Winterthur

With this time off work, Bob and I decided we wanted to take a trip to Winterthur.  It's been 40 years since I've been there and he's never been.  I was surprised to see it so very close to Longwood Gardens and easy to get from one to the other!  Winterthur is just across the Delaware border, maybe 5 miles from Longwood.  This time we went mainly for the garden.  Our tickets are good for two days, so we'll be going there again for the house and museum.

The grounds are stunning!  Even though they are in a warmer zone than us, and all the spring flowers were spent, the ground were shady and inviting and full of texture.  There were some flowers, but most of the summer flowers haven't begun yet.

 The meadow at Winterthur is large and lush with paths meandering through it.

 It looks like a lonely gazebo standing in the middle of a grassy plain, but we were told that early spring that grassy plain is a field of blue crocus which were just recently finished with their spring bloom.  A reason to go even earlier in the season.  All the azalea, rhododendron and other spring flowers were done when we were there.

 The house is incredible!  Just the massive size of it needs to be seen to be appreciated.  The conservatory here is small compared to Longwood Garden with it's massive conservatories, but it is sufficient.  Henry DuPont designed and built the house around the lay of the land.  It is 6 stories high, but 2 of the stories are underground.  He built the house so as not to disturb the natural slope of the land.  There is also a stream that he bridged the house over rather than try to change the flow of the water.

This is a two-tier Koi pond that is fed by a small run-off from the patios.  The patios are quite high up the side of a bank which lends perfectly to the tiny run-off.  The patios of the house are shady and inviting with Bristol tables and chairs overlooking the Koi pond and reflecting pool.

The reflecting pool is banked on each side by a pool house, one for the men and one for the women, which was the style of the day.

 One of the pool houses.


I couldn't leave this post without a view of one of the areas of the museum.  We didn't do much in the house this time but plan on going back since the tickets are good for another trip there.  This time will be for the house and museum.  It really does take more than one day just for the grounds, but I'm thinking it'll take just as long for the museum as well. 

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Snow Fountain Cherry

Snow Fountain Cherry

I was watching the news Friday when WGAL had their little 2 minute excerpt from "The Garden Guy" a local nursery man for a larger nursery in the area.  He was talking about the Bradford Pear and how it shouldn't be planted any longer.  He talked about this pear tree and the Cleveland pear because they are in bloom right now.  My question is - Why would he talk about the many other lovely trees that are in bloom or coming into bloom right now that are beautiful in people's gardens such as the Sow Fountain Cherry shown here.  This tree is not only lovely but has a wonderful fragrance and encourages the early pollinators.  The pear trees smell like, in my opinion, dead fish and draw in flies that it needs for pollination.

It took me a couple of tries before I found a tree that could tolerate the somewhat soggy conditions I have in this spot.  It's not a wet spot, but has a tendency to flood when we get heavy rains.  The Snow Fountain Cherry does especially well in this spot and is helped by a larger honey locust on the east side of the walk.  For years now, this spot has been acceptable as the trees help to keep it from getting to soggy.    It will tolerate drier spots as well as the moist one I have mine in but will not grow as quickly.

The only problem I see with the Snow Fountain Cherry is that the bloom time is too short.  Usually it's soggy and rainy when the tree is in bloom in early April and the temperatures are cool and raw.  It's sometimes hard to get out and see how beautiful this tree is or how wonderful it smells when the temps are so raw.  But for the past couple of years I've been able to do just that.  It would be best as a ornamental in the front garden where all folks driving past your home could see and appreciate it.  If you do plant one near your home, give it some room as it will get wider as it grows.  I have this one planted about 15 feet away from the house at an angle which gives it plenty of room right now.  I would suggest maybe 20 feet as it would give you no problem at all, even as it gets wider. 

Usually with grafted weepers as this one, they don't grow much taller than what they are when you purchase them so be selective and choose one that would fit where you want to put it height wise.

After the flowers fade, the tree gets covered with tiny cherries that are black.  No fear, the cherries won't last the summer on the tree.  I usually see it covered with birds feasting on the cherries until they are all gone.  I especially love those Waxwings that swoop in, gorge, and swoop out when the cherries are gone.  I have several flocks of Waxwings that make my garden a daily stop for the summer and fall.  I have a lot of native trees that provide the berries and fruit they so desire.  I have two Serviceberries which provide a lovely red berry that I don't see very much (because of the birds), two Chokecherries, Winter King Hawthorn, Spice bush, Winterberry, Crabapple, Dogwood and several different varieties of Viburnum.  There are other plants and trees that provide food even for the winter birds if left stand over the winter months.  But I digress. 

The Snow Fountain Cherry is one of the most beautiful trees that provides interest for the garden for all four seasons.  Early spring (now) it blooms a lovely white with a wonderful fragrance.  Summer it has a nice green color with the black cherries and autumn it is a lovely bronze color.  Winter it shows it's structure with the hanging branches.  It is one I recommend for a showy area that might be a little on the wet side, but not boggy.