Man of a Thousand Garden Stories: The Garden of Charles Cresson

I have to say I was slightly ashamed that I'd never heard of Charles Cresson before our trip to Swarthmore College this summer. Google his name and see what I mean. But, I'm not one to turn down a garden tour, so when Tom said Charles Cresson had invited us for an evening tour of his garden after the Woody Plant Conference, I was ready to go.

We followed the native Swarthmorian to his house through the tight neighborhood streets and parked in front of what one would assume was just another house in the neighborhood, save for the 12-foot deer fence. What was going to be a quick tour easily continued into the twilight hours of the night with rich, personal stories of almost every plant in the garden, especially his prized Camellias and Hydrangeas. There was more to Mr. Cresson's garden than one could see from any point and he lead us on a very winding, but deliberate, path by new beds where prized old trees from his grandfather's days had fallen, his back porch, vegetable garden, bonsai collection, diverse perennial/annual borders, and meadow by his creek, just to name a handful of nooks and crannies we found ourselves in.

On our way back to Martha's Vineyard I found myself scribbling down every moment I could remember so that I could hold the experience in my mind. Such a wealth of knowledge. I felt like I'd met a true American gardener.

Horticultural Inspiration: The Woody Plant Conference

I was excited to attend the Woody Plant Conference at the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, however I had no idea I would be so deeply inspired by the talks. People in the horticulture department at N.C. State told about the excellent collection at the Scott Arboretum and my experience surpassed any expectations.

There is something about being around a group of passionate horticulture people. Todd Lasseigne reminded me of the rich family of plantspeople in Raleigh with his impassioned presentation about overused plants, tried-and-true plant and plants that are worth knowing. Andrew Bunting, the curator at the Scott Arboretum, introduced us to some really exciting interspecific magnolias, and Chanticleer Horticulturists Dan Benarcik and Jonathan Wright reintroduced the crowd to hydrangeas, both beloved favorites and those most gardeners haven't met. I don't know of anyone who wasn't salivating over those plants. Four words: Magnolia macrophylla grandiflora hybrid.

On top of the excellent presentations, I got to see an old classmate who was working for Andrew and a woman I was an intern with at Duke Gardens. Horticulture really is a small world. A wonderfully small world.

This post is to friends, new and old, human and plant alike.

A Trip through an Orchid Lover's Dream: The Stop at the New York Botanical Garden

It has been too long since I promised to post my photos from our trip to the Woody Plant Conference. We stopped at several gardens and over the next few days, I'll post up the rest of them.

We headed out from Martha's Vineyard on the first ferry and drove straight to the New York Botanical Garden to meet Jaime Morin. She'd organized an incredible itinerary that led us through many of the areas of the garden with the curators themselves.

I am the Tangerine Man

Thank you, John Cleese. Now....

I am the Tangerine Man

(To the tune of I am the Walrus by The Beatles)

As Mad-libbed by Tessa Young, Eva Colberg, Tom Clark and Amanda Wilkins

Generated by Mad:)Takes

Sitting on a pie, waiting for the airbag to come,
Corporation ballet shoe, stupid lumpy Tuesday,
Man, you been a shrimpy shopping cart, you let your hip bone grow long.

I am the avocadoman, they are the avocadomen,
I am the lemur! Goo goo [ga] doink!

Mister City, jockey sauteing, pretty equine mechanics in a row,
See how they fly, like Lucy in the record, see how they blow-torch,
I`m opera singing, I`m opera singing,
I`m opera singing, I`m opera singing.

Yellow matter bridge, dripping from a squeemish dog`s cheek,
Crabalocker fishwife, buddy priestess,
Boy, you been a shrimpy lily-pad, you let your underpants down.

I am the chiliman, they are the chilimen,
I am the goat! Boo boo [ba] joob!

Giggling in an peeved garden, waiting for the door,
If the door don`t come, you get a tan from gobbling in the peeved rain.

I am the tangerineman, they are the tangerinemen,
I am the cat! Galumph galumph [guh] gah! Galumph galumph, galumph galumph [guh] gah!

The Polly Hill Crew, including Jaime Morin (behind the camera here and previous collections management intern!), goofing-off in the gardens in front of the horticulture office after a long day at the 2014 Woody Plant Conference.

So, if you are completely lost, great! Cabin Fever and exhaustion make for fun Mad Libs.

All joking aside, randomness and whimsy abounded this weekend as the Polly Hill Interns and Tom Clark headed south to the Woody Plant Conference at the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, on Friday, July 18.

Although our main objective was the conference, we took our time and made many side-trips to famous public gardens and a couple of private gardens. Below are some of the highlights of the craziness at the five botanical gardens we visited this weekend. Tune in soon for a complete post about what really happened!

Photography Yoga with Eva Colberg and Tessa Young at the New York Botanical Garden.

Eva really getting into being a human yard stick with this Magnolia macrophylla at the Scott Arboretum.

I just had to check out how easy it is to slide between this lip and column of this Stanhopea orchid at Longwood Garden. What an amazing flower architecture: a large, pendulous, cream-colored flower with purple leopard spots that emerges from the bottom of the plant in hopes to tape its pollen to the back of some enormous bee or bird.
Who makes this stuff up? Not me.

This unidentified man could be found lurking behind many a shrub looking for tags.
This sighting occurred in a Cyrilla racemosa at the Morris Arboretum.

What is going on in the background with that man and the megaphones....?
We were definitely Out on a Limb with this one.

Tessa found her spirit animals in the lions at the Morris Arboretum's Japanese Hill and Water Garden. She couldn't help but smile creepily back.

Honestly, it was a fantastical trip that did more than I could have ever imagined with my concept and appreciation of horticulture and the field of public horticulture. We met some truly amazing people and got a taste of some of the finest gardens in the country. My head is still swimming with ideas and I'm still digesting everything I experienced. I can tell the future has changed.

A view towards the Gravel Garden at Chanticleer.

24.8 Miles in 48 Hours

This post is too long coming, but here it is!

At the beginning of June I had the wonderful challenge of hiking 24.8 miles over the course of two days. It was a hard decision to do the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank cross-island hike after a day-trip to see the Emerald Necklace in Boston, but I knew I would never get to again.

The Daytrip to Boston to Tour the Emerald Necklace entailed an 8+ mile haul across Boston to experience Frederick Law Olmsted's opus. Jim Gorman was a wonderful guide and had valuable insights into

View over the Commons towards the public garden.

More Photos of the Emerald Necklace

Then, the next morning at 7 a.m. I hopped on my bike and rode a mile to Lambert's Cove Beach to start the annual cross-island hike at 8 a.m.. We made our way through several Land Bank properties, snaking our way over the hilly terrain of western Martha's Vineyard. It was grueling at times, but the weather wasn't terribly hot and there was a forgiving breeze. Those who did the entire leg definitely bonded and we had that much more appreciation for the vistas and more curiosities for the nooks and crannies we passed through. I even had the pleasure of meeting several folks from the Vineyard Gazette and got the skinny on some on-island issues. Here is their story of the hike, as their correspondents actually did the whole hike.

A pause in the cross-island hike before a new turn as part of the group catches up.

More Photos of the Cross-island Hike

Find the people! This is truly an amazing Styphnolobium japonicum. It's found its home in the Public Garden in Boston and it is quite the sight. I had the pleasure of meeting this species of plant at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum and I would have never envisioned that the plant I met there has this kind of potential!