Winterthur | CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS

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Winterthur Snowdrop Event

Posted in bulbs for shade, garden to visit, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags Adonis amurensis, Amur adonis, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Chionodoxa forbesii, Crocus tommasinianus, Eranthis hyemalis, galanthus, Galanthus elwesii, giant snowdrop, glory-of-the-snow, Leucojum vernum, snow crocus, snowdrop catalogue, snowdrop plants, snowdrops, snowdrops for sale U.S., spring snowflake, winter aconite, Winterthur, winterthur gardens on March 5, 2016 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Snow crocus in the courtyard behind the house at Winterthur.

If you are crazy about snowdrops and other winter-blooming plants like snowflakes (leucojum), snow crocus, winter aconite, adonis, and glory-of-the-snow (chionodoxa), then a visit to the March Bank at Winterthur should be on your lifetime bucket list. The display is as magnificent as anything found at the great British snowdrop estates. The best time to see it is at the annual Winterthur Bank to Bend Lecture and snowdrop event, being held this year on Saturday, March 12, details below.

Nursery News: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.

Some of the hellebores I am bringing to Winterthur, clockwise from upper left: Mango Magic, Apricot Blush, Blue Diamond, Rio Carnival, Sparkling Diamond, Painted, and True Love.

The speaker for Bank to Bend is Lady Carolyn Elwes, who, with her husband, owns Colesbourne Park, considered the premier snowdrop venue in England. She even has a beautiful yellow snowdrop named after her. Carolyn’s Shade Gardens will be selling snowdrops, including a limited selection of some rarer cultivars, hellebores, cyclamen, and winter aconite. There will be guided and self-guided tours of the March Bank. It is worth the trip even if you are not local. Here are the details and more photos to entice you:

. Winterthur

Giant snowdrops and winter aconite on the March Bank at Winterthur.

March 12
Winterthur’s Bank to Bend Garden Lecture, Plant Sale, Tour and Snowdrop Event

Enjoy the spectacle of the March Bank clothed in snowdrops, winter aconite, adonis, and early snowflake in flower.

Bank to Bend Features:

• A lecture by Lady Carolyn Elwes, who will share the story of how a garden of private obsession grew into one of international importance in her 11:00 am talk, “Snowdrops at Colesbourne, Gloucestershire.”

• Sales of rare and unusual plants by Carolyn’s Shade Garden (www.carolynsshadegardens.com), 10:00 am to 3:30 pm.

• Guided tours of the March Bank, starting at the Visitor Center at 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm.

• A self-guided “White Arrow” tour through the March Bank, starting at the Visitor Center and available all day.

• Special Spring Tour Experience through the House and Conservatory available all day.

Lecture: $10 per member. $20 per nonmember. Free for Garden and Landscape Society and Garden Associate Members. All other activities (tours and plant sales) are included with admission.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.winterthur.org/spring or call 800.448.3883..

Winterthur Fall 2013-025

The Winterthur house is considered the premier museum of American decorative arts and is worth a visit in and of itself.

Winterthur Fall 2013-024

Another view of the house.

Snowdrops and winter aconite at Winterthur.

Glory-of-the-snow follows the snowdrops.

Snowdrops and winter aconite at Winterthur.

Adonis amurensis

Adonis is abundant

Snowflakes at Winterthur

Snowflakes (leucojum)

Crocus tomasinianus

I hope you can make it on Saturday—it is well worth the trip no matter where you are coming from.

Carolyn

Nursery Happenings: You can sign up to receive catalogues and emails about nursery events by sending your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net. Subscribing to my blog does not sign you up to receive this information.

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b/7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Facebook: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens has a Facebook Page where I post single photos, garden tips, and other information that doesn’t fit into a blog post. You can look at my Facebook page here or click the Like button on my right sidebar here.

Notes: Every word that appears in orange on my blog is a link that you can click for more information. If you want to return to my blog’s homepage to access the sidebar information (catalogues, previous articles, etc.) or to subscribe to my blog, just click here.

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Snowdrops at Winterthur and Here 2015

Posted in bulbs for shade, garden to visit, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags 'Xmas' snowdrop, andrew turvey, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, galanthus, Galanthus elwesii 'Xmas', Myddelton House, Myddelton House Gardens, snowdrop, snowdrop bulbs, snowdrop catalogue, snowdrop plants, snowdrops, snowdrops andrew turvey, snowdrops for sale, snowdrops for sale U.S., snowdrops in the green, winter interest plants, Winterthur, winterthur gardens on February 17, 2015 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Thankfully, there’s a snowy landscape at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens today.

Before I get to current events at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens, I want to encourage you to come to this year’s Bank to Bend lecture at Winterthur on Saturday, March 7. The featured speaker is Andrew Turvey, Head Gardener at Myddelton House Gardens in the U.K.

Myddelton is the former home and garden of the very famous English plantsman E.A. Bowles whose plant expertise was wide ranging but included a particular focus on snowdrops. He is said to have originated the term galanthophile to describe snowdrop enthusiasts. Turvey worked previously at the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley and is frequently a featured speaker in England. The official details are below.

Celebrate Spring at Winterthur!

March 7
Bank to Bend Garden Lecture, Plant Sale, Tour and Snowdrop Event

Featuring:

A lecture by Andrew Turvey of Myddelton House Gardens, 11:00 am – noon, Copeland Lecture Hall

Andrew Turvey, head gardener at Myddelton House Gardens, is the caretaker of the garden of EA Bowles. A famous plantsman, Bowles had a keen interest in bulbs, is credited with coining the term ‘galanthophile’ for passionate snowdrop collectors, and introduced hundreds of plants to cultivation.

$10 members, $20 non-members, all other garden activities included with admission.

• An Introduction to Snowdrops Workshop, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Brown Center, no registration required

• Sale of Rare and Unusual Plants by Carolyn’s Shade Garden, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm, Visitor Center

• Guided Tours of the March Bank, Starting at the Visitor Center at 1:00 pm & 3:00 pm

• Self-guided ‘White Arrow’ Tour through the March Bank, Starting at the Visitor Center, All Day

• Special Spring Tour Experience through the House and Conservatory, Museum, All Day

For more information and to register, visit www.winterthur.org or call 800.448.3883.
WINTERTHUR MUSEUM, GARDEN & LIBRARY
WINTERTHUR, DE 19735
.Snow crocus at Winterthur

As noted, Carolyn’s Shade Gardens intends to sell a nice selection of snowdrops, cyclamen, hellebores, and other spring flowers, although what we actually bring is weather dependent at this point. Flowering hardy cyclamen and a wide-ranging and beautiful selection of mature, blooming hellebores are a definite though. I am very excited that Winterthur has added an “Introduction to Snowdrops” workshop taught by Linda Eirhart, their very knowledgeable Curator of Plants. This is an opportunity not to be missed by anyone wanting to increase their understanding of this wonderful genus.

Common snowdrops and winter aconite at Winterthur

You may be wondering what is going on at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens especially if you ordered snowdrops. Usually at this time, snowdrops, cyclamen, hellebores, and lots of other plants are up and thinking of blooming in my garden. Last year, which I thought was an aberration and best forgotten about, we had freezing weather and snow into March. I didn’t think it could get any worse, but this year we have had subzero lows with no snow to protect the plants—even worse than 2013-2014. Fortunately last night we finally had a significant snowfall.

My snowdrop propagation beds look like ancient burial mounds. For extra protection during the subzero, snowless period, we covered them with an insulated tarp.

Today, after it finally snowed, we removed the tarp and left the snow behind for insulation. We couldn’t have done this in a “normal” year when the snowdrops were up, but nothing was going on due to the extended cold weather.

My snowdrop from the U.S. Botanic Garden, which I have now named ‘Xmas’ to reflect its distinct X mark and bloom time at Christmas, glows in its plastic box before the snow. It is perfectly hardy and does not need to be covered, but I am trying to preserve the blooms for the customers who have purchased it.

That is about all that is going on at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens right now. If you have ordered snowdrops, I am hoping to start shipping in about two weeks. However, last year we started March 17 to the Pacific North West and the South and finished April 2 to the coldest parts of New England and the Midwest. Eventually, the snow will melt, the ground will unfreeze, and the plants will “catch up”. Meanwhile, the long range forecast is for continued cold through next week and then a jump to the high 50s on February 28. I hope this is not the new “normal”.

Carolyn

Nursery Happenings: We will be selling snowdrops and hellebores at Winterthur on March 8, details above. We are now taking orders, for mail order or pick up in March, from the 2015 Snowdrop Catalogue, featuring snowdrops and other winter interest plants like cyclamen and hellebores. To access the catalogue, please click here.

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

If you are within visiting distance and would like to receive catalogues and information about customer events, please send your full name and phone number to carolynsshadegardens@verizon.net. Subscribing to my blog does not sign you up to receive this information.

23 Comments »

Snowdrops at Winterthur and Here

Posted in bulbs for shade, garden to visit, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Galanthus 'Faringdon Double', Matt Bishop, snowdrops, Snowdrops Matt Bishop, winter interest plants, Winterthur, winterthur gardens on February 25, 2014 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Nursery News: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.

A beautiful sunset over a snowy landscape at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens.

Before I get to current events at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens, I want to encourage you to come to this year’s Bank to Bend lecture at Winterthur on Saturday, March 8. The featured speaker is Matt Bishop, one of the foremost snowdrop experts in the U.K. and the principal author of Snowdrops: A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus, commonly referred to as the snowdrop bible. Carolyn’s Shade Gardens will be selling a nice selection of snowdrops, cyclamen, hellebores, and other spring flowers. The official details are below.

Celebrate the winter garden at Winterthur at our annual Bank to Bend event! This year’s featured speaker is Matt Bishop, famous snowdrop enthusiast and author of Snowdrops: A Monograph of Cultivated Galanthus. Snowdrops, winter interest plants, and plants propagated from the Winterthur Garden will be on sale. Lecture at 11:00 am; plant sale from 10:00 am-3:30 pm; garden open 10:00 am to dusk, with a special tour of the March Bank beginning at 1:00 pm. $10 per Member, $20 per nonmember. Free for WGLS and Garden Associate Members. Registration includes admission to the garden. To register, call 800.448.3883.

Not a Winterthur Member? Join now!

For more information, visit winterthur.org or call 800.448.3883.
WINTERTHUR MUSEUM, GARDEN & LIBRARY
WINTERTHUR, DE 19735
.For those of you who visit in the spring, this is the front walk right now.

You may be wondering what is going on at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens—-I know I am 🙂. Last year at this time (and every recent year that I remember), snowdrops, cyclamen, hellebores, and lots of other plants were up and blooming in my garden. I was almost done potting all the snowdrops for mail order and pick up and had started thinking about hellebores. This year most of my garden is still under at least a foot of snow. The snowdrops are frozen into the ground, which is as hard as a rock despite a few recent days in the mid-50s.

I excavated about three feet of snow off the top of pots of snowdrops. And here is what I found….

A lone giant snowdrop trying to break through to the surface.

Nevertheless, despite our frigid weather and constant deep snow cover, the minute a patch of snowdrops melts through it springs up and into bloom seemingly overnight. This never fails to lift my flagging spirits, and I thought you might like to see these brave little snowdrops in action.

This patch of snowdrops started blooming a few days before Christmas. Because it was so big and beautiful, I covered it with a plastic box before all the snow and ice started (you can see the outline in the photo), and this is what I found when I removed it.

The snowdrops under the box were in perfect shape despite repeated snow and ice and single digit temperatures.

Here is a close up of this beautiful snowdrop, which is a selection from a patch at the U.S. National Arboretum with a large flower and lovely green X mark.
.

Another snowdrop that started blooming in December and didn’t seem fazed by the weather even without a cover, the early-flowering ‘Faringdon Double’.

The inside of ‘Faringdon Double’ showing its extra petals.

‘Kite’ usually starts blooming in mid-January, and when I moved the snow away today, there it was ready to open.

Some varieties don’t even need my help like the very robust giant snowdrop ‘Standing Tall’.

That is about all that is going on at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens right now. If you have ordered snowdrops, I am hoping to start shipping in about two weeks (it was February 25 last year). Eventually, the snow will melt, the ground will unfreeze, and the plants will “catch up”. Meanwhile the ten-day forecast predicts highs 15 to 20 degrees lower than our normal average and five nights with lows in the teens, brrrrr.

Carolyn

Nursery Happenings: We will be selling snowdrops and hellebores at Winterthur on March 8, details here. To register for Charles Cresson’s Winter Interest Plants Seminar click here. We are now taking orders, for mail order or pick up in March, from the 2014 Snowdrop Catalogue, featuring snowdrops and other winter interest plants like cyclamen and hellebores. To access the catalogue, please click here. Please visit my Etsy Shop to purchase beautiful photo note cards suitable for all occasions, including a new set of snowdrop cards, by clicking here.

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a local retail nursery in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 7a. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

28 Comments »

Winterthur Part 3: A Walk in the Woods

Posted in Fall, garden to visit with tags Carolyn's Shade Gardens, dawn redwood, Lirodendron tulipifera, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, tulip poplar, Winterthur, winterthur gardens on November 6, 2013 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, PA, specializing in showy, colorful, and unusual plants for shade. The only plants that we ship are snowdrops and miniature hostas. For catalogues and announcements of events, please send your full name, location, and phone number (for back up use only) to carolyn@carolynsshadegardens.com. Click here to get to the home page of our website for catalogues and information about our nursery and to subscribe to our blog.

Paved paths meander through Winterthur’s majestic woods.

Winterthur in Delaware is the outstanding Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, US) area garden that I am profiling this year. For links to gardens profiled in previous years and background on Winterthur itself, read my first post on Winterthur in late winter by clicking here. Posts about my visit in late May profiled the Peony Garden, click here, and the Quarry Garden, click here.

The Winterthur house, which is now a museum of American decorative art, is framed on all sides by huge trees.

The gardens at Winterthur are bursting with flowers starting with snowdrops and other early bloomers in February and continuing through spring and summer. By the time Michael and I visited at the very end of October, the focus had shifted to the magnificent woods. We thoroughly enjoyed our peaceful walk during which we had the garden pretty much to ourselves. My only regret is that we were about a week too early for fall color. The trees turned so late this year that I was convinced that fall color was never coming. Despite my pessimism it did arrive as you will see in an upcoming post.

Enjoy your virtual stroll through the Winterthur gardens, but don’t skip the end where I highlight two unusual sights.

Whenever you head out of the woods, you find gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside, much of it part of the Winterthur property.

The Quarry Garden in fall.

Approaching the house from the other side.

Michael standing next to a very large dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides.

As we walked through the gardens, we happened upon the dawn redwood pictured above. It is a very large specimen planted in 1951, but dawn redwoods are quite common in public gardens in our area—there is even one at Carolyn’s Shade Gardens. What drew me to it was the sprays of male cones, which covered the whole tree and were quite beautiful. I have never seen a dawn redwood “in bloom”. Dawn redwoods are deciduous conifers with male and female cones on the same plant (monoecious). Technically they don’t have flowers although many sources mistakenly refer to the cones as flowers.

Michael standing next to one of the many very large tulip poplars, Lirodendron tulipifera, at Winterthur.

Tulip poplars are one of the most common native trees in our area and like all the trees around here they grow to be quite large in our fertile, deep soil. Winterthur has dozens if not hundreds of large tulip trees. However, when we visit we always make an effort to hike out to the “William Penn Poplar”, which is not in the official garden but instead on a trail that leads off the parking lot into Chandler Woods. According to the Winterthur arborist, it is likely that this tree was in existence when William Penn first visited his lands here in 1682. No matter how large I remember this tree being, it always amazes me how big it actually is. Just compare the final photo with the picture above. The actual measurements are 152′ tall and 209″ in circumference.

If Chanticleer is the most creative garden in our area, and Longwood is the most diverse and entertaining, in my opinion, Winterthur is the most purely beautiful garden and well worth a visit any time of year.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Nursery Happenings: Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is closed for the winter. Look for the 2014 Snowdrop Catalogue in early January.

36 Comments »

Winterthur Part 2B: Late Spring 2013, The Quarry Garden

Posted in garden to visit with tags candelabra primrose, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Henry Francis du Pont, Japanese primrose, peony, Primula japonica, quarry garden Winterthur, The Wild Garden, William Robinson, Winterthur, winterthur gardens on August 16, 2013 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

A close up of the inside of the Quarry Garden with the signature candelabra style Japanese primroses meandering along the stream.

Winterthur in Delaware is the outstanding Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, US) area garden that I am profiling this year. For links to gardens profiled in previous years and background on Winterthur itself, read my first post on Winterthur in late winter by clicking here. My visit in late May yielded so much material that I have broken the posts into three parts. To read the first, which profiles the Peony Garden, click here. This post focuses on the Quarry Garden, which I think was the highlight of the tour for me.

Looking down on the Quarry Garden from the hill behind it, the fence is along the edge of the quarry.

In 1956, after gardening at Winterthur for 70 years, Henry Francis du Pont (1880 to 1969) received the Garden Club of America’s Medal of Honor. The award stated that du Pont was “one of the best, even the best, gardener this country has ever produced.” Almost 60 years later, Winterthur remains one of the premier gardens in the U.S. and has been lovingly maintained to showcase du Pont’s amazing achievement.

The view of the Quarry Garden from the walkway that surrounds three sides.

In 1962, at the age of 82, Henry Francis du Pont decided to apply his considerable gardening talents to transform an old stone quarry on the Winterthur property. Du Pont was a master of the natural garden design popular at the beginning of the 20th century and most notably advocated by the famous British horticulturalist William Robinson in his book The Wild Garden. [If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it. You will discover that many ‘”new and sustainable” garden ideas were well established in 1870 and have simply been forgotten.] A guiding principle of du Pont’s designs was that the plants “should fit in so well with the natural landscape that one should hardly be conscious that it has been accomplished.” He also believed that color is one of the most important elements of a garden design.

A view from above of the naturalized primroses backed by a wall of shade plants.

To incorporate these principles, du Pont planted shade-loving ferns, perennials, and striking shrubs among the huge stone outcroppings lining the quarry walls. He also incorporated showy bog-loving plants along the stream on the quarry floor formed by the seepage of natural springs. The signature plant in late May is the colorful candelabra primroses naturalized in the wet area. I remember seeing this planting years ago and rushing home to plant Primula japonica in the only moist area on my property. Here are more views of this gorgeous and creative garden:

Japanese primroses in full bloom. Be aware that this primrose can spread aggressively in wet areas and is sometimes talked about as being invasive.

The quarry wall is intensively planted.

A view of the stream and the rock path from above.

The previous photos were all taken from above, but you can walk down into the quarry on the path at the start of the bridge.

I hope you enjoyed Part 2B of my year of Winterthur posts even though it is slightly out-of-season. The final installment will be on the Azalea Woods filled with rhododendrons, azaleas, and beautiful spring wildflowers.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Nursery Happenings: The nursery is closed and will reopen in the fall around September 15. Have a great summer.

21 Comments »

Winterthur Part 2A: Late Spring 2013, Peonies

Posted in garden to visit with tags Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Henry Francis du Pont, herbaceous peonies, paeonia, peonies, peony, peony gardens, tree peonies, Winterthur, winterthur gardens on August 9, 2013 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Winterthur in Delaware is the outstanding Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, US) area garden that I am profiling this year. For links to previous gardens profiled and background on Winterthur itself, read my previous Winterthur post by clicking here. In preparing for my second Winterthur post, I visited the garden at the end of May with fellow blogger Donna from the blog Garden Walk Garden Talk. I took hundreds of photos during the visit and that was my downfall. I find that the more photos I have of a potential blog subject, the less likely I am to do the post because the prospect of sorting them seems overwhelming. For example, I never did a post on the gardens I saw during the 2012 Garden Bloggers Fling in Asheville, NC, although I haven’t given up hope.

I decided that there would be no hope of actually getting the next Winterthur post up on the blog unless I broke the photos into some smaller categories. So today I am showing the images of the peony gardens, which were absolutely spectacular at the end of May. Henry Francis du Pont (1880 to 1969), the man behind the Winterthur gardens, was a voracious collector of plants from all over the world. His peony gardens are magnificent and justify a visit to Winterthur just to see them. However, Winterthur is so wonderful and varied that a visit at any time of year is a pleasure. In fact, for sheer garden beauty, I think Winterthur is my favorite Delaware Valley garden.

tree peony garden

The Winterthur peony gardens contain both tree peonies and herbaceous peonies. As I walked through them, I said to Donna I want that one, I want that one. However, I was to be disappointed because most of the peonies in the collection were acquired as unnamed plants by Henry Francis du Pont. There are accession numbers and source information but no names, and the plants aren’t available for sale today according to a Winterthur staff member who was also taking photos. So you can enjoy these photos as images of gorgeous flowers but they won’t lead you to any specific plant purchases. I hope that they will also inspire you to visit Winterthur in person.

The lilacs behind the peonies were gorgeous.

This is the same peony as the one pictured at the very beginning of the post. I think it was my favorite although it would be hard to pick one.

I hope you enjoyed Part 2A of my year of Winterthur posts even though it is slightly out-of-season. The next installment will be on the Quarry Garden filled with candelabra primroses among other treasures.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Nursery Happenings: The nursery is closed and will reopen in the fall around September 15. Have a great summer.

27 Comments »

Winterthur Part 1: Late Winter 2013

Posted in bulbs for shade, garden to visit, Shade Gardening, Shade Perennials, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags Adonis amurensis, Amur adonis, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Chanticleer, Crocus tommasinianus, Eranthis hyemalis, Galanthus elwesii, Galanthus nivalis 'Viridapice', giant snowdrop, green-tipped snowdrop, Leucojum vernum, Longwood Gardens, snow crocus, spring snowflake, winter aconite, Winterthur on June 22, 2013 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

In early March, the courtyard behind the house at Winterthur is completely filled with snow crocus, C. tomasinianus. It is worth visiting in late winter just to see this sight.

Each year I choose an outstanding Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, US) area garden to profile through out the seasons. There are so many amazing gardens in the Delaware Valley that I will never run out of choices. It is more a case of which wonderful garden to choose. In 2011 to 2012, I visited the enchanting pleasure gardens at Chanticleer. To see those posts, click here. In 2012 to 2013, I focused on the diverse and magnificent gardens and conservatories at Longwood. To see those posts, click here. For 2013 to 2014, I have chosen the elegant former estate of collector and horticulturalist Henry Francis du Pont located in Delaware just over the Pennsylvania line and called Winterthur.

The Winterthur house holds the premier collection of American decorative art. For scale, look at the two people on the right side of the photo just beyond the path.

Henry Francis du Pont (1880 to 1969) was a voracious collector of American decorative art for his home and of plants from all over the world for his garden. He had a lot of space to work with as the house has 175 rooms and the garden is 1,000 acres, 60 of which he landscaped with naturalistic plantings. About 60 years ago du Pont opened the house and gardens to the public, fulfilling his wish that:

the Museum will be a continuing source of inspiration and education for all time, and that the gardens and grounds will of themselves be a country place museum where visitors may enjoy as I have, not only the flowers, trees and shrubs, but also the sunlit meadows, shady wood paths, and the peace and great calm of a country place which has been loved and taken care of for three generations.

The paths leading from the visitor’s center to the house and gardens meander through the magnificent trees.

The “peace and great calm of a country place” is what draws me to Winterthur again and again for the garden is not a botanical collection or a display garden in the usual sense. But rather, as the website states, “an artistic composition that captures a significant period in the history of American horticulture.” It is carefully maintained and preserved to allow visitor’s to enjoy the landscaped gardens as Henry du Pont designed them as well as the peaceful vistas that he carefully incorporated into his designs. Yet it does so with none of the rigidity and dated feeling of many historic gardens. The experience is as fresh and enjoyable as if du Pont himself were giving you a tour of his own backyard, albeit a very large one!

Another view of the house in winter.

This post shows photos from my visit to Winterthur for their annual snowdrop event, this year on March 9 (for more information on that event, click here). I apologize for the delay, but I have been so busy with my nursery that I just found time to sort through these images. I also thought that pictures of snowdrops and other winter bulbs might really stand out right now when other blogs aren’t posting them anymore. Most of the plants shown are in the area of the March Bank at Winterthur, which contains the premier collection of naturalized snowdrops and other winter interest bulbs in the U.S.

naturalized snowdrops

It is very difficult to give readers an idea of the massive amounts of snowdrops, aconite, crocus, glory-of-the-snow, snowflakes, adonis, and other winter bulbs at Winterthur. The plants are so small that once you back up to show a large area, they disappear into the leaf litter (at least using my camera, which is much better for macro shots). You will just have to take my word for it that in person the sweeps of bulbs are breath-taking and unparalleled.

Winter aconite with snowdrops in the background.

aconites, snowdrops, and crocus

Amur adonis

spring snowdflake

aconite, snowdrops, and snowflakes

snowdrops and aconite

snowflakes and aconite

March Bank

Most of the naturalized snowdrops are the giant snowdrop, G. elwesii.

A particularly lovely clump of giant snowdrops with many more (plus a photographer) on the March Bank.

green-tipped snowdrops

Snow crocus growing in the grass courtyard behind the house.

It is much easier to photograph the snow crocus set off by the grass. However, all the bulbs in this post appear through out Winterthur in the same massive quantities and are just as awe-inspiring as the crocus portrayed here.

I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of my year of Winterthur posts, out-of-season though it may be. If you are local, mark your calendars for March 1, 2014, so you can see this wondrous display for yourself. In the meantime, it is finally summer and my nursery is closed. I will be posting on the blog but less frequently. On Thursday I am off to San Francisco for the 2013 Garden Blogger’s Fling. Enjoy your summer.

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S., zone 6b. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Nursery Happenings: The nursery is closed and will reopen in the fall around September 15. Have a great summer.

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2013 Winter Interest Plants

Posted in garden to visit, hellebores, Shade Gardening, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags Alan Street, Arum italicum 'Pictum', Bank to Bend Lecture, Bearsfoot Hellebore, Carolyn's Shade Gardens, Charles Cresson, Cotoneaster salicifolia 'Henryi', Cresson Garden, Crocus tommasinianus, Crocus tommasinianus 'Ruby Giant', Crocus tommisinianus 'Taplow Ruby', Eranthis hyemalis, Galanthus 'Brenda Troyle', Galanthus 'Mighty Atom', Galanthus 'Standing Tall', Galanthus Atkinsii, Galanthus Beth Chatto, Galanthus Godfrey Owen, Galanthus rizehensis, Helleborus foetidus, Helleborus x 'Ivory Prince', Helleborus x ballardiae 'Pink Frost', Helleborus x ericsmithii 'Winter's Song', Iris unguicularis subsp. cretensis, Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation', snow crocus, Swarthmore Pennsylvania, winter aconite, Winterthur on March 4, 2013 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

Galanthus ‘Brenda Troyle’ is one of the most robust and fragrant snowdrops in the Cresson garden.

This may be my last post that focuses on snowdrops, and I am sure some readers will rejoice. I am aware that many gardeners do not share (or understand) my obsession. However, I want to show photos from the recent Winter Interest Plants Seminars hosted by Charles Cresson for my nursery customers.

Before I get to that though, I have to tell you about the snowdrop event this weekend at Winterthur, the fabulous garden in Delaware, US. On Saturday, March 9, at 11 am, Alan Street, the world famous snowdrop expert from Avon Bulbs in England, is presenting the annual Bank to Bend Lecture on snowdrops. Carolyn’s Shade Gardens will be one of two nurseries selling snowdrops and other winter interest plants at Winterthur. I hope to see you there. Here are the details:

Join plantsman and snowdrop expert Alan Street of the renowned nursery Avon Bulbs as he offers insight into these precious flowers, sharing how they have become a worldwide phenomenon and how Avon Bulbs brings them to market. Registration includes tours of the March Bank display and access to specialist nurseries selling snowdrops and other winter interest plants. $20 non-members; $10 members.

Call 800.448.3883 to register or find out more.

Bank to Bend includes free admission to the garden, tours of the March Bank and access to specialist nurseries Black Hog Horticulture and Carolyn’s Shade Garden to purchase rare and unusual bulbs and other winter interest plants.

Charles Cresson talks about his witch hazels, winter aconite, and snowdrops with some die hard winter interest gardeners.

This is the third year that nationally known horticulturalist Charles Cresson has hosted my customers in his Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, garden to view and discuss winter interest plants. Every year we see different plants, depending on the weather, but every year the group is just as enthusiastic despite the weather. This year, February (and all winter really) has been cold and dismal, and the seminar days were no exception, but the attendees were enthusiastic and full of questions for Charles.

Charles demonstrates how he protects important plants with plastic boxes if the weather is going to be unseasonably cold.

Plants are “late” to come out this year because it has been so cold. The emergence of winter interest plants like perennials and bulbs is dependent more on the soil temperature than on the date. If the soil warms up early, as it did in 2012 when we had no winter, many plants will bloom early. This year it has been cold and gray, and many plants have yet to bloom or emerge. Yet, such is the magic of Charles’s garden that there was a lot to see. Here are some of the highlights in the order in which we saw them:

After seeing this daffodil for many years blooming in Charles’s garden in February, I finally added it to mine this year. It is called Narcissus ‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’.

A rare pale yellow form of winter aconite, Eranthus hyemalis.

The snow crocus, C. tommasinianus, is my favorite crocus because it blooms now with the snowdrops and multiplies rapidly.

‘Ruby Giant’ snow crocus is a deeper purple.

‘Taplow Ruby’ snow crocus

Galanthus ‘Atkinsii’ is an old-fashioned and reliable snowdrop that should be part of any collection.

One of my favorite combinations, ‘Atkinsii’ with Italian arum, A. italicum ‘Pictum’.

The leaves of ‘Pink Frost’ hellebore, H. x ballardiae ‘Pink Frost’, pair beautifully with this rare cotoneaster, C. salicifolius ‘Henryi’.

‘Pink Frost’ again with bearsfoot hellebore, H. foetidus, in another winning combination.

‘Winter’s Song’ hellebore, H. x ericsmithii ‘Winter’s Song’ is very early blooming so it was fully out on this cold February day.

‘Ivory Prince’ hellebore was just starting to open.

This subspecies is an especially dark colored version of the winter-blooming Algerian iris, Iris unguicularis subsp. cretensis.

Galanthus ‘Mighty Atom’ has one of the best presentations of any snowdrop.

Galanthus rizehensis is a rare and desirable snowdrop species.

Charles’s newly introduced snowdrop ‘Standing Tall’ continues to stand up to whatever the weather throws at it. If you didn’t know better you would think it was a daffodil.

‘Standing Tall’ in full bloom in early January.

‘Beth Chatto’

Charles and I both acquired six-petaled ‘Godfrey Owen’ last year but his was not felled by snow and ice.

‘Godfrey Owen’

The inner segments of ‘Godfrey Owen’ are extraordinary too. This photo represents to me what galanthophiles are all about.

I know the participants enjoyed themselves because even after an hour and a half in the cold, they were still asking Charles questions. I hope my readers have gotten some vicarious enjoyment.

I you would like to see what was featured during the 2011 and 2012 seminars, follow these links:

2011 Winter Interest Plants

2012 Winter Interest Plants

Carolyn

Carolyn’s Shade Gardens is a retail nursery located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, US, zone 6b. The only plants that we mail order are snowdrops and miniature hostas and only within the US.

Nursery Happenings: We are now accepting reservations for our very popular Hellebore Seminars . The Friday session is full but the session on Monday, March 18, at 10:00 am has nine spaces left. For details, click here. The 2013 Snowdrop Catalogue is on the sidebar of the website and orders are being accepted now. To view the catalogue, click here. The 2013 General Catalogue is available here.

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February GBBD: Add to Your Spring Shopping List

Posted in Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, garden to visit, hellebores, snowdrops, winter, winter interest with tags Bearsfoot Hellebore, Christmas rose 'Jacob', Galanthus elwesii, Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, GBBD, giant snowdrop, Helleborus foetidus, Helleborus niger 'Jacob', March Bank, May Dreams Gardens, Winterthur on February 14, 2011 by Carolyn @ Carolyns Shade Gardens

“Spring-blooming” hardy cyclamen, Cyclamen coum, sends out its first bud

It is time to walk around your garden again and assess what you need to add to make the end of winter an exciting time in your landscape. Do you need more early-blooming hellebores to give you a reason to go outside? Could your garden benefit from flowers that bloom in January and February like hardy cyclamen, snow crocus, or snowdrops to relieve the gray? Make a list and take photographs so that when you are shopping this spring you know what you need and where it should go. I know it’s icy outside, but you never know what you might find to end the winter doldrums like the hardy cyclamen (pictured above), which I discovered during my own chilly inventory.

Snowdrops and winter aconite on Winterthur’s March Bank, photo courtesy of Winterthur

If you need ideas, visit local arboretums and gardens. I always find a trip to Winterthur, an elegant and intimate public garden in Delaware, highly inspirational and informative. Starting March 1 when Winterthur opens for spring, the area of the gardens known as the March Bank erupts into bloom with tens of thousands of snowdrops, adonis, winter aconite, snow crocus, early scillas, glory-of-the-snow, spring snowflake, and early daffodils.

Snowdrops and winter aconite on Winterthur’s March Bank in early March, photo courtesy of Winterthur

Later in March, glory-of-the-snow, Chionodoxa, takes over, photo courtesy of Winterthur

Today is Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day for February when gardeners around the world show photos of what’s blooming in their gardens (follow the link to see photographs from other garden bloggers assembled by Carol at May Dreams Gardens). Here are a few more highlights from my mid-February stroll through Carolyn’s Shade Gardens:

Very early-blooming double white hellebore, Helleborus x hybridus ‘Mrs. Betty Ranicar’

Bearsfoot hellebore, Helleborus foetidus, was waiting under the ice

Sweetbox, Sarcococca hookeriena var. humilis, prepares to perfume the garden

‘Jacob’ Christmas rose, Helleborus niger ‘Jacob’, began blooming in October and has waited patiently under the snow and ice for a chance to show its flowers again

The lowly Japanese pachysandra, P. terminalis, forms its flowers the previous season adding winter interest to its evergreen leaves

The flower buds of hybrid hellebores, Helleborus x hybridus, wait for the hard-packed snow to melt, in warmer years they would be in bloom now

Some hybrid hellebores are farther along than others

Giant snowdrop, Galanthus elwesii, was the first flower through the snow in 2011 (see Are Snowdrops Thermogenic?) and was also blooming in December

With our near record-breaking snowfall accompanied by generous doses of ice (see The Joys and Sorrows of Snow), I wasn’t planning on participating in February’s Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. But when I grabbed my camera and walked around, there was much to be seen. In addition to the flowers, there was more than enough views of the destruction of the winter by nature and otherwise.

Remnants of the white pine and coral bark maple branches lost this winter

The signs marking my epimedium collection after the ravages of my three snowboarding teenage sons.

Please let me know in a comment/reply what flowers are blooming in your winter garden. If you participated in GBBD, please provide a link so my nursery customers can read your post.

Carolyn

Nursery Happenings: I am currently accepting orders for snowdrops, including mail orders. For the catalogue and order information, click here. I am also taking reservations for Charles Cresson’s Snowdrops and Other Winter Interest Plants Seminar. For the brochure and registration information, click here.

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CAROLYN'S SHADE GARDENS

Archive for Winterthur

Winterthur Snowdrop Event

Snowdrops at Winterthur and Here 2015

Snowdrops at Winterthur and Here

Winterthur Part 3: A Walk in the Woods

Winterthur Part 2B: Late Spring 2013, The Quarry Garden

Winterthur Part 2A: Late Spring 2013, Peonies

Winterthur Part 1: Late Winter 2013

2013 Winter Interest Plants

February GBBD: Add to Your Spring Shopping List

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Welcome

Site Stats Since 11/3/10

Email Subscription to Blog Posts

Pages

Click image for links to all articles on snowdrops

Search My Website

All photos and text on this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without my express permission

Top Posts & Pages

Recent Posts

Click image to see Carolyn’s photos in The New York Times

Reader Locations (click to enlarge)

Plant Information (click for website)

Reference Books (click for website)

Places to Visit (click for website)