Woodland Path

From the Enabling Garden, we walk south and all along the Woodland Path, which winds

around a hill.  Here there are several "Sensory Gardens," which encourage you to smell the

leaves, notice the differences in textures of the plants, and enjoy the variety of hot and cool

colors.  These are the "Maryl Chrysanthemums."

"Maryl Chrysanthemums"

A bed with many contrasts - "Maryl Mums," "Decorative Cabbage," and "Black Baron

Millet Spikes."

"Lola" anemone mums grow in clusters, rather than a single flower on each stem.

"Lola Anemone Mums" in clusters

"Orange Football Mums" were another cluster variety.

"Orange Football Mums"

"Blue Milka Asters," smaller cousins of the chrysanthemums.

"Marmalade" Rudbeckia Daisies

"Marmalade" Rudbeckia Daisies

"Spanish Red Dahlias"

"Intenz Wheat Celosia."  Celosia used to come just in red, pink, or yellow. 

 This is one of the newest varieties.

"Seaton's Ruby Chrysanthemums"

"Seaton's  Ruby  Chrysanthemums"

"White Spider Chrysanthemums"

"White Spider Chrysanthemum"

"Heart of the Jungle Elephant Ears / Colocasia."

These giant black leaves are part of the Brazil theme and make you feel as if

you are deep in a jungle.

Entrance to the "Vegetable Garden."

In the U.S. we usually plant vegetables in a vegetable garden and flowers in a flower

garden, but in France and other countries, they mix the two kinds of plants.

The "Vegetable Garden" at the Chicago Botanic Gardens mingle the two in wonderfully

imaginative and colorful ways.  And now, my sister, for example, only sets out

gardens with a mixture of the two in a highly successful manner.

These are "Key Lime Mums" and "Decorative Kale."

 "Key Lime Chrysanthemums."  This is the real color of Key Lime limes; they are

yellow, not green.

View from the bridge looking down onto new terraces recently created with a mixture of

flowers and vegetables.  There are onions, cabbage, pansies, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard,

beets, dwarf zinnias, and mustard.

Terraces with mixtures of flowers and vegetables.  The vegetables are harvested and

sold in a farmers' market.

Another mixture: of Burgundy Grain Amaranth, cabbages, and Pot Marigolds.

 Mixture of vegetables and flowers.

Wonderful bed of Monte Cassino White Asters, Swiss Chard, and Chinese Mustard.

Monte Cassino Asters and Swiss Chard.

"Elegance Greens Mixture."  We actually had this for lunch.

 "Orange - Purple - Black Ornamental Peppers"

"Peter III Blue Asters"

"Pak Choi and Chinese Cabbage."  The "Vegetable Garden" has classes on raising

vegetables and how you might serve them.

"Pink Henry III Asters"

Amongst the vegetables were also several splendid dahlias, like this one:

"Majestic Pink Swirl."

"Purple Speckles" was a large, dramatic dahlia.

"Pink Petticoats Dahlia"

"Oak Leaf Hydrangea" in bloom.  I had never seen it before.  The leaves turn brown, copper,

 and gold in the fall and look like they have been dusted with gold powder.  The flowers

are a pale yellow.

"Autumn Crocus" lie dormant in the ground, under groundcover plants, all spring

and all summer.  Then suddenly, they pop from the ground, with no leaves, and put out

these beautiful lavender flowers.

"Autumn Crocus"

A visitor to the Garden.


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