P
Pam/Digging
Guest
October 05, 2023
Longwood Gardens is a showplace of plants designed to wow, and wow it did during the Philadelphia Area Fling tour in late September. Today I’ll show the most crowded — and likely most popular — part of the garden, the Flower Garden Walk and Compartment Gardens.
As you enter Longwood, a broad path to the right leads you into a long border of tropical color set against emerald arborvitae hedges.
Eucalyptus and red caladiums repeat along the path.
Potted bromeliads appear too.
Bromeliad in bloom
Along a series of red-brick arches, a trailing vine with hot-pink flowers makes a pretty color echo.
And then I was in the Flower Garden Walk proper, along with throngs of late-afternoon oohers and aahers.
It was a glorious pink show, with drooping amaranthus…
…salvia, gomphrena, begonia, and many, many more flowering annuals, perennials, grasses, and shrubs.
Pink
PINK
PINK!!
These borders were amazingly lush and beautifully tended, and they wowed. But I confess that English-style borders along a long, straight path aren’t my favorite type of garden. I delight more in mystery and discovery.
Still, let’s soak up this extravaganza of color!
I like this combo: bachelor’s button (gomphrena) and Persian shield. Both of these annuals grow well in Austin’s hotter, drier climate (with supplemental water). However, Persian shield needs shade here, so I’m doubtful if this combo would work for us. In warm winters like we used to have, Persian shield can even overwinter in a protected spot.
In the middle of the Flower Garden Walk, a round pool and fountain draws your attention, as a perpendicular path crosses through.
The pinks go softer here, more peach.
A pretty combo of canna, dahlia, and salvia
The crossing path leads down to a square pool and fountain backed by layered hedges. Fluffy papyrus makes a green veil around the fountain.
In a curved niche under the stairs, there’s another papyrus vignette, with a dripping fountain and weathered pot.
How freaking adorable is this little guy? I think it’s a dragon spigot!
Chartreuse and brick-red create strong contrast at the square fountain.
The Compartment Gardens are revealed along this path, each separately hedged and hidden by clipped arborvitae. I like this sense of discovery.
This is the Peony Garden, but in late September it was mostly green with diaphanous grasses adding interest.
A large sundial anchors the center. Notice too the enormous bald cypresses lining the back hedge.
A peek down a short-cut to the entry walk with eucalyptus and caladiums
I came across a small plaza with this floral showpiece — shazam! A cluster of oxblood pots reads as one mass planting of tropical texture and color. I love this.
A beautiful combo of color and texture and shape
Look how the purple veins of this leaf are echoed by the purple foliage around it.
As the sun was dipping low, I found this Mediterranean-style garden, with low walls enclosing beds of dry-loving plants.
This space speaks to me as a hot-climate gardener, although many Mediterranean plants do not thrive in Austin’s sauna-like summer, with nights that stay warm. I’ll enjoy them here!
Sempervivum pots — love!
Dry-loving container plants look great pushed together for a massed effect.
I like this potted pine with dune grass and other perennials too.
Gorgeous! I wish the deer didn’t eat my dune grass at home because I am crazy about how it fluffs out a container of dry-loving plants.
Up next: A fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of the plant production facility at Longwood. For a look back at a stroll through Longwood’s golden Meadow Garden, click here.
I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!
__________________________
Come learn about garden design from the experts at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, and authors a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. The Season 7 lineup can be found here.
Tour several Austin gardens on Saturday, November 4, on the Garden Conservancy’s Open Day tour for Travis County. Tickets must be purchased online in advance and will be available beginning September 1st.
All material © 2023 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
The post Flamboyant flower borders and containers at Longwood Gardens appeared first on Digging.
Continue reading...
Longwood Gardens is a showplace of plants designed to wow, and wow it did during the Philadelphia Area Fling tour in late September. Today I’ll show the most crowded — and likely most popular — part of the garden, the Flower Garden Walk and Compartment Gardens.
As you enter Longwood, a broad path to the right leads you into a long border of tropical color set against emerald arborvitae hedges.
Eucalyptus and red caladiums repeat along the path.
Potted bromeliads appear too.
Bromeliad in bloom
Along a series of red-brick arches, a trailing vine with hot-pink flowers makes a pretty color echo.
And then I was in the Flower Garden Walk proper, along with throngs of late-afternoon oohers and aahers.
It was a glorious pink show, with drooping amaranthus…
…salvia, gomphrena, begonia, and many, many more flowering annuals, perennials, grasses, and shrubs.
Pink
PINK
PINK!!
These borders were amazingly lush and beautifully tended, and they wowed. But I confess that English-style borders along a long, straight path aren’t my favorite type of garden. I delight more in mystery and discovery.
Still, let’s soak up this extravaganza of color!
I like this combo: bachelor’s button (gomphrena) and Persian shield. Both of these annuals grow well in Austin’s hotter, drier climate (with supplemental water). However, Persian shield needs shade here, so I’m doubtful if this combo would work for us. In warm winters like we used to have, Persian shield can even overwinter in a protected spot.
In the middle of the Flower Garden Walk, a round pool and fountain draws your attention, as a perpendicular path crosses through.
The pinks go softer here, more peach.
A pretty combo of canna, dahlia, and salvia
The crossing path leads down to a square pool and fountain backed by layered hedges. Fluffy papyrus makes a green veil around the fountain.
In a curved niche under the stairs, there’s another papyrus vignette, with a dripping fountain and weathered pot.
How freaking adorable is this little guy? I think it’s a dragon spigot!
Chartreuse and brick-red create strong contrast at the square fountain.
The Compartment Gardens are revealed along this path, each separately hedged and hidden by clipped arborvitae. I like this sense of discovery.
This is the Peony Garden, but in late September it was mostly green with diaphanous grasses adding interest.
A large sundial anchors the center. Notice too the enormous bald cypresses lining the back hedge.
A peek down a short-cut to the entry walk with eucalyptus and caladiums
I came across a small plaza with this floral showpiece — shazam! A cluster of oxblood pots reads as one mass planting of tropical texture and color. I love this.
A beautiful combo of color and texture and shape
Look how the purple veins of this leaf are echoed by the purple foliage around it.
As the sun was dipping low, I found this Mediterranean-style garden, with low walls enclosing beds of dry-loving plants.
This space speaks to me as a hot-climate gardener, although many Mediterranean plants do not thrive in Austin’s sauna-like summer, with nights that stay warm. I’ll enjoy them here!
Sempervivum pots — love!
Dry-loving container plants look great pushed together for a massed effect.
I like this potted pine with dune grass and other perennials too.
Gorgeous! I wish the deer didn’t eat my dune grass at home because I am crazy about how it fluffs out a container of dry-loving plants.
Up next: A fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of the plant production facility at Longwood. For a look back at a stroll through Longwood’s golden Meadow Garden, click here.
I welcome your comments. Please scroll to the end of this post to leave one. If you’re reading in an email, click here to visit Digging and find the comment box at the end of each post. And hey, did someone forward this email to you, and you want to subscribe? Click here to get Digging delivered directly to your inbox!
__________________________
Digging Deeper
Come learn about garden design from the experts at Garden Spark! I organize in-person talks by inspiring designers, landscape architects, and authors a few times a year in Austin. These are limited-attendance events that sell out quickly, so join the Garden Spark email list to be notified in advance; simply click this link and ask to be added. The Season 7 lineup can be found here.
Tour several Austin gardens on Saturday, November 4, on the Garden Conservancy’s Open Day tour for Travis County. Tickets must be purchased online in advance and will be available beginning September 1st.
All material © 2023 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
The post Flamboyant flower borders and containers at Longwood Gardens appeared first on Digging.
Continue reading...