Falling in Love with Red

I love plants, and I especially love plants with red flowers, stems or leaves. Red is described in so many words, such as crimson, vermilion, carmine, claret, cherry and ruby. Each of these terms helps express garden excitement to me! It’s hard to describe the feeling inside, when for the first time, you see an amazing plant in person that you’ve read about for years ! I love hearing from guests who encounter choice plants in the gardens for the first time.

 

Mimulus 'Valentine'

With Valentine’s Day approaching, I think it’s fitting to take a romantic stroll down through the Conservatory to see what exciting, red plants we have on display!  A plant with a very appropriate name for the season is Mimulus ‘Valentine’.  The common name for this is sticky monkey flower, and if you touch the leaves you’ll know where the “sticky” comes from!  This California native is often found in Longwood’s Mediterranean Garden, where its cherry-red blossoms are enjoyed from late winter to early spring.

One of the warmest gardens in the Conservatory complex (the Rose House) contains our collection of

 

Hibiscus 'Caleb' & 'Kiss and Tell'

Chinese hybrid hibiscus.  These plants require very warm temperatures and very bright light.  They appreciate a constant low-level feeding program and careful monitoring of the soil pH.  In your home you might have experienced lots of yellow leaves forming on your plants.  No fear, ours do the same thing. It’s perfectly natural for the older leaves to yellow and fall.  The key is to have a healthy enough plant to regrow new leaves quickly. There’s no better place in the Conservatory to relax on a bench and soak up some rays with your sweetheart than near our hibiscus plants in the Rose House!  I captured this image of Hibiscus ‘Kiss and Tell‘ embracing Hibiscus ‘Caleb’.  Looks like ‘Caleb’ was blushing from the advances of his carmine partner!  

 

Cestrum elegans 'Newelii'

Cestrum elegans ‘Newelii’ is one of the more unusual plants you might encounter in the Conservatory.  We grow this plant as a multi-stemmed small shrub and as an elegant standard with a single trunk.  The pendulous clusters of vermilion florets hang with such beauty and weight!  This specimen is native to Mexico and can bloom profusely from late December through early March.  This member of the Solanaceae family (also the family of tomatoes and potatoes) attracts butterflies when it flowers outdoors, but indoors it attracts only “OOH’s and AHH’s”

 

Abutilon 'Voodoo'

For anyone superstitious about the power of the color red then look  no further than Abutilon ‘Voodoo’. This Victorian favorite is an ever-bloomer in the Garden Path, and likely will do the same inside your home.  This horticultural hybrid developed by California’s Jon Dixon is a vigorous and upright grower.  You can find this member of the Malvaceae family (think of okra, cotton and hibiscus) throughout all continents with tropical and sub-tropical climates.  You will be rewarded by intensely colored carmine bells that hang like ornaments during every holiday!

Australia has a wonderful diversity of flowering plants and one of my favorites that blossoms in the East Conservatory is Callistemon citrinus.

 

Callistemon

This member of the myrtle family has delightfully fragrant foliage when crushed, and if you happen to hold a leaf to the light you will see hundreds of tiny holes that seem to act as skylights through the leaf itself!  The real beauty is the flower with its fuzzy red stamens that are produced by the hundreds!

I can’t resist adding at least one orchid into the mix since Longwood Gardens is celebrating the Orchid Extravaganza from now through March 27, 2011. 

 

Stenorrhynchos speciosum

Stenorrhynchos speciosum (commonly called the Latin American lady orchid) is a South American native with small white splotches on the foliage.  The floral spike consists of red bracts (modified leaves) with true flowers inside.  It’s a challenge to grow in the home, and is best suited to experts or those who have a cool greenhouse.  Longwood’s Orchid Extravaganza has more than 2,000 orchids on display and this is just one of the many different kinds of orchids we display throughout the year.  Some bloom for months, but this one lasts for just a few weeks.  Come regularly and see if you can spot it in our collection!

We know Spring is on the way when we see tulips in flower, and in the Orangery we have some of the newest cultivars available. 

 

Tulipa 'Pallada'

Tulipa ‘Pallada’ is one of the best deep red triumph tulips on the market.  Red tulips are some of the heaviest researched and trialed colors out there due to their huge popularity in the garden and floral arranging.  I know they’ll be your favorite bulb this year.  These “two lips” don’t lie!

Read Full Post »

Fruit & Floral FANTASTIC!

The results are in and the Fruit & Floral Weekend (September 5-7, 2009) was a raving success! This display–a FIRST for Longwood Gardens–was made up of five parts, including

a vegetable chandelier that measured 12′ across and more than 15′ tall. Our staff members harvested more than 2,000 ears of field corn from the perimeter land to create this gargantuan hanging exhibit. Two hundred pounds of squash and close to 500 individual lemons were wired to a frame that was built by Longwood’s metal craftsmen. Guests were greeted as they approached the chandelier by an archway of  artichokes flanked by two towers of glowing red tomatoes!

Thousands of people enjoyed the second part, made up of ten creative floral designs that anchored the display on the ground level.  Participants in a Continuing Education class called Grand-Scale Harvest Designs created award-winning compositions based on criteria supplied by myself and Longwood’s designer.  Some of the selections were Primary, Complementary, and Monochromatic color palettes, plant families including Cucurbitaceae, Brassicaceae, and Solanaceae and well as an American Native, Underground and WILDCARD! categories.  Congratulations to all who participated in the tireless evolution of the floral arts. 

The third portion of the display consisted of the community harvest design competition.  There were children and adult divisions with four categories each.  Janet B. won Best in Show–Adult for her eggplant creation while Kayla H. earned Best in Show–Children’s for her underwater scene.

In the Homegrown–Adult category Lee A. took first and Dan H. scored a close second.  In the Store-bought Veggie–Adult category, 1st went to Linda G., 2nd to Colleen R. and 3rd to Karl G.  Veggie Critter–Adult winners were: 1st-Janet B., 2nd-Terry A., 3rd-Janet B., and Honorable Mention to Grace A., Michelle C., Kat M. and Lee A.

In the Children’s Category we were overwhelmed with veggie critters and the winners are tied: 2nd-Emily M. & Luz L., 3rd-David A. & Nicole F. Honorable Mention went to Susana G., Andrew S., Emily M., Anna W., Shawn S., Eliza W. and Bobby A.

The fourth part of the display was produce grown, harvested and artfully arranged by Longwood Gardens.  A special thanks goes out to the Idea Garden team including Adam, Susan and Harold for their dedication to making this part of the display better than ever!

Lastly we were able to secure a giant pumpkin (to the tune of 875 pounds!) which was grown and carved by Gus Smithhisler of Ohio.  His pumpkin carvings have been featured in numerous state fairs across the Mid-west as well as in the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas!  His interpretation of Longwood Gardens’ year of pollination was artfully executed in the carving of flowers being pollinated by hummingbirds and bees.  Notice the veggie critter pollinators attached to the pumpkin!

A special thanks goes out to all the staff, volunteers and community participants who put in countless hours of planning and execution, cleanup and drilling to make this kickoff weekend such a stellar success!  Be on the lookout for plans of next year’s event, which promises to be even bigger and better!  Mark your calendars now and start planning your designs for next year!

Read Full Post »

Fruits of the Season

For a brief window spanning September 5-7, 2009 Longwood Gardens will host the Harvest Design Competition & Display. This exciting new display is the kickoff event of the Autumn’s Colors Season (September 7- November 22). Anchoring this display will be the creation of a 12-foot-wide vegetable chandelier by Longwood staff. More than 250 ears of golden corn, 125 pounds of yellow squash and close to 500 individual lemons will be suspended from the roof of the Exhibition Hall.  Guests will walk through an archway of artichokes more than 10 feet tall as they enter the display. Flanking the entry will be two towers of tomatoes made up of more than 100 pounds of tomatoes each!

Underneath the chandelier, visitors can enjoy a spectacular display of Grand-Scale Harvest Designs created by students of Longwood Gardens’ Continuing Education program. Expect to see literally THOUSANDS of vegetables artfully arranged with hundreds upon hundreds of stems of fresh cut flowers. The designs will reflect varied themes. A few of my favorite themes are Tropical, including pineapples and ginger, and American Natives like goldenrod and corn. Color themes include complementary and primary pallettes. Plant family themes include Solanaceae (tomoato & potato), Brassicaceae (cauliflower & Brussels sprouts) and Cucurbitaceae (cucumbers & watermelon).

You are invited to participate in the judged portion of the exhibit. Make your own Harvest Design to compete for the cash prizes. Ensure that only natural elements are used and your entry fits one of the following categories:
1) Homegrown
2) Purchased at a local farmstand
3) Purchased from the supermarket
4) Vegetable critter-see Vanessa’s work!

Visit the Longwood Gardens website for more information on entering the competition.

Children may enter all categories to compete against their own age group. The exciting list of celebrity judges consists of test garden manager Sandra Gerdes from Better Homes & Gardens Magazine, executive director Bill Thomas of Chanticleer Garden and floral artist Michael A. Hasco, AIFD.  This distinguished group will carefully examine the entries beginning at 9:00 am on Saturday the 4th. Winners will be contacted after judging is complete.

While the fruits of the season will catch your eye in the Exhibition Hall, be sure to notice all the chrysanthemums in the conservatory beds, too! This is the earliest we have ever had exhibition-style chrysanthemums on display at Longwood Gardens. Each single-stem mum takes considerable care and attention to produce such an award winning display. Check back next week as we recap winners of  the Fruit & Floral Weekend as well as explore more autumnal plants in-depth!

Read Full Post »