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.

This past year has been a notable one for the restoration of the garden. One of the most visible changes has been the return of architectural detail to the garden; statuary, cisterns, furniture and metalwork that were either in disrepair or no longer existing have been painstakingly restored or recreated to help us recapture the feel of a historic garden.

The Hippocampus is once again center-stage as a feature of the fountain display in the Reflecting Pool and the newly placed Sundial helps emphasize the half-circle landing on the Reflecting Pool staircase.

A bench, bird bath, gates and cistern provide the formal detail that complements the new plantings of the Box Scroll Garden. Missing finials on the railings were replaced and painted.

The Loggia at the East Terrace has seen the return of the shipbreak furniture, a cistern complete with working water feature and chandelier. The lighting on the Porch of the Dupont Dining Room, across from the Loggia, is also enhanced by the addition of three chandeliers.

The plants outside of the Conservatory are anchored by a pair of newly placed cisterns at either end of the flagstone patio.

An extraordinary amount of time and craftsmanship has gone into the replacement of these features and is a result of the generous support of our donors, the craftsmanship of A. Thayer Smith and Heritage Metalworks, and the efforts of our own Winterthur staff.

On June 27th, just before I left for a week at the beach, I was delighted to find that the sundial in the center of the Reflecting Pool garden was being installed. What joy! What fun! What delight!

Last time I saw the sculpture, seems like three years ago, the little cherubs holding up the sundial had no toes; they had been chewed off by diabolical and possibly insane squirrels.  Now, it has been returned to its original glory, complete with an ancient brass sundial.  I can almost imagine that hippocampus, the water horse, is waving its mane in salute to its long-lost friends, the trio of trumpeting cherubs.

Take some time to explore the reflecting pool garden this summer, from restored statuary to a shady loggia to lovely bright container plantings, it’s a summer paradise!