As I begin to write about the garden, the word that springs to my mind is “full.”  But full doesn’t do it. A thesaurus is helpful to find words to describe the lush color of azaleas, primroses and peonies:  abounding, chock-full, extravagant, lavish, saturated and voluminous are good descriptors of the garden today.

1) The peony garden is coming into full bloom. My favorites are the single pink peonies near the summer house. If you catch them in just the right light, they seem to glow.

2) The lower March Bank, especially looking at it from Icewell Terrace is fabulous right now. Azaleas in pink, white and purple. I recommend a picnic lunch on Icewell Terrace in the cool shade of the magnificent trees.

3) The Reflecting Pool Garden sports lavendar azaleas and puffy white viburnums. My daughter, who will (hopefully) be married there on June 27th, asked if I could freeze the garden just as it looks today. Is the power of the mother-of-the-bride that strong?

4) The Quarry Garden is as pretty as I’ve ever seen it in my 11 years at Winterthur. The candelabra primroses in sweet candy-shop colors must  like this spring’s weather. I suspect staff and volunteers have been working very hard to make the Quarry Garden look “like it just happened.”

5) In Azalea Woods, most of the azaleas are done for the year. Don’t dispair – following close behind the azaleas are the triumphantly bold rhododendrons. Love the lavender ones with deep purple centers.

6) In the Pinetum, bright orange and yellow native azaleas brighten the shade as the conifer walls capture their sweet fragrance. Ferns and lillies of the valley carpet the soil. Well-placed benches invite you to take a break and enjoy a perfect spring day in the Winterthur Garden.

Enjoy!

Today in the Winterthur Garden, the Magnolia denudata “Elizabeth” is just opening with “her” pale yellow blossoms. In just a short walk to get a bit of fresh air, I encountered:

- Museum guests enjoying Elizabeth’s first flowers

- Near the museum store, Leigh Donnelly planting nearly 400 hellebores to complement the many boxwoods recently installed.

- Loes Hutmacher checking on the new plants just in at the plant shop. She reminded me that if I purchase just 6 plants, there’s a 25% discount.  It’s time to add Brandywine bluebells to my home garden.

Recently, I spoke with Carol Long about expectations for the extravagent bloom in Azalea Woods. She promised to make a prediction after this weekend’s warm temperatures.  Often, the azaleas are at their peak just in time for Mother’s Day.

Brandywine bluebells, magnolias, windflowers, redbuds and flowering quince are the highlights of the week for me. Come and enjoy the Winterthur Garden!

(Current membership or paid admission is required for experiencing the garden. Thank you for helping to preserve and protect this beautiful place.)

In an earlier post Carol wrote about blue in the early May garden. Just a little later in May, as the dogwoods begin to fade, white flowers begin to emerge. These whites can be a useful addition to the garden; they can add energy to a border, help to blend competing colors, and brighten shady areas. White used with a bold color can be an elegant combination. White with yellow or pink, for example, is a classic pairing. Look closely and you’ll observe subtle differences in the qualities of white flowers that you can use in creating combinations. Notice the hints of pink, cream, and chartreuse in the flowers pictured. These photographs were taken just this afternoon; this is an excellent time to visit the Winterthur garden and discover white’s versatility.

 
Left to right: clematis, double-file viburnum, kousa dogwood