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).

Dahlia 'Jean Marie'

Our first dahlia is blooming this week in the Front Walk Garden, Dahlia 'Jean Marie'.

As summer comes to our garden, the Front Walk continues its succession of blooms that started in early April with Anemone blanda 'White Splendour' and Tulipa 'Princess Irene'. Next was Tulip 'Cum Laude' and Allium 'Purple Sensation' in May, and Oriental Poppies (Papaver orientalis), more Allium and Catmint (Nepeta) in June. Dahlia 'Jen Marie' is next on stage, with the supporting cast of Cosmos and Ammi majus. We shall see how it goes as we move into August! So far, so good...

Camping & Creeking with the kids

The wooded area just to the right of our camping sight.

Here are a few wild scenes from my family's first official camping trip! It took a bit of courage to pack up five people for a weekend in the woods, tent and all, but I am so glad that we did it. And it went really well! Not too many bug bites, not a drop of rain, and just enough clean clothes to make it home.

We stayed in a truly beautiful spot - the side of a Pennsylvania mountain near a spring creek and a shallow river....

Veronicastrum 'Lavender Towers'

Veronicastrum 'Lavender Towers' in the Hill Garden this week with Echinacea purpurea.

You may have missed this flower in our July garden tour this week, so let me point it out to you! It is quite pointy after all... :)

Veronicastrum 'Lavender Towers' attracting a pollinator to its tiny flowers that are arranged in a whirl around branching spikes.