Havenwood Comes Alive in May

European Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus fastigiata, leafing out in the Rose Garden.

May is here! I think it is my favorite month, because it is in May that spring truly arrives in my zone 5 garden. We have had many beautiful days of sun, many quiet days of rain, and the last of the frosty mornings. Blooms are popping out daily and are deeply appreciated after our long winter. 

Scenes from Havenwood, June 2015

The Rose Garden at just 9 months old.

Welcome to Pennsylvania in June! Flowers are popping out every moment, so it is hard to even keep up with seeing what is new, let alone sharing it. (Though I have been doing a better job on Instagram / Twitter !) These are the days when every walk through the garden reveals new delights... everything growing like crazy.

This is RHS testing week for me, so I am busy reviewing my list of 300 plants that I am supposed to know backwards & forwards. :) But I could not let this week get away without share a little of what is blooming here at our new garden, Havenwood....

Magnolia 'Butterflies'

Magnolia acuminata x denudata 'Butterflies'

This was our first year with the lovely, lemon-oil scented, Magnolia 'Butterflies' at the edge of our Woodland garden. Even though we had another very cold winter, its buds outlasted it and came out on our sunny days in April.

For more updates on what is going on in our gardens, follow WMG on Instagram or Twitter.

The Rose Garden in May at Havenwood

Tulips in the Rose Garden this week with Magnolia stellata.

Welcome to the first year for our new gardens at Havenwood!

I have been working very hard lately getting all of our these new beds weeded and mulched for their first spring show, working on new garden designs for local clients, as well as finishing up my studies for the RHS Level 2 tests this June.  We have been having a hot, hot spring. So there has also been need for lots of watering and the plants are shooting ahead in growth... And there were 13 roses, 6 boxwood, 6 fruit trees, 6 birch trees and a hornbeam hedge that went in too!

While I put my feet up & have some mint ice cream, I hope you enjoy having a look around... :)

Merry Christmas!

Mow Those Leaves!

My husband mulching leaves our in the woodland.

For all of those gardeners who have wondered, "What can I do with all of my leaves besides send them to the landfill or municipality?"

It should be obvious that it is the leaf litter in the forest that helps to supports growth of shade plants. But less known is that there is also a lot of new research that shows how leaves also benefit you lawn. For more explanation of this method, see my old post on mowing your leaves in fall.

Havenwood ~ GBBD October 2014

Native asters, Doellingeria umbellata, flowering away at our new garden this autumn.

Welcome to my new garden in Pennsylvania, zone 5 for the autumn!

I have been hard at work this year to put in many new garden area according to my garden master plan (see it here). Before getting to bulb planting yesterday, I took a walk around to capture some of the little fall flowers that are already blooming away here at Havenwood...

Flowering crabapple and Indigo Bunting at Havenwood

 Pretty photos of our old crabapple trees in the rain... and with a vibrant winged visitor...

Happy Easter!

Magnolia stellata in the outdoor garden at Phipps Conservatory this week.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, 

so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

~ 2 Corinthians 5:21

Merry Christmas!

Tree hunting 2013

We have Moved!

Our new house & garden

After years of waiting & wondering about where our garden (and home) would be for the next few decades, we have finally moved! It is an older house, not too far from our previous residence, that is in need of some love, but brimming with potential.

Fall leaves!

Fun in the leaves

So, have you jump in the leaves yet this fall? I hope so!  If not, perhaps you might live vicariously for a moment?

Gardening in Pennsylvania ~ October 2013 GBBD

The Hill Garden with Canna 'King Humbert', Echinacea purpurea, Berberis purpurea, and glorious yellow maples (Acer) leaves for autumn.

Welcome to my small town Pennsylvania garden in October!

I would be delighted to show you around our corner here in US zone 5. The foliage colors are intensifying this month, though they have not yet reached their climax. Our first frost is still on its way this year. Hurray for a few more weeks with tender plants in the garden! The begonias, cannas, dahlias and annuals are still adding their pretty bit to the mix. Come talk a walk around...

Birch Allee at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens was created through a combined design effort by architect Charles S. Schneider and Boston landscape architect Warren H. Manning. This is very clear when viewing the central axis (read more here), and also when viewing the magic of the Birch Allee which extends from the right wing of the Hall.

Winterthur's Sycamore Hill in May

Redbuds and azaleas bloom up a winding hill to an outlook at Winterthur Gardens.

These photos popped up on my computer's slide show the other day, and it was so refreshing to see some spring favorites again! (I truly have a weakness for spring.)

We visited Winterthur (pronounced Winter-tour) in May for the first time. It is a beautiful garden for spring as its founder, H.F. du Pont used a garden journal to plant his succession of blooms that starts in early spring. After walking past the beautiful Quarry Garden with its hundreds of giant primroses, I found this hillside covered in our native redbud trees (Ceris canadensis L.) and matching pink azaleas (Rhododendron).

How to Train a Clematis on a Tree Trunk

Clematis 'Perle d'Azur' on our maple tree in the Shade Path garden.

A few years ago, I planted Clematis 'Perle d'Azur' at the base of an old maple tree. It has become one of the most original elements in our gardens.

Here are some tips to get a Clematis started up your own tree!

While we were away...GBBD May 2013

Full of tulips at Gilmore Gardens in May!

As excited as I was to be touring Chanticleer and Winterthur last week, I was a little sad to be missing the over 200 tulips we planted last fall in our front garden! So, while we were away on our spring trip, I asked my friend Melissa Ellen to take some photos of our tulips. Melissa did a great job! I knew she would, as she does a wonderful job with photos of everything beautiful on her own blog, Melissa Ellen's Loft. If you are in need of some pretty ideas for your home, give her blog a look. Thanks to her for all of the beautiful photos in this post!!

Visit to Chanticleer's Orchard and Bulb Lawn in May

A circular tree bench in the middle of Chanticleer's Orchard garden.

Hi all! We have just arrived home from a whirlwind tour of some of the most beautiful gardens on the US east coast. While we were gone, spring definitely arrived in Pennsylvania; all of my flowers have lept ahead in growth. But before sharing more from our garden, I could not wait to share a few of the highlights from our garden tours in Colonial Williamsburg, George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate, Winterthur, Longwood Gardens and Chanticleer.

A couple of our happiest vacation hours were spent reveling in the beauty of Chanticleer's Orchard and Bulb Lawn on a fine May day. We ate a bite of lunch, let the kids run around on the lawn and drank in the spring scent of thousands of daffodils and crabapple blossoms. I hope these photos help you get lost in the beauty of it all like we did!

Cherry Corner Garden in April

Pink Cherry blossom in Cherry Corner today.

Though it has been a bit cold at night, our days have been beautiful this week. And the plants have certainly responded to the weather!

Here are a few photos of our Cherry Corner garden (so called for the weeping cherry tree that is its center piece). I snapped them in the afternoon light sometime between watching the kids ride their bikes on the driveway, an afternoon homeschool session, writing a meal plan for next week, lying down for a wee rest, getting out pancakes to warm for dinner, and going grocery shopping until my mini van overflowed...  because we had no more food and were reduced to eating leftover pancakes for dinner!

The garden is such a reminder to me of the Lord's peace, and a greater Beauty, in the midst of a busy life. I hope it can be a reminder for you today as well.

Chanticleer's Asian Woods

Chanticleer's Asian bridge... corresponding to this multi-stemmed tree and the dark-stemmed Arisaema.

Chanticleer's Asian Woods is beautiful in April! It is full of blooming woodland primroses, fresh hosta leaves, delicate peonies and many other woodland treasures. Orchids, Epimediums, Japanese maples and lady's slippers fill out the scene. Plant lovers, read on!