Longwood Gardens ~ Winter in the Outdoor Gardens

Lover's Tower by the Large lake

 A few photos that I daringly took while trying to avoid frostbite at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA just after Christmas. The conservatory is a very pleasant place to spend an afternoon, sampling all of their holiday delights. Outside it is extremely windy, though the temperatures in eastern Pennsylvania are milder than in my part of PA (the west side).

There seem not too many visitors who venture into the outdoor gardens in the wintertime. Most sensible people choose instead to luxuriate in the balmy conservatory. This might explain the lack of significant winter interest (no autumn snowdrops or Helleborus niger for instance).  But where there are eyes to see, there is always something beautiful in a garden - and especially in a garden this large!

Bedecked entrance gate

Long view to your right upon entrance

The Topiary Garden, looking crisp at the end of December with the Conservatory behind

Wonderfully old yews, clipped various ways

A view from the Topiary Garden down to the main fountain area and the Paulownia Allee

The Paulownia Allee looking back the other direction

Chimes Tower with carillon bells. Winterberry holly in front for the season.

Woodland garden behind the Chimes Tower; a wealth of Epimediums carpet the forest floor under magnificent trees

We went looking for flowering Helleborus. None yet as they seem to all be H. orientalis

A low-maintenance turf experiment: different mixes receive one, two or no mowings per year.

 Bodnant's viburnum just breaking into bud (Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn').

Pretty texture of Willowleaf Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster salicifolius cv. repens)

Back around to the fountain area, looking up to the Topiary Garden

An avenue of Caryopteris 'Longwood Blue' down to the favorite wedding spot.

A view from the opposite direction, toward the Conservatory

Lovely bamboo crowding the scene. I have seen seating set up on this end for intimate wedding gatherings

The venerable conservatory: Though it has a cool stone exterior, the inside is filled with a wealth of warm holiday flora.

This yew was moved at a mature 100 years by Pierre du Pont to this location, nearly a hundred years ago.

Walking to the east gardens brought me a view of this beech hedge in just its winter framework behind the curved seat.

Large lake

I will always remember my first view of this "Lover's Tower" and lake. There is a journey through the woods to the bottom of the hill, then it opens up. My breath was literally taken away when I saw it through the verdant July foliage and billowing hydrangeas. (Perhaps I will plunge into the archives for those photos later.) In winter, it has a quieter beauty, but its design stands out in the stark contrast of browns and greys.

Some vibrant golden-twig dogwood (Cornus sericea 'Flaviramea') that captured my eye throughout the garden.

Small garden building along the walk back to the gate with a red-twig dogwood.

The Open-Air Theatre is used frequently for fountain and musical performances including carols in December.

A sunset view to the sky past the rose arches... rather Hidcote-esque if you squint.

I hope you have enjoyed these views from the comfort of your warm, cozy living room or study. These two weeks later, my nose and fingers have mostly thawed out.

If you have not yet marveled at the warm conservatory views of the famous Longwood Christmas, you really should; these were taken with much less sacrifice on the photographer's part.

One more from Longwood Gardens in my posts this past week:
Longwood's Green Wall (Indoor Vertical Garden)

Christmas at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA

Longwood East Conservatory's Christmas 2011 display

Before everyone is totally over-satiated with Christmas, I must squeeze in these pictures of our visit from last week to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. This property has a venerable history; many of its fine trees were planted in 1798 by the Quaker family that had purchased the property a hundred years earlier from William Penn (founder of Pennsylvania). The farm was then purchased in 1906 by Pierre du Pont and he set about, at the age of 36, to create a garden like the ones he had admired in Italy and France. There are allees, an aged topiary garden, a long boarder, the preserved arboretum, an enormous conservatory and fountains galore. If you have not been, it really is worth the trip for every gardener, especially those in the the US.

I have been able to visit several times in the past few years due to having some family shockingly close to its location (ten minutes or less!). I will share these holiday photos in this post and follow up with a few outdoor shots and unique plant selections in the future.

Narcissus 'Ariel'

Poinsettia planters and citrus trees in the East Conservatory

White Cyclamens and red Pentas in the East Conservatory

The tree in Exhibition Hall

View across the water in Exhibition Hall

View of one of their enormous gingerbread trees into the Orangery

Oh, to have the light and room for one of these poinsettia beauties!

Whole view of Exhibition Hall, with its pink Bougainvillea just starting to bloom in the roof

The Orangery, a bedding wonderland in the wintertime

Hydrangea 'Shooting Star', like the one featured at the Phipps Christmas show this year

Mini white lilies among the bedding plants

Poinsettia and paper whites with lite evergreen trees along one conservatory wall.

Poinsettia 'Peppermint Twist' is full of ruffles

Begonia 'Looking Glass', almost entirely silver

Begonia foliage and red poinsettias

White hanging poinsettias in conservatory.

Blue Plectranthus thyrsoideus flowering above the double white poinsettias

Amaryllis and hydrangeas atop the children's maze... more on this magical conservatory area later!

This is my pick for most magical area... the potting room. What madness must have ensued here in November!

A bit of history

Plant holding area for quick fixes

a beautiful variety of colors just in their extras

Wreath in the chilly hall to the fruit houses

View into the bottom of the Palm House at Christmas

Bromeliad Guzmania 'Symphonie'

More from the Cascade Garden

This tree: Pink bromeliads surrounded by golden philodendron, Epipremnum pinnatum 'Neon'

Stars over the Rose house for evening viewing

Another bromeliad tree in the Tropical Terrace

My favorite tree for last: Red-leaved geraniums and dwarf red hot pokers (similar to Kniphofia hirstuta 'Traffic Lights')

The lights were just kicking up for the evening spectacle in the Mediterranean Garden

Hope you enjoyed the quick tour. Their orchid extravaganza begins in two weeks, for those that might be interested in planning a winter trip to the Philadelphia area. And next summer, they will be featuring a garden lighting installation by British artist Bruce Monro which looks beautiful in the previews.

See more from Longwood Gardens in my posts this week:
Longwood Outdoors in Winter
Longwood's Green Wall (Indoor Vertical Garden)

Mulch new plants with your Christmas Tree

The cookies have been eaten, the eggnog is drunk. The last party of the season saw the children running around with noisy horns for the new year. December is over, and it is time for that most arduous task: stripping our Christmas tree of its ornaments and lugging it back outside.

This can be depressing for people who loves parties and all the excitement of the holidays, but as gardeners, we can find some redemption even in the dismantling of our treasured decorations.

The weather has continued to be very mild for this time of year, but I am trying not to be lulled into forgetting that the coldest part of the year is yet to come. Some of my plants are in need of extra coverage in January, especially those that were newly planted this past growing season. Their roots are just beginning to establish themselves, not yet fully gripping the soil around them. Also, those in wind-blown areas are often just bare stems and earth by this time since the wind has stolen their leaf cover. This is where our dearly loved Christmas tree comes in to help.

Stems of a newly planted hibiscus made bare by the wind

After hauling/tossing/lugging your tree outdoors, cut off the branches where they meet the trunk. Use these to create a framework around the stems of your precious plants. I usually use 3-4 medium branches per plant, though windier areas my call for using larger and/or more evergreens.  This teepee-like-framework will filter the desiccating winds of winter.

Evergreen branches set in a sort of teepee around the plant.

For ease and in warmer climates, the branches may be enough cover for the winter.

But if you live in a cold zone 5 or higher, you might want to consider taking an extra step on an unfrozen day to protect your plants: Grab handfuls of leaves from elsewhere in your yard and tuck them in and under the evergreen branches. Or do this process in reverse: first pile the leaves around the plant, and then add the branches on top. Either way, this will hold your extra winter cover in place through wind, snow and rain.

Leaf litter tucked into the branches around the hibiscus and the newly transplanted lavender (at left)

My new OSO Easy Rose 'Paprika' surrounded by evergreen cover to help it establish.

An added bonus: the evergreen branches look really pretty scattered in your garden boarders with a dusting of snow!

This photo just taken this evening after our snow fall - finally!

In the first growth of spring, after the weather is less constantly icy, pick up the branches from your plant and scatter the leaves so that you can watch it come out of dormancy. Another winter gone by... oh, for that day!

Merry un-trimming to you!

Christmas lights...

still burning bright this New Year's day.

Lights in Cherry Corner at Gilmore Gardens

Along the Front Walk

Along the Shade Path and Circle Lawn

A peek in the window

Happy 2012! 

I am looking forward to sharing more of our own garden and also some garden travels this year. 

Thanks for reading along!

Julie @ WMG