails, colorful trees and flowers, and 170 species of birds. A steep, narrow road with a series of sharp switchbacks brought us to our destination. The hotel is located on the banks of the Savegre River, one of the cleanest rivers in Central America. The property is dotted with cabins set in lush gardens of hibiscus, clivias, agapanthus and apricot brugmansias. We say many varieties of hummingbirds flying from flower to flower, and gathering at feeders. The hotel is popular with birdwatchers from all over the world, and on the way to breakfast, I saw a group with giant cameras on tripods pointed at a tree with the brilliant green Quetzal. A Chinese couple offered me an up-close look through their 2-foot long camera lens.

quetzal by jose saenz

Day 4

Day 4 began with a tour of Coopedota Coffee Plantation in Dota, one of the  highest-ranking coffee production areas in the world! The Coopedota Coffee Plantation is a farm and  processing cooperative where local farmers take their coffee beans to be washed, dried, and prepared for shipping. Our tour included the growing fields, where we learned about coffee cultivation and tasted coffee berries in all stages of processing. Coffee is a prized agricultural product in Costa Rica, and the berries are harvested manually. The farm focuses on environmentally friendly techniques and artisinal coffees. We were able to sample their coffee with lunch, and purchase beans to bring home.

From the Coffee Plantation we drove to the Pacific coast. Hotel San Bada is a contemporary hotel located next to the entrance to Manuel Antonio National Park and the beaches of Quepos. The hotel has a full restaurant and roof-top sushi bar with stunning views of the ocean and two swimming pools. Our rooms included balconies with sliding doors, which we were warned to keep locked to keep out the clever monkeys that live in the surrounding trees. The weather on the west coast was dramatically different than our previous few days—in the mid-80s and humid, perfect for the pools and the beach.

view from the hotel rooftop

Day 5

Our morning began with a Rainforest Spices Farm Tour. Villa Vanilla Spice Plantation is located in the Central Pacific rain forest. Spanning over 27 acres of agriculture production and 125 acres of rainforest, the plantation produces vanilla, as well as true Ceylon cinnamon, cocoa, black pepper, allspice, turmeric, and a variety of exotic fruits, essential oils, and medicinal plants. Our tour guide welcomed us with a refreshing iced tea made of hibiscus, clove, cinnamon and allspice. We first learned about the laborious process of growing, hand-pollinating, hand-harvesting and drying vanilla pods, which grow on a species of orchid called Vanilla planifollia. During the tour, we learned about the cultivation and production of spices grown on the farm, saw many beautiful tropical flowers, and sampled cocoa, cookies, and three types of ice cream enhanced with vanilla and spices.

vanilla pods drying in the sun

In the afternoon, some of us went to the town beach where we saw capuchin monkeys cavorting in the trees and stealing trash from barrels. More monkeys devoured the fruits of palms at our hotel.

Day 6

This day focused on Manuel Antonio National Park, which was located next to our hotel. This is a very popular tourist destination, and there were many groups with guides pointing out the plants and wildlife. Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the most bio-diverse areas in the world, with rain forests, beaches, and gorgeous coral reefs. It is a mecca for birdwatchers, with more than 350 bird species including toucans and emerald amazon kingfishers. During our park visit, we saw iguanas, sloths, lizards, butterflies, capuchin monkeys, brightly-colored crabs and tropical vegetation. The walk brought us to a pristine beach in a small cove where we enjoyed a long swim in the warm, crystal clear ocean water.

In the afternoon we toured the Quepos farmers market where local farmers sold gorgeous fruits, vegetables, crafts, and jewelry, amidst a festive atmosphere of music and dancing. We then headed to a ranch in the small town of Londres, where we had a cooking demonstration and participated in the preparation of a true farm-to-table Costa Rican dinner of plantain ceviche, braised chicken, rice, beans, and corn tortillas made with fresh ingredients and local flavors.

Day 7

As we made our way inland from the Pacific coast, we stopped to learn all about chocolate at Cacao Santo. The founders of this small plantation were originally missionaries, and focused on the spiritual and religious history of chocolate in the culture of Central American indigenous peoples. Cacao is a fruit that grows on understory trees. Its use dates back to Ecuador, some 5,000 years ago. We toured the home farm, tasted the cacao fruit, and then helped to shell and grind dried cocoa beans on a metase and an old-fashioned hand-crank grinder. We then sampled cocoa made from our our ground cacao beans, observing toucans, tanagers, and Montezuma birds in the garden.

Our final botanical garden was the Green Ark in Santa Barbara de Heredia. The Green Ark is a foundation and public garden that focuses on the many uses of plants in our daily lives. Plants from all over the world are displayed on terraces that feature a medicinal garden, a culinary garden, a tropical food garden, an essential oils garden, and a natural colorants garden. After a gourmet lunch prepared with fresh herbs and produce from the garden, Green Ark’s founder, a fascinating gentleman originally from Arkansas, took us on an educational tour of the grounds. 

We ended our tour with a final night and Farewell Dinner at Hotel Bougainvillea. Located in a suburb just 10 minutes from downtown San José,  Hotel Bougainvillea is a boutique hotel decorated with original artwork, stained glass, minerals, and artifacts. The hotel is nestled within a 1-acre award-winning tropical botanical garden with meandering paths, seating areas, sculpture, specimen trees, and flowers that attract birds and butterflies.

Perhaps no other country has a motto so charming, so universally quoted and so life-affirming as pura vida. It’s Costa Rica’s unofficial national slogan, and you hear it everywhere. You can say pura vida to mean “thank you,” “you’re welcome,” “that’s great” or “life is good.” The literal meaning of pura vida is “pure life,” but it’s come to symbolize the cheerful outlook and simple lifestyle of what is often called the happiest country in the world.

We all returned from our trip to Costa Rica with that feeling of pura vida, with wonderful memories, new friendships and thousands of photos! Join me on a Costa Rica adventure in January 2026!

Gardens Under Glass

January and February are the toughest months for gardeners with snow, ice and bitter, cold winds making forays into the garden unpleasant. An afternoon spent in a warm, lushly planted greenhouse is a welcome respite from our Northeast winter. So call one of your gardening friends and make a date to visit one of our local gardens under glass.

courtesy of wellesley college

Wellesley College Global Flora Conservatory

The Global Flora conservatory at Wellesley College is a part of the Wellesley College Botanic Garden. This new conservatory was built in 2019, and houses plants from every continent except Antarctica. Global Flora includes three sections: the Camellia Pavilion, the Dry Biome, which includes plants adapted to desert and dry climates around the world, and the Wet Biome, for plants from subtropical humid regions. (wellesley.edu/about-us/offices-departments/wellesley-college-botanic-gardens)

Roger Williams Park Botanical Center

The Botanical Center opened in 2007, and at 12,000 square feet is the largest public indoor display garden in New England. It includes two main greenhouses: The Conservatory and the Mediterranean Room. The Conservatory has the feeling of a large courtyard surrounded by elegant tall palms. A fountain bubbles and colorful tropical plants bloom beneath stately trees. Immense birds of paradise hide among the palms, like storks in the jungle. The Mediterranean Room is built around a long stucco wall with a circular gate. A densely planted pond with giant koi dominates the room. A small waterfall and a Mediterranean fountain provide soothing background music. All in all, there are over 150 different species and cultivars of plants including 17 types of palms. (providenceri.gov/botanical-center)

Lyman Conservatory at Smith College

The Lyman Conservatory at Smith College houses over 3,000 species of tropical, subtropical, and desert plants in Lord & Burnham greenhouses. A Camellia Corridor leads to the Palm House where a titan arum opens its gigantic flower every three to five years. The Fern House features a Wardian case and New Zealand tree ferns towering above dozens of fern species. Carnivorous plants bask in the Warm Temperate House. Many varieties of orchids share the Stove House with water lilies, papyrus, sugar cane, and bromeliads. The Spring Bulb Show is a delight in March. (garden.smith.edu)

Briggs Garden and Home

Briggs Garden and Home is a family-owned and operated nursery dating to 1961, when the business began as a landscape design and build company. Today the nursery has one of the largest greenhouses in the area, stocked with tropicals, citrus trees, herbs, and baskets overflowing with gorgeous annuals. The retail store is beautifully designed and staged, with a huge selection of garden necessities, ornaments and accessories. There are candles, glass balls, ceramic fish, birdhouses, and elegant glass containers for the terrariums. A charming café allows you to linger over a cappuccino or fruit smoothie and indulge in a sandwich or pastry. (briggsgarden.com)

New England Botanic Garden

New England Botanic Garden’s Orangerie and Limonaia conservatories showcase beautiful collections of subtropical plants, camellias, and citrus trees. The Orangerie is a charming 18th century style greenhouse with potted plants arranged in artful combinations of complementary foliage color, texture and bloom. Statuary, seating nooks, fountains with trickling water and the scents of many blossoms add to its magical charm. The Limonaia – Italian for “Lemon House” – features lemon trees with fruits in many forms and colors, from the school-bus yellow Meyer lemons to the soft-ball sized Ponderosas. Mingling with the lemon trees are camellias, ferns, bougainvillea and forced narcissus. It’s a feast for the senses. (nebg.org)

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The exquisite courtyard garden of Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum complements the architecture and artwork of this grand historic mansion. Known for its spring nasturtium display, this indoor city garden is a haven in all seasons. From January to February, masses of tropical plants fill the courtyard with many of shades of green, complemented by clouds of white blossoms on mature jade plants. Norfolk Island pines, tree ferns, begonias and a variety of palms create a green tapestry, while orange and yellow bromeliads, striped Draceaena and colorful crotons provide splashes of color. In late February through March, the courtyard overflows with weeping yellow jasmines and dozens of orchids: lady’s slippers, Moth Orchids, Cattleya, Oncidius, and Cymbidiums. (www.gardnermuseum.org)

Lyman Estate

Orchid and camellia lovers should also visit the Lyman Estate in Waltham, which features one of the oldest surviving greenhouse complexes in the country.  A grape house dates back to 1804, a camellia house to 1820, and an orchid house to 1840. The 100 year-old camellia trees are the stars of the Lyman Estate. Related to Camellia sinensis, which is the plant that tea comes from, Camellia japonica is a small ornamental tree valued for its beautiful, rose-like flowers. There are more than 2,000 varieties of Camellia japonica in existence, with colors ranging from white to pale pink to red, and blossoms that may be striped or speckled, and single or double in form. Visit the Lyman Estate and celebrate their camellia blooming season from early February to early March. (www.historicnewengland.org)

Logee’s Greenhouses

A listing of gardens under glass would not be complete without mentioning Logee’s Greenhouses, a destination greenhouse for avid gardeners in Danielson, Conn. In 1900, founder William D. Logee bought a small Ponderosa Lemon tree from a grower in Philadelphia. It was know as the “American Wonder Lemon” because the fruit could get as large as five pounds. Planted in the original greenhouse on the property, the same tree still stands today and is reliably producing five-pound lemons every year. Thousands of lemon trees have been propagated from this original plant. Logee's Greenhouses is renowned for its collection of tropical and exotic plants including a large selection of passion flowers, Angel’s Trumpets, orchids, begonias, jasmines, and of course, citrus trees. (www.logees.com)

New York Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden is a destination year-round. Its Lord & Burnham Conservatory is a remarkable example of Victorian-style glasshouse artistry. It is home to lush tropical rain forests, cactus-filled deserts, orchids, palms, aquatic and carnivorous plants, and seasonal displays. Of special note is the annual Orchid Show, which begins in March. Designed with a different theme each year, it features thousands of gorgeous orchids in unique displays. (nybg.org)

Longwood Gardens

The indoor garden spaces at Longwood Gardens cover more than 10 acre of amazing displays throughout the seasons. The Historic Main Conservatory is a place of perpetual bloom and elegant beauty. Stroll past green lawns, mature trees and sunken pools, surrounded by lush floral displays and massive hanging baskets of flowers. There is a whimsical indoor children’s garden, an Orchid House, a historic ballroom and organ room. The new Longwood Reimagined complex features the Roberto Marx Burle Cascade Garden and the modern West Conservatory with its Mediterranean-inspired landscape. (longwoodgardens.org/gardens)

Hershey Gardens

The Hershey Gardens Butterfly Atrium in the conservatory is a year-round attraction, with hundreds of North American and tropical butterflies fluttering through a tropical oasis. Palm trees, ti plants, hibiscus, and even the cacao tree that is used to make chocolate create a beautiful setting for leopard lacewings, Great Mormons, blue morphos, and many other butterflies and moths. A large Chrysalis Cabinet illustrates the butterfly lifecycle from egg to caterpillar, pupa, and adult. (hersheygardens.org)

A visit to one of these wonderful greenhouses will lift your spirits, fuel your creativity and make the winter seem a little shorter.

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Disney World's Whimsical Gardens

Beyond its rides, characters and attractions, Walt Disney World is one of the largest gardens in the world with more than 40 square miles of plant displays. Walt Disney alway considered landscaping as an integral element of the park. When planning Disneyland in California, he traveled to Europe several times and brought home notebooks filled with inspiration and gardening techniques. He was particularly impressed with Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens, and wanted his own parks to overflow with beautiful flowers and color. As a result, floriculture and horticulture have been big features at each of the Disney parks.

To build Walt Disney World, Walt acquired 27,000 acres of mostly swampland and scrub forest in Orlando. The site needed massive improvement before the resort could be built. Thousands of workers moved 8 million cubic yards of soil and built 55 miles of levees and canals to create a blank slate for the design of the landscape. 

Each park’s landscape design and accompanying plants serve many purposes and have many distinctive styles. Some, such as Victoria Gardens at Canada in Epcot’s World Showcase, are attractions in their own rights. Most of the gardens function as beautiful set designs, enhancing the theme of each park with their selection of plants, color, layout and accessories. Each park has a style that is carefully orchestrated–whether it is the turn-of-the-century, small-town America style of Main Street USA in The Magic Kingdom, or the relaxed vibe and tropical, lush plantings of Typhoon Lagoon. Much of Animal Kingdom evokes the landscapes Asia, with plants and cultural elements from India, Tibet, Thailand and many other countries. 

Nowhere are the landscapes more varied than at Epcot, where each of the pavilions in the World Showcase features plants and designs that reflect its country of origin. Whenever possible, plants native to each country are used, whether it is olive trees in Italy, or Japanese maples in Japan. The landscape design and architectural features truly make you feel like you have stepped into another country—whether it is the Shakespeare parterre with a bust of the poet in Britain; or a pond encircled with bamboo and panda topiaries in China; or Future World’s sweeping geometric beds of brightly colored flowers that underscore the contemporary style of Spaceship Earth.

Many of the plantings have practical purposes as well. Tall trees provide a shady respite from the sun, and groupings of plants screen unwanted views and distractions. Islands of plantings direct traffic throughout the park, and provide privacy and cozy enclosures for dining and relaxation.

When you look at Disney World’s statistics, the size of the operation becomes evident. Between 700 and 800 horticultural professionals tend 3.5 million bedding plants, herbs and vegetables, and care for the 175,000 trees, 4 million shrubs, 13,000 rose bushes, and 800 hanging baskets. They create more than 200 pieces of topiary, from traditionally sculpted hedges to fanciful three-dimensional Disney characters. The plants come from about 50 countries and every continent except Antarctica. 

The work of the horticultural team goes far beyond the creation of the beautiful landscapes. The team also grows food for the guests in The Land Pavilion, testing new techniques and growing a whopping 30 tons of fruits, vegetables and herbs that are served in Disney World restaurants and donated to local food banks. They also select and tend plants for the animals at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and make sure that the horticulture in these locations is edible, safe and palatable for the animals living there. With 2,000 acres of grass that needs to be pristine at all times, there are staff members dedicated to mowing and fertilizing these extensive lawns. Disney World horticulturists also partner with The University of Florida to explore new techniques in horticulture and conservation for responsible stewardship of the landscape.

An excellent time for visit Disney World is during the annual Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, which typically runs from March through May. The three-month spectacle features additional gardens and topiaries, outdoor kitchens with special foods, and talks and activities centered around home gardening. Epcot also features the Living with the Land attraction, a gentle boat tour through multimedia agricultural displays and the four working greenhouse of The Land Pavilion. You can also take the Behind the Seeds Tour here to discover the Disney’s innovative gardening techniques.

For more Florida gardens to visit, see The Garden Tourist’s Florida: 80 Tropical Gardens in the Sunshine State.

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Poetry, Garden and Art at the Hill-Stead Museum

In addition to wonderful botanic gardens, New England is rich with historic estates and their beautiful gardens. If you are traveling through Connecticut on Rte. 84, you can visit one such estate located west of Hartford - Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington. Hill-Stead offers a unique glimpse into the lifestyle of a well-to-do family at the turn of the 20th century. Set on 152 acres, the estate houses a fabulous art collection including Impressionist paintings by Mary Cassatt, Edge Degas, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, and James McNeill Whistler, as well as a print collection spanning 400 years.

Hill-Stead was the first architectural project of Theodate Pope Riddle (1867-1946), who was the fourth registered female architect in the country, an early proponent of historic preservation, and caretaker of the family art collection. She designed Hill-Stead as a country home for her parents, and the 33,000 square foot Colonial-Revival mansion was completed in 1901.

When Theodate died in 1946, her will stipulated that Hill-Stead become a museum as a memorial to her parents, and "for the benefit and enjoyment of the public." She called for the house and its contents to remain intact: not the be moved, lent or sold.

Theodate's vision for Hill-Stead was not limited to the architecture - she was equally interested in the surrounding landscape. The original gardens at Hill-Stead included an expansive Walking Garden for strolling, and a Sunken Garden designed by Beatrix Farrand.

The octagonal Sunken Garden occupies nearly an acre, and boasts a summer house, brick walkways, and a stone sundial inscribed with "Art is Long, Life is Brief" in Latin. More than 90 varieties of perennials in shades of pink, blue, purple and white accented with silvery-gray foliage mimic the color palette of the Impressionist paintings found within the mansion.

July and August are perfect for visiting Hill-Stead. The tour of the home showcases beautiful antiques, decorative arts, and of course the art collection. In addition to the gardens, Hill Stead's three miles of walking trails feature a pond habits, meadows. lowland, and forests, and are a nature enthusiast's and bird watcher's paradise. The museum also hosts an annual poetry festival with five nationally acclaimed poets, poetry writing workshops, and musical entertainment. For more information, visit hillstead.org

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Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience

Interior View, West Conservatory. Image by Ngoc Minh Ngo. Courtesy of Reed Hilderbrand.

By Jourdan Cole, Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens, America’s greatest center for horticultural display, will unveil Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience to the public on November 22, 2024, celebrating the final stage of the most ambitious revitalization in the Garden’s 100-year history. Led by the acclaimed architecture practice WEISS/MANFREDI in collaboration with eminent landscape architecture firm Reed Hilderbrand, Longwood Reimagined expands the public spaces of the renowned central grounds adding new buildings and new landscapes across 17 acres. 

The grand opening will be celebrated with two weeks of festivities, including member-only preview days and special events. Longwood Reimagined debuts in conjunction with the Gardens’ renowned holiday spectacular, A Longwood Christmas, featuring more than half a million twinkling lights across hundreds of acres and festive fountain shows, which will be on view from November 22, 2024 through January 12, 2025. 

Exterior View, West Conservatory View from the Main Fountain Garden. Image by Albert Vecerka/Esto. Courtesy of WEISS/MANFREDI.

Paul Redman, President and CEO of Longwood Gardens said "The unveiling of Longwood Reimagined marks not only a milestone for Longwood Gardens but also a bold leap into the future of defining what it means to be a great garden of the world whose foundation is based upon horticultural excellence. This project honors our legacy by embracing innovations and sustainability practices that define 21st century garden artistry. We’re excited to invite our guests to experience the newest addition to our collection of world-class gardens with the unparalleled beauty and creativity that WEISS/MANFREDI and Reed Hilderbrand have brought to life through this transformational journey. With new spaces to explore and dynamic landscapes that evolve with the seasons, Longwood Reimagined ensures that every visit will offer a fresh, immersive experience."

Exterior View, West Conservatory. Image by Albert Vecerka/Esto. Courtesy of WEISS/MANFREDI.

A GLASSHOUSE FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
In keeping with Longwood’s tradition of blending fountain gardens and horticultural display, the centerpiece and largest single element of Longwood Reimagined is a new 32,000-square-foot glasshouse, designed by WEISS/MANFREDI. Inside is an immersive Mediterranean Garden featuring planted islands, pools, canals, and low fountains, designed by Reed Hilderbrand. The new West Conservatory with its asymmetrical, crystalline peaks appears to float on a pool of water, while inside, a unique garden under glass evokes the character of the Mediterranean, where both wild landscapes and cultivated gardens express an inseparable relationship between water, stone, and plants. 

Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, principals of WEISS/MANFREDI and lead designers of Longwood Reimagined, whose involvement began over a decade ago, said: “We’re inspired by the sense of discovery and innovation that are defining signatures of Longwood Gardens. We envisioned this transformation of 17 acres as a cinematic journey, a sequence of experiences that range from intimate to grand, reshaping the western grounds into a cultural campus that brings Longwood into a new century. With the West Conservatory as the centerpiece of this newly conceived crystalline ridge, the pleated roof, branching columns, and tapered perspectives extend the marriage of architecture and horticulture that is intrinsic to Longwood's identity.”

Building on the great 19th-century tradition of glasshouses through new sustainable technologies, the West Conservatory is a living, breathing building. Prioritizing sustainability, 128 geothermal wells have been drilled approximately 315 feet deep and are connected to a ground-source, multi-stage heat exchanger that provides heating and cooling to the lower level of the new conservatory, administration building, and the lower reception suite. The main level of the West Conservatory relies on year-round passive tempering of fresh air provided by 10 earth ducts, which are 300-foot long, three-foot diameter tubes, buried under the south slope of the gardens. As fresh air is drawn through the earth ducts, it is warmed or cooled by the earth depending on the season. The earth-tempered air is introduced to the space at the pedestrian pathway to provide passive thermal comfort for occupants and visitors. This innovative design means that the building increases the effectiveness of natural ventilation and reduces the dependence on mechanical cooling in hot weather and supplemental heating in cold weather. 

Interior View, West Conservatory. Image by Ngoc Minh Ngo. Courtesy of Reed Hilderbrand.

A MEDITERRANEAN TAPESTRY
Inspired by the gardens and landscapes of the six global Mediterranean ecozones (the Mediterranean Basin, South Africa's Cape Region, coastal California, Central Chile, and Southwestern and South Australia), the West Conservatory garden incorporates three planted islands set on an expansive sheet of water.

Sixty species of plants compose the tapestry of the permanent garden. Drifts of low shrubs and perennials carpet the islands, many with tufty, billowy forms and small leaves that reflect the plants’ response to the scarcity of water, infertile soils, and windswept conditions of this ecozone. The composition includes a range of iconic plants: Agaves (Agave), Aloes (Aloe 'Johnson’s Hybrid’), Blueblossom (Ceanothus griseus var. horizontalis ‘Yankee Point’), and the tiny pink flowers of Deltoid-leaved Dewplant (Oscularia deltoides) that hug the ground. A slightly taller shrub layer expands the garden’s texture and includes the evergreen pincushion shrub (Leucospermum ‘Brandi Dela Cruz’); the dense Egg-and-Bacon plant (Eutaxia myrtifolia), which is known for its two-toned yellow and red-brown flowers; and the aromatic Prostanthera rotundifolia known for its fragrant purple flowers. 

Rows of Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) and Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis) move through the drifts, framing spaces and gradually disclosing the garden. Trellis structures covered in espaliered citrus define each end of the garden. Vine structures cantilever over and shade the south walk. Canopy trees, including acacia (Acacia salicina) and palm (Bismarckia nobilis), take advantage of the conservatory's height, providing shade for visitors below. Above the east and west entrances, more than 60 baskets of the trailing succulent Baby Burro’s Tail Sedum (Sedum burrito) hang like blue-green clouds, drawing visitors’ eyes to the soaring supports and arched roof of the conservatory. Throughout the year, a series of 90 seasonal plant species will be introduced throughout the permanent plant collection, expanding bloom and diversity within the garden.
     
Kristin Frederickson, Principal at Reed Hilderbrand said, “Designing the landscapes for Longwood Reimagined has been a deeply rewarding experience. We approached this project with a commitment to creating immersive gardens that both celebrate the richness of Longwood’s existing collections and expand them for the next century. The high ridge of the property, home to Longwood’s conservatories, is now extended west to the iconic Brandywine Valley landscape. Visitors are drawn to the new West Conservatory and Bonsai Courtyard and the restored Cascade Garden along generously scaled promenades and shaded overlooks that highlight the changing seasons and Longwood’s origin as an arboretum. The pools, fountains, and planted islands of the West Conservatory’s Mediterranean Garden honor P.S. du Pont’s fascination with water in the landscape in an entirely new kind of garden within Longwood’s set of conservatories. With a focus on a permanent collection of plants, the garden celebrates the particular beauty of species that thrive in the Mediterranean’s dry climate, expanding understanding of one of our planet’s most diverse ecozones — its beauty, mutability, and resilience.”

Interior View, West Conservatory. Image by Ngoc Minh Ngo. Courtesy of Reed Hilderbrand.

THE CASCADE GARDEN
The relocation, preservation, and reconstruction of the Cascade Garden, designed by celebrated Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994) and first opened in 1992, is another key element of Longwood Reimagined. The Cascade Garden is Burle Marx’s only surviving design in North America and significantly showcases all of the signature elements of his design expression. This is the first time that a historic garden has been relocated as a whole and now occupies a more prominent position in the Longwood experience. 

A new 3,800 square foot, WEISS/MANFREDI-designed glasshouse has been created for the garden, which was formerly installed in a retrofitted space in the Main Conservatory. The new, bespoke space recreates exactingly the vertical rock walls, cascading waterfalls, and clear pools designed by Burle Marx. They form the framework for a dense ensemble of plants found in a tropical rainforest, including palms, bromeliads, philodendrons, and more. The new glasshouse also features updated mechanical systems to improve climate control and sustainability. Adjustments to the garden path were meticulously calibrated to meet accessibility standards without compromising the garden’s design, resulting in a more inclusive and now-ADA-compliant experience. A new courtyard entrance includes an arcing path to the garden’s upper entrance through a grove of magnolias.

AN OUTDOOR GALLERY FOR BONSAI 
Longwood is home to one of the best assemblages of bonsai in the nation, with a few specimens in training for more than 110 years. This growing collection is receiving a new, dedicated space as part of the Longwood Reimagined transformation. Designed by Reed Hilderbrand, the Bonsai Courtyard is a 12,500 square-foot outdoor gallery for the display and interpretation of this distinguished collection. The design employs a series of clipped hornbeam hedges to define the space and to develop rooms within it to display bonsai for contemplative viewing. The focused expression of craft in the garden’s details references both Japanese traditions and the artistry of the bonsai themselves. A grove of ten Yoshino cherry trees animate the garden, providing shade and intimacy to the experience of the bonsai.

Among the bonsai on view when Longwood Reimagined opens will be key examples from the Kennett Collection, which gifted more than 50 superlative specimens to Longwood in 2022. The Kennett Collection is the finest and largest private collection of bonsai and bonsai-related objects outside of Asia and its specimens are notable for their lineage, including examples from many of Japan’s most famous nurseries, including the Chinsho-en nursery run by the Nakanishi family in Takamatsu. There are also bonsai trained by world-renowned bonsai artists, including Kimura Masahiko, who is known as "The Magician;" Suzuki Shinji of Japan; and Suthin Sukosolvisit of Boston. 

Exterior View, Fountain Room. Image by Ngoc Minh Ngo. Courtesy of Reed Hilderbrand.

NEW LANDSCAPES ENRICH VISITOR EXPERIENCE
The 17 acres of Longwood Reimagined also enrich the relationships between the Conservatories, new and old, and the wider landscape beyond, elevating the visitor experience throughout. In the character of Longwood’s historic landscape, trees provide the armature for moving to and among these new destinations in a variety of ways. 

The Central Grove
This new grove lies between the Main Conservatory and the West Conservatory, featuring an allée of ginkgo trees and understory of Lenten Rose and Christmas fern. Guests stroll this inviting space to access the Cascade Garden, the Bonsai Courtyard, and the Waterlily Court.

The Waterlily Court and Arcade
The revitalized Waterlily Court, first opened in 1957 and renovated in 1989 by Sir Peter Shepheard, is now restored and framed by a new arcade designed by WEISS/MANFREDI, bringing renewed focus to this unique collection. This central haven brings together the collection of tropical gardens including the Orchid House, Waterlily Court and Cascade Garden, bridging both the historic and contemporary gardens.

Conservatory Overlook     
A new Conservatory Overlook opened in May 2024 offers sweeping views of the Main Fountain Garden and its summer fountain shows from the broad stone step seating. A 700-foot-long promenade follows an allée of Yellowwood and Elm trees that stretch along the ridge, leading guests to the West Conservatory Plaza, where century-old London plane trees frame views of the iconic Brandywine Valley landscape.      

Orchid House
In February 2022, Longwood reopened its beloved, historic Orchid House, revealing stunning new floral displays within a hundred-year-old structure that has been thoroughly restored. Returned to its original configuration, a gracious new vestibule welcomes visitors and keeps temperatures steady while seamlessly integrating into the Main Conservatory. The Orchid House now exhibits 50 percent more orchids throughout the year from Longwood’s collection, which is recognized as one of the most important in the world.

A NEW HOME FOR THE 1906 RESTAURANT  
Longwood’s popular fine-dining restaurant, 1906, has a new, larger space hidden in plain sight that will elevate Longwood’s offerings in culinary arts to the same level of excellence as its horticultural displays. WEISS/MANFREDI has created a gracious new space by carving behind the historic Main Conservatory’s original retaining wall, creating a vaulted space with generous windows looking out on the iconic Main Fountain Garden. Antique Bronze vaulted mirrors on the opposite side of the room ensure that all guests enjoy views of the Garden wherever they are seated. Outside, a 500-foot-long flowering herb garden attracts pollinators and celebrates the culinary program of the 1906 restaurant and event space beyond.

WEISS/MANFREDI’s thoughtfully designed details include custom furniture that creates an elegant space and atmosphere throughout 1906. The vaulted ceiling, which features a basketweave design, was inspired by the water jets of the Main Fountain Garden. Bespoke rugs installed throughout the space evoke the color and textures seen beneath Longwood's tree canopy, and a custom design mural on the west wall translates the soft morning light in Longwood's Meadow Garden. Selected furnishings were built by hand from wood harvested from fallen trees at Longwood by the Challenge Program, a nonprofit organization located in Wilmington, Delaware. 

THE GROVE: EDUCATION AND ADMINISTRATION
Longwood Gardens’ new administrative office hub, The Grove, is built from the foundation of an obsolete building. Now an illuminated nexus of activity and programming, the Grove includes classrooms, office spaces, conference rooms, library, and archive.

ABOUT LONGWOOD GARDENS
In 1906, industrialist Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954) purchased a small farm near Kennett Square, PA, to save a collection of historic trees from being sold for lumber. Today, Longwood Gardens is one of the world’s great horticultural displays, welcoming 1.6 million guests annually and encompassing 1,100 acres of dazzling gardens, woodlands, meadows, fountains, a 10,010-pipe Aeolian organ, and grand conservatory. Expanding on its commitment to conservation, in 2024 Longwood Gardens acquired the 505-acre Longwood at Granogue, a cultural landscape in nearby Wilmington, Delaware. Longwood Gardens is the living legacy of Pierre S. du Pont, bringing joy and inspiration to everyone through the beauty of nature, conservation, and learning. Open daily during the holiday seasons and every day except Tuesday during the rest of the year, Longwood is one of more than 30 gardens in the Philadelphia region known as America’s Garden Capital. For more information, visit longwoodgardens.org.

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From Hogwarts to Buffalo: A Magical Garden Journey

By Jim Charlier

As gardeners, we always try to make unique and creative green spaces. I'm thrilled to share a magical garden story brewing in Buffalo, New York—one that captivates Harry Potter fans and garden lovers both!

Jim's garden is whimsical and includes many projects created for Harry Potter Herbology Magic.

A Wizarding Garden Takes Root

in 2008, I planted a Harry Potter-themed garden to interest my ten-year-old daughter in gardening. As we read the books, we wrote down the names of plants and their other-worldly descriptions—like Puffapod: Fat pink pods with seeds that burst into flower if dropped, and Gurdyroot: Resembles a green onion, and wards off Gulping Plimpies.

We then made plant tags, shopped for odd-looking plants at local nurseries, and planted them together. I posted about the Harry Potter garden on my blog and social media. (First photo: the “Shrieking Shack” we built in the style of the 1897 Dutch Colonial home. The Harry Potter garden runs along the left side.)

Harry Potter Garden Highlights

When visiting our garden, you’ll find these magical elements:

• A Harry Potter Garden of magical plants

• An Ever-Raining Rain Chain

• A Deathly Hallows Trellis

• A Whomping Willow bonsai

• Cornish Pixie air plant cage

• Neville Longbottom’s Propagation Station

• Sorting Hat Hanging Basket

• A miniature Hogwarts Village

• A lightning-shaped lightning rod atop the turreted house

See a short video of the garden here.

A Wizarding Book is Born

Fast forward to 2022—I was approached to co-author Harry Potter: Herbology Magic, a book of garden projects inspired by the Wizarding World for Warner Brothers Studios by Insight Editions, a California publisher known for licensed books in pop culture franchises.

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From the Publisher:

Bring Herbology into your garden with this magical book inspired by the Harry Potter films. Packed with gardening tips, wizarding-world inspired terrariums, and enchanting uses for a wide range of plants, Harry Potter: Herbology Magic is an indispensable guide that would make Professor Sprout proud.

From Mandrakes to Dirigible Plums, from the Devil’s Snare to the Venomous Tentacula, the Harry Potter films are filled with colorful enchanting plant life. Now, you can bring the magic of the wizarding world into your own home and garden, with this comprehensive, one-of-a-kind guidebook.

Harry Potter: Herbology Magic contains helpful gardening tips, instructions for creating unique Harry Potter-inspired terrariums, and charming uses for everyday plants. Alongside the projects are step-by-step instructions and full-color photos to ensure success, as well as behind-the-scenes facts, concept art, and film stills showcasing how plants from the wizarding world were brought to life onscreen for the Harry Potter films. Practical and unique, Harry Potter: Herbology Magic is the perfect guide for gardeners and wizarding world fans alike.

25+ PROJECTS: Filled with gardening tips, instructions for building wizarding world themed terrariums, and much more

BRING THE MAGIC OF THE WIZARDING WORLD INTO YOUR GARDEN: Contains gardening projects inspired by your favorite plants from the Harry Potter films, including Mandrakes, the Venomous Tentacula, Devil’s Snare, Dirigible Plums, Gillyweed, Mimbulus Mimbletonia, and more

FOR WIZARDS OF ALL SKILL LEVELS: Full-color photos and step-by-step instructions help guide beginners and experienced Herbologists alike

MOVIE MAGIC: Packed with cast and crew interviews, behind-the-scenes facts, and concept art chronicling the creative process for bringing magical plant life from page to screen

Harry Potter, Herbology Magic Insight Editions

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Beyond Harry Potter: Buffalo's Garden Scene

While the Harry Potter theme is enchanting, Buffalo's garden scene offers even more. From Victorian homes and gardens to parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, there's a diverse range of horticultural experiences to explore.

For garden travelers interested in experiencing a touch of Hogwarts in real life, here's what you need to know to visit our garden:

1. Garden Walk Buffalo: This free event allows you to explore 300+ private gardens. More than 65,000 visitors from around the country, Canada, and beyond, venture to Buffalo, NY to enjoy the creativity of its gardeners. It is held annually on the last weekend in July.

1. Open Gardens WNY: Every Thursday and Friday in July, around 100 select gardens throughout the region (including ours on Thursdays) are open for visitors.

While here, also visit:

1. Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens: A year-round attraction featuring a beautiful conservatory and themed gardens.

2. The Garden Art Sale: One of the summer's most captivating events celebrates the flourishing and passionate gardening community, held the last weekend of June each year.

3. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House: The meticulously restored grounds include a pergola, a stunning conservatory, a courtyard garden, and a “floricycle” design ensuring a rotating display of flowers from March to November.

1. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Graycliff: Perched atop a cliff with views across Lake Erie to Canada, the home has undergone a restoration including one of the rare gardens designed by Wright. The landscape features gardens by Ellen Biddle Shipman, a pioneering female landscape architect known for her Arts & Crafts-style designs.

Buffalo's gardening community, with its blend of whimsy and creativity, offers a unique destination for garden enthusiasts. Whether you're a Harry Potter fan or simply love exploring beautiful green spaces, Buffalo's gardens promise a magical experience that will leave you spellbound.

Pack your wand and set course for Buffalo—where Muggle gardens meet Wizarding World wonder!

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 Jim Charlier of JCharlier Communication Design, a graphic design and consulting firm, is co-author of Harry Potter, Herbology Magic(Insight Editions, 2023); and Buffalo Style Gardens (St. Lynn’s Press, 2019). He is a speaker on garden tourism and design, a member of GardenComm International, and a longtime garden blogger at ArtofGardening.org. He is a board member of the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens and is Director Emeritus of Gardens Buffalo Niagara. He is the current chair of The Garden Art Sale and past president of Garden Walk Buffalo. The Charlier’s garden has been featured in This Old House magazine.

Harry Potter Herbology Magic: Botanical Projects, Terrariums, and Gardens Inspired by the Wizarding World has been translated into Spanish, French, and Italian.

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The Met Cloisters Gardens

The Met Cloisters is one of the gardens profiled in The Garden Tourist’s Mid-Atlantic.

A branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters is the only museum dedicated to the art of the Middle Ages in the United States. Incorporating five medieval cloisters, the museum evokes the architecture of the Middle Ages and displays medieval metalwork, painting, sculpture, stained glass, and textiles. It is also renowned for its three cloister gardens, which were designed as an integral part of the museum when it was built in 1938.

The Romanesque Cuxa Cloister was originally part of a 12th-century Benedictine monastery in the northeast Pyrenees. Its columns and octagonal fountain are carved from a mottled pink-and-white marble found in Languedoc. The Judy Black Garden within this cloister is divided into quadrants by crossed paths. Each quadrant features a grass plot with a pollarded apple tree bordered by ornamental flowers and herbs that add beauty and fragrance. Medieval plants are supplemented with modern varieties to provide a long season of bloom, beginning with early crocuses and snowdrops, followed by columbines, pinks, bellflowers, foxgloves, daisies, poppies, and many other flowers that bloom until late fall. In winter the arcades are glassed in, and the interior walkways are filled with pots of citrus, jasmine, rosemary, and bay.

The Gothic Bonnefont Cloister comes from a Cistercian abbey in southwest France and dates back to 1300. This is a medieval herb garden with garden beds arranged symmetrically around a 15th-century Venetian wellhead. It features more than 400 species of plants and herbs used in the Middle Ages. Some were grown in gardens while others were collected from the wild or imported in dried form.

Plants are grown in raised beds enclosed with wattle fences and grouped according to their medieval use: cooking, medicine, art, industry, housekeeping, love, fertility, and magic. Tender plants such as turmeric, ginger, frankincense, and cardamom are grown in terra-cotta pots that can be moved inside in winter. Adjacent to the Bonnefont Garden is an orchard of lady apples and other medieval fruits such as medlar, quince, currants, and elderberries. The trees are underplanted with a meadow of spring bulbs and colorful summer flowers and herbs.

The Gothic Trie Cloister is from the Trie-en-Bigorre region of southwest France. It dates to the late 15th century, and its exuberant carvings portray biblical scenes and saints’ legends as well as grotesques and coats of arms. Of The Cloister’s three gardens, this one is the most informal. It is a colorful fantasy garden of flowers and fruits based on the Unicorn Tapestries. It features more than 50 species of plants found in the famous tapestries, including many varieties of pinks, violets, primroses, bellflowers, and wild strawberries.

The Met Cloisters, 99 Margaret Corbin Rd., Fort Tryon Park, New York, NY metmuseum.org

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Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek

photo by ray bojarksi

I first heard of the Delaware Botanic Gardens in 2017 when a fellow Massachusetts landscape designer mentioned that she was traveling to Delaware to volunteer her time planting a new meadow. This meadow was to be the central feature of a fledgling botanic garden in southern Delaware, and was designed by the internationally renowned Dutch designer Piet Oudolf. Oudolf is a “rock star” in the landscape design community, who championed a romantic, sustainable, prairie style of grasses and perennials that are woven in soft drifts. I was immediately intrigued, and visited the garden when it opened a couple of years later.

Below is an excerpt from The Garden Tourist’s Mid-Atlantic: A Guide to 90 Beautiful Historic and Public Gardens, available here.

Located close to the Delaware beaches, the Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek is the newest public garden in the state. It was founded in 2012 by a group of Sussex County residents who share a passion for horticulture and it opened to the public in 2019. Situated on 37 acres along Pepper Creek, the garden is an oasis of flowers and grasses, natural wetlands, and woods that are home to birds, pollinators, and other wildlife.

photo courtesy delaware botanic gardens

photo courtesy delaware botanic gardens

The half-acre Rhyne Garden welcomes you in the parking lot with ‘Brandywine’ red maple trees underplanted with 300 native shrubs, 12,000 flowering plants, and 86,000 spring bulbs. Beautiful in design, this garden serves an important function in stormwater management. Its central swale collects water runoff from the parking lot, and the plant roots of water-tolerant rose mallows and soft rush serve as natural rain filters that clean the water as it is absorbed. Pollinator plants including coneflower, wild indigo, bee balm, and phlox stabilize the soil on the slopes.

photo by ray bojarski

Above: Piet oudolf’s designs for the garden. marking out the flower beds: photo courtesy delaware botanic gardens

piet oudolf during installation. photo courtesy delaware botanic gardens

photo courtesy delaware botanic gardens

Sited on an upland plateau, the spectacular two-acre meadow garden is the jewel of the property. Designed by internationally acclaimed Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf in his signature prairie meadow style, this garden begins blooming with alliums, achilleas, baptisias, and penstemons in spring and provides a stunning display through late fall. Peak bloom time is in late summer, when coneflowers, heleniums, milkweeds, phloxes, and liatrises provide a myriad of textures and colors. Originally planted with 85% native plants, the meadow has matured into a vibrant ecosystem. As flourishing plants self-seeded, they have created a beautiful tapestry that provides food and habitat for bees, butterflies, and birds.

photo by stephen pryce lea

Adjacent to the meadow is the Folly Garden built on the site of a former 20th-century farmhouse. Planters, old fences, and retaining walls recall residents who once called this garden home. Drifts of spring bulbs, hellebores, columbines, and ferns create an intimate garden space. The Learning Garden serves as an outdoor wetland classroom encircling a small pond.

The Woodland Garden is a 12.5 -acre riparian forest with freshwater wetlands on the banks of Pepper Creek. Mosses, ferns, and spring ephemerals flourish under the canopy of sweet gums, oaks, loblolly pines, American hollies, and sassafras. A walkway leads to the Knoll Garden, the highest point on the property, with a splendid view of Pepper Creek and the animals that call it home.

photo courtesy delaware botanic gardens

The Delaware Botanic Gardens continues to grow and mature. Not only are thousands of bulbs and plants added each year, but the Gardens now offer guided tours and educational programs. A true community endeavor, fifteen volunteers form its governing board and hundreds of volunteers plant, weed, and maintain the gardens. From Girl Scout troops to college students, professors, local nurseries, and corporate sponsors, this is a unique, inspirational garden that is supported and cherished by its community.

To learn more about the garden’s founding, see this article in Flower magazine.

Deputy Executive Director stephen pryce lea hosts a garden tour of the piet oudolf meadow. photo courtesy delaware botanic gardens

volunteers in the garden. photo courtesy delaware botanic gardens

Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek

30220 Piney Neck Rd., Dagsboro, DE 19939, 302-321-9061, delawaregardens.org

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Gardening Tips from Joyce’s Garden

Many of you visited Joyce Hannaford’s exuberant garden in Natick, Mass. during the Enchanted Gardens Tours in June and July. Joyce’s garden is packed with colorful flowers that bloom from spring through fall, peaking in mid July. Visitors are always curious about Joyce’s maintenance routines. Below, Joyce answers some of the most  often asked gardening questions.

Joyce’s tips:

It seems that tending my garden has become a full-time job. It just seemed to happen over the years; it was not part of a plan when we purchased our home 25 years ago.

Color: To have a colorful garden, I add many annuals every year. Some of my favorites include dragonwing begonias, vincas, and annual blue salvias. These are real workhorse plants that thrive in all kinds of conditions.

Fertilizing: I fertilize my garden regularly starting in the spring by broadcasting Plant Tone on all areas after the spring cleanup. When planting my annuals, I soak the plants in a mixture of water and fish emulsion. I use Alaska Fish Emulsion or Maxsea which are both dissolved in water. All my pots also get a weekly feeding of fish emulsion.

Watering: I have 12 zones of sprinklers which run off of a deep well that we dug just for the gardens. Daily watering of the pots is necessary. All the window boxes are watered daily with misters from the sprinkler system.

Mulching: I mulch all of my gardens in late spring with a local product called Mad Mics, which is a combination of leaf mulch and aged horse manure. This mulch feeds the soil and deters weeds. After years of application, I have rich soil and vigorous plants. I also add compost when planting my annuals.

Pruning: I perform the Chelsea Chop in early June to reduce the height of tall perennials. I usually cut a third of the plant to encourage branching. Montauk daisies and phloxes really benefit from this.

Staking: I stake early in the season, while the plants are less than a foot tall. Plants that I stake include delphiniums, dahlias, lilies and fall anemones.

Deadheading: I try to deadhead daily to encourage new blooms.

Dividing: The dividing usually happens in August when the perennials start looking seedy after the usual summer drought.

Critters: While I don’t have an issue with deer, rabbits are a constant battle for me as for all my gardening friends. I’ve made cages from 1” black wire mesh that are 12” and 24” tall, and secured with small black tie wraps. Certain plants are candy for the rabbits, and if they aren’t caged, they get eaten to the ground. I also use Plantskyyd, Rabbit mace, Liquid Fence, Red pepper, Repels-all, but the cages provide the best protection over all.

To read more about Joyce’s garden, read Joie de Vivre in Joyce's Garden.

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