Wings Holiday at Longwood Gardens

by Carol Kagan, Master Gardener

It was cold and dreary but not yet raining during our recent visit to Longwood Gardens. They were dressed for the holidays and celebrating in so many different ways – indoors, outdoors, up in the trees, floating in the water, lighted fountains dancing to holiday tunes, local choral group singing and trains zizzing around outdoor tracks.

The theme is wings. Here are some inside highlights.

Red, pink and white poinsettias



Roses and more

 

A succulent wreath and others inside a warm and humid room.

Red wings and red and white flowers

Anthurium, dusty miller and more

Hand-cut paper feathers adorn the far viewed alcove

Lots of different wings

More flowers and decorations

Lots of white

Much more on display. Even on dreary days this is a good bet. Indoors is weather-neutral and outdoors is best enjoyed in the dark.

 

Before you go, Longwood now uses timed admission tickets. These are required and a limited number of tickets are available for each time slot. Take care of this online and you'll whoosh through the entrance. Otherwise you'll be in a long line negotiating when you can actually get in.

 

Once you are in, you can leave and return if you remember to get your hand stamped upon exit.

 

We opted for 3 PM. We took in some of the outdoor displays such as the train and some of the outdoor trees. We had time for a light meal in the Terrace Café. (Be warned! We went on a Monday, the non-peak times. We were told it is crowded, crowded, crowded in the café and the 1906 restaurant may have seating but be prepared for this to be your big-ticket meal for the outing.)

 

Check out more about Longwood Garden and their Longwood Christmas displays and upcoming ones such as the Orchid Extravaganza.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Master Gardeners Visit the National Arboretum

Master Gardeners and guests head south to the Arboretum

While 7 a.m. may not be early for Franklin County farmers, many of the forty-plus people boarding the motor coach on Saturday, May 4, were carrying coffee cups. The Master Gardeners of Penn State Extension, Franklin County and guests were headed to the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

Capitol Columns

One of the Arboretum's visual highlights is the Capitol Columns. They were removed from their original site at the U.S. Capitol in 1958, discarded and later reclaimed for display.

On over 446 acres, the Arboretum, established in 1927, not only provides gardens that conserve and showcase plants, but also provides scientific research and education programs. It houses a permanent reference collection of over 650,000 plants specimens for scientific studies and maintains a library of over 11,000 books.

Carol Tebo, McConnellsburg, said she "had never been to the National Arboretum and wanted to see it."

Master Gardener Elmer Greey, Shippensburg, led the tour. Also a volunteer at the Arboretum, Greey was able to point out a number of unusual plants such as the Mexican flowering dogwood (Cornus florida subsp. urbiniana).

Mexican flowering dogwood petals are joined at the top

The National Bonsai & Penjing Museum is a beautiful permanent display of Chinese, Japanese and North American bonsai plants, some in training for over 200 years.

Greey at the Japanese gate - (R) a Japanese white pine trained since 1626

May 4 was also the annual Bonsai Festival with demonstrations, vendors and more.

Deanna Purdy, Hagerstown, MD, "came to see the bonsai" exhibit and festival. She bought a maple tree to create a bonsai, her third project.

And Master Gardener Colleen Johnson, Fayetteville, bought a small barberry tree and a beginner's guide to indoor bonsai. "I thought I'd give it a try," she said.

Master Gardeners in the Herb Garden

In the National Herb Garden, in addition to the knot garden and rose garden, plants are arranged in themed beds - beverage, colonial, culinary, dye, fragrance, medicinal, Native American and others. Master Gardener's involved with the program's demonstration herb garden were especially interested in the dye, fragrance and culinary gardens.

Woad (Isatis tinctoria) produces blue dye

"I'm glad I could see the woad plant I want to use in the dye garden," commented Master Gardener Carol Kagan, Fayetteville. "It's big and needs to be restrained, maybe in a half-barrel or large pot."

(L) Azalea and (R) Dogwood photo by Jenny Haynes

In addition to viewing the largest boxwood collection in the world, visitors saw orange, pink, red, and white azaleas that line the trails up the slope of Mt. Hamilton. Dogwoods were also in bloom.

Viewing the National Grove of Trees while waiting for lunch

Greey led a tour through the conifer collection, one of his favorite work areas, and pointed out many of the special features of the spruces, firs and dwarf pines.

Greey led a tour through the conifer collection

Before heading home, there was a stroll through the Asian Collection which included plants from China, Korea, and Japan.

Colleen Johnson, Linda Horst and others exit the Asian Collection

The weather was pleasant but somewhat breezy. Linda Forbes, Scotland, PA, had come along to spend the day with her friend Master Gardener Barbara Petrucci. At the end of the trip she said, "I saw lots of plants I'd like to add to my yard.

Leftovers from lunch were passed around as the bus headed northward and Linda Secrist, Master Gardener Coordinator had one more quiz for the ride home.

 

For more information check these links

United States National Arboretum

NationalArboretum Fact Sheet

NationalArboretum Herbarium

National Bonsai Foundation

HerbSociety of America