Adventures in the Polly Mobile 2: Mt. Cuba Center and Longwood Gardens

Woods Path, Mt. Cuba Center

The morning was frigid. Armed with ski gloves, I followed Barb to work, winding down the narrow roads of the Brandywine Valley. We came to the elaborate gate of Mt. Cuba Center, previously the Copeland's Estate and quickly climbed the hill of the approach to the house. A quick glance out the right side revealed a vista across the rolling hills in the Valley and to the left a rock garden in the retaining wall! We parked our cars and Barb led me through a tunnel of Rhododendrons and leaning Oxydendrum arboretum. She said she loved parking there because in the spring the Trillium are beautiful. Sadly, the morning was a cold grey and the Rhododendrons' leaves were looking forlorn in the biting cold.

Barb led me across the sweeping brick front of the du Pont-Copeland's beautiful home and went in the front door! Immediately the wealth of the previous inhabitants was evident: elegant wallpaper, hand-carved staircase and crown moulding, rich carpets and beautiful furniture. Every detail was closely tended to. I was reminded briefly of walking into the Biltmore Estate. After meeting several people, Barb led me into the basement where the plant records department was and then took me for a tour of the three story house. I think my jaw was on the floor the entire time. Just wow. And everyone was so welcoming too.

Yet again, once the house tour was done, we decided to head outside to see the gardens. The winter time is not the best time to see a garden at its best, but that doesn't mean a garden shouldn't be seen. Barb decided to check some areas while we were out there, so we bundled up and headed out. We walked through the formal garden and Barb told me about the upcoming renovations, then through the Trial Garden. If you don't see anything else (well, except the Trilliums), the Trial Gardens are worth the trip. Mt. Cuba Center is on the cutting edge of trialing natives and they have an impressive garden to do it in.

The cold slowed us down and we tried to keep moving, but I couldn't help but stop and look closer. Barb led me down the west slope path to the ponds, where we met one of the area gardeners, who stopped to talk with us a bit. We continued on and came to the area that Barb needed to check. Flags were spread throughout the area, and if you looked even closer, so were metal tags. Almost invisible reminders there were plants dormant there. I took the moment to look around me and take in the cathedral-like atmosphere of the Liriodendron tulipifera towering above the lake, and tried to imagine what the garden would look like in the spring, summer, fall when all of the plants would be active, growing in a great chorus in this great church.

The cold got the best of both of us and we made our way back up to the house; around the ponds, through the meadow, the dogwood path and trillium garden, and then up the woods path. I was most impressed even just seeing the bones of the garden and I can't wait to see the gardens in the full glory of spring.

We took a moment to warm ourselves and then we were out again, this time in a golf cart for a tour of the farther-flung areas of the gardens. Barb took me by several areas, until we ended up at the greenhouse facilities. One of the wonderful ladies there gave us both a tour of the facilities and we both learned a lot. There were the challenges of having to both use and maintain aging facilities, but the facilities themselves were interesting for their historical value. You could easily imagine what the cold storage rooms looked like full of bulbs for forcing and what the benches would look like with plants, immaculately manicured and full of flowers, ready to go up to the house. Facilities for the sake of surrounding yourself with beauty and perfection. What an incredible idea.

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After such a wonderful tour and stimulating discussion over lunch afterwards, I was sad to leave the ladies at Mt. Cuba, but I was off for a tour of the curious boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) collection with the boxwood curator at Longwood Gardens. I eventually made it to the production area of Longwood after getting terribly lost. Again. Barrett was so nice though and was very patient with how late I was.

Once I was there I asked him tons of questions and we eventually made it out to the plots. Much like the Hort Field Lab at N.C. State, the production area was like an in-ground nursery, and the Buxus I'd come to see were planted out in rows, Round-up circles around them and metal tags identifying where they'd come from. Come to find out the Buxus sempervirens out there were cuttings taken from wild plants with desirable traits from countries around the Black Sea, from Albania to Azerbaijan (check out this map to see them!). There were dwarf forms, variegation of every kind (viral, chimeric or otherwise), dark green, light green, open forms, tight forms. A good sampling of the genetic diversity of the species. It was hard to tell they were all the same species sometimes.

So, why does Longwood have these specimens? There are many reasons, and historical value and breeding are the main ones. Longwood Gardens has released many cultivars into the horticultural trade, two of which are boxwoods: 'Longwood' and 'Belleville'. There may be more breeding in the future, so keep your eyes peeled for new releases and between now and then you can see them at the gardens.

 

Okay, okay. So boxwoods may not necessarily be the most stimulating topic, but Barrett had also planned for us to check out the Christmas display. It was obvious in the extravagant trees and decorations in the Conservatories there was every attention to detail, and stunning lights displayed in the giant trees outside were captivating even to adults. There was something new to see at each glance. The stroll through the Conservatories that evening will always stay with me.

Handmade steampunk Cardinal looking proud. The theme of the Christmas was birds.

A Mighty Triad: Morris Arboretum, Longwood Gardens and Chanticleer

It's almost not fair to do this, but it cannot be helped. It's been too long coming and I want to make sure these wonderful experiences are shared. I also wish I had enough time to annotate each photo, but I would only be able to do that if I could pause time.  Feel free to comment or email me if you have any questions!

The inflorescence of a grass with its receptive female flowers
waiting for the wind to blow its way, with an Agapanthus and the porch of Chanticleer House Garden in the background.

Each one of these institutions, Morris Arboretum, Longwood Gardens and Chanticleer, are leaders in the international public gardens community, for many different reasons. I've heard stories for years from the Horticulture department at N.C. State, from professors and students who have traveled to Pennsylvania. It is amazing how much more in horticulture made sense after visiting these gardens in succession. I met so many people whose names I'd heard, but never had a face to put with the name. Now, whenever anyone talks about horticulture royalty I know who they're talking about. It is still mind-blowing to think I was so close to these people and places.

I think that officially makes me a geek.

ANYway, before we left, Tom told Tessa, Eva and me to choose which gardens we wanted to visit after we were done with the conference. He sent us home with books on all of the gardens and Eva and Tessa poured over them that night. I immediately made a request for Longwood, since I'd only ever been on a cold, overcast March day. Tessa knew an intern at the Morris Arboretum and suggested we might get a tour from her. None of us had ever been to Chanticleer and its whimsy seemed to fit with Eva perfectly. It also worked out that a past PHA office intern worked at Chanticleer in the development office and could get us in early and give us a tour. Our all-star horticulture extravaganza came together pretty quickly.

We were on the road early Saturday morning to get to Longwood Gardens as soon as it opened. It was an overcast, mild day, but I could barely contain my excitement. I found myself almost jogging down the allees. We only had a couple of hours before we needed to head off to the next garden but there was so much to see! Poor Eva and Tessa had to keep slowing me down. The Calocedrus decurrens grove was still just as stately as before, but sadly many of the largest trees had succumbed to the heat and stress that were causing their decline when I first visited in spring 2013. It was heartbreaking to see the trees that had inspired me to love the species suffering. Not all was doom and gloom though. The orchid collection and glasshouses were still as overwhelming as ever. I could have stayed with the orchid collections forever, but alas.

***Remember, click on the photo for the slideshows!***

Morris Arboretum was our next stop for a private tour with Lauren, a friend of Tessa's from URI who was doing a long-term internship at the Morris. The tree walk was an excellent exhibit that welcomed visitors to walk in the canopies of some of the trees and get a bird's-eye view of the ground. Netting was suspended about 30 feet in the air and children, young and old, could climb around on it. There were also learning stations to experience trees with all of your senses. It was pretty cool. We walked through the model train garden and into the older part of the garden with the older trees. We met one of the original Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Dawn Redwood, to be brought back to the U.S. You can see how small Tessa looks compared to the tree.

If that wasn't enough horticulture for us after our day of garden adventures, we met up with Andrew Bunting, the curator of the Scott Arboretum, at his home in Swarthmore, PA. We got a private tour of Belvidere, Bunting's intensely-planted, intimately-designed personal garden (Check out his presentation at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in April 2014). His summer outdoor room and picnic table with built-in planters were crowd favorites. He cleverly worked with his neighbors to expand his planting space beyond the .3-acres of his own yard so he could plant screening plants and an extensive vegetable garden, complete with chickens. It is a rare treat to see the private garden of a public horticulturist.

The next morning we were up especially early to get to Chanticleer before it opened to the public. It was over-and-above what I was expecting. The expansive property was intensely planted and manicured with very deliberate considerations for vistas and focal points, but it was so expertly executed that it looked like you'd stumbled upon an intimate garden taken over by nature (and they offer plant lists of each area in very creative and adorable boxes!). The horticulturists are not only gardeners but artists, and each are encouraged to give each of their areas a touch with their own artistic flair beyond the plants they choose. I highly recommend making this a destination if you're ever in the Philadelphia area.

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.