Visit the former dairy and farm while exploring the ever-changing estate landscape on this narrated tram tour. Hear accounts of estate history as you see how we have repurposed historic work areas. Glimpse behind the scenes on this members-only tour led by a specially-trained guide. The 45-minute tour will leave from the east circle near the Dorrance Gallery at 4:30 pm each Wednesday.

• 4:30-5:15 p.m.
• Each Wednesday in August and September 2011.
• Members only.   
• Cost is $5 per member.
• Begins on August 3, 2011.
• Reservations recommended by 4 p.m.
• Cancelled if inclement weather threatens.
•  Appropriate for families with children.
•  Handicap accessible; one wheelchair tie-down station per tram.
• Capacity of 48

White Arrow in Azalea Woods

Do you find the Winterthur Garden hard to navigate?  Unsure where the path may lead you?  Is the newly emerging foliage obscuring your view of the Museum (the main referencing point when out “in the wild”)?  Well fear no more! The white arrows have made their return and just in time to celebrate the glorious display of azaleas, primrose, lovely scented lilacs and a host of other spring flowering plants.

H. F. du Pont used simple, white directional arrows to help lead guests to the “must see spots” during Winterthur’s Spring Tour.  Chris Strand, Winterthur’s Director of Garden and Estate thought that it would be a relatively easy thing to replicate, while giving an historical nod to Winterthur’s original form of way finding. The white arrow tour is now in its 5^th year. The journey begins on the back patio of the Visitors Center, winds its way through the garden and ends at the back side of the Dorrance Gallery. 

If you have never taken the tour, come give it a try and let us know what surprises you discovered along they way.

Learn fascinating, little-known details about the estate with our horticultural staff.

Bring your flashlight and prepare for a long walk. Dress for the weather and wear walking shoes. In case of inclement weather, call 302.888.4915 after 10:00 am. Walks last approximately 90 minutes. Members free. No reservations necessary. Included with all admission tickets.

Will someone stop hitting the fast forward button, please?  Over the past seven days we have progressed about three weeks—flower time, that is. We have gone from smelling the spicy scent of star magnolias (Magnolia stellata) to the perfume fragrance of lilacs (Syringa vulgaris cvs). It makes my head spin even more to think that just a month ago we still were snow covered.   This is a whirlwind spring if ever I can remember one.  Both extremes in Mother Nature’s weather forecasts have made us have to rethink and prioritize our gardening tasks, tabling some until fall or even next spring since the window for some of our horticultural work has been greatly condensed—or even passed by. 

Our saucer magnolias (Magnolia x soulangiana) and cherries are still in flower but are beginning to drop their petals.  The emerging leaves from some of our canopy trees are shedding their protective bud scales as well which, along with the petals, can form pretty “debris” on the ground below.  One garden task that is ephemeral but a celebration of this above described moment is moving the petals aside—usually with a blower, but a broom or rake will do, too—and creating a pathway that is lined in pastel flower petals, sprinkled with a few spring green bud scales. The grove of magnolias at Magnolia Bend is a perfect setting for this petal pathway as there is a bench placed at the end to draw you in; if not physically then at least visually.

I gave a tour to a group from The Morris Arboretum on Tuesday and we stopped along the Pinetum allee and admired one of our specimen cherries, Prunus ‘Accolade’ at the height of its flower. A light breeze was coming off of the adjacent field and along with the sunlight, created a shimmering effect as the petals fell.   Everyone reveled not only in the tree’s beauty in full flower but the magic captured in that moment.  As we stood out away from the tree, petals still in our hair, a higher breeze came through and whisked the petals from the tree and in “mid flight” the breeze changed direction and the petals—still high in the air—went back toward the tree, glimmering in the light.  We had never seen anything quite like it.  Spring can be a frenzied time in a gardener’s world but it is capturing moments such as petals dropping or a first flower opening that allows us to pause for a moment, catch our breath and feed the soul.

Crisp clear days, hints of fall color, and asters flowering in the meadows – autumn is here! Join us for a walk through the garden to see the highlights of fall from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm on Saturday, October 10.

Dress for the weather and wear walking shoes. In case of inclement weather, call 302.888.4915 after 10:00 am. No reservations necessary. Included with all admission tickets, Members free.

Gardening in the shade offers gardeners an environment full of opportunity. It was shade that inspired H. F. du Pont’s first gardening efforts when he began the creation of the March Bank in 1902. On the “canvas” of the shady woodland floor surrounding the Winterthur house, du Pont designed acres of colorful, wild gardens, “painting” with thousands of ephemeral spring bulbs.

Garden guide specialist Jeannette Lindvig will lead a walk through the shady Winterthur woodlands, and see thousands of spring bulbs and wildflowers at their peak of bloom. You will leave embracing the opportunities offered by shade in your garden.

Visit our web page for more information about garden lectures and walks in 2009.

From Linda’s research on Winterthur’s daffodils; instead of mixing daffodil cultivars, Mr. du Pont always used a single cultivar in a drift. In his words, “ the so-called cheap mixtures for naturalizing in grass should be avoided, as the result will be a jumble of Poeticus, Trumpets, and the double varieties, and all the other kinds which, together, to me are a perfect nightmare. Always plant the varieties separately. This is one of the essential and all important lessons the intending planter must learn.”

He also suggested planting the early, mid, and late flowering daffodils in separate areas so the passing flowers would not distract from the ones at their peak.

For more garden lectures and walks in 2009, take a look at this link:

http://www.winterthur.org/calendar/garden_programs.asp

Identify the signs of spring during this one- or two-hour moderately-paced hike. After the first hour you will have the option of stopping close to the museum.

For more garden lectures and walks in 2009, take a look at this link:

http://www.winterthur.org/calendar/garden_programs.asp

A huge rainstorm blew through Winterthur around noon today. By 2:00, I ventured out into spring. Is the March Bank still blue? Are the trees ok? What’s in bloom?

Today the air was fresh, the sky full of fluffy white clouds. The sun even broke through a few times warming my shoulders. No matter what day you come to the garden, you’ll experience the “beauty and great calm of a country place.”

-The March Bank is still blue but today the flower heads are turned down and closed, but they are still out there! Next thing up will be cascades of wind flowers, then the blue of Brandywine bluebells.

- Frogs and fish at the glade garden; plus a couple snakes enjoying the afternoon sun.

-Several pieces of sculpture have returned to the Reflecting Pool Garden. Three fountains, plus one of the sundial cherubs has returned its hiatus.

-Winterhazel Walk is near its peak! Clouds of lemon yellow and pure pink form a unique composition. Look at the hellebores below that echo the colors above.

-Magnolias are opening in the Sundial Garden. The huge Wada’s Memory magnolia will be at peak any day now.

-The rain must hit have from one direction; the beech tree’s bark is dry on one side and saturated on the other.

-If you plan to visit the garden this weekend, watch the weather reports. Predictions are for very high winds tomorrow; nicer on Sunday.

Two events are fast approaching: the Bank to Bend lecture on April 4th and the beginning of the Wednesdays at Winterthur walks. The first W @ W is on April Fool’s Day when Michelle Stapleford will lead a walk among the Winterhazels.  For a pdf of all the programs in the garden, take a look:

http://www.winterthur.org/pdfs/garden_programs_flyer_2009.pdf

And speaking of birds, on Friday, March 20, Winterthur hosted the Delaware Nature Society’s birding series. The visit is featured on the DNS blog for March 21. We had a great time spotting 33 species of birds including a belted kingfisher, ring-necked ducks and a rusty blackbird.