Last week I visited Longwood Gardens outside Philadelphia; they were having their
Spring Flower Show featuring especially bulb flowers. They had more than 200,000.
This is the main entrance with a dozen raised flower beds.
Tulips look different at various times of the day; in the morning, their petals are closed
and they look like buds before opening. By noon, they are open to chalice shape.
And by 3:00 in the afternoon, they have opened all the way. There are also early blooming
tulips (early April), mid blooming and late blooming (late April). Each last for
ten to twelve days. The bulbs were planted last September.
The color scheme in these beds was purple and yellow. There are three varieties of
purple tulips, three of yellow, some single and some double, and then the pale blue
flowers are grape hyacinths.
You can see the double dark blue-purple Blue Spectacle Tulips, and the reddish purple
tulips, and single Purple Prince tulips. In front are pale yellow early tulips and to the left
are yellow Apeldoorn Tulips. The grape hyacinths come in light and dark blue.
I like bold colors and forms, and so the display was particularly appealing to me.
This photographed into the sun, so the flowers appear to be lighted from within.
The side courtyard with more beds. There are a number of large wooden rocking chairs,
so after a long day walking around the gardens, you can sit in a chair in the shade and relax.
The pale blue and pale yellow make an interesting contrast to the bold purple and yellow.
As soon as the flowers begin to wilt or drop petals, they are pulled out and new,
different plants just approaching full bloom are brought in to replace them. In this case,
on my second morning, some of the taller yellow tulips were gone and replaced with
tall yellow snapdragons and blue delphiniums.
Purple and yellow.
Yellow snapdragons and blue delphiniums are added to the mixture. White Sweet
Alyssum was added in front the next morning.
The path to the Italian Water Garden was lined with snapdragons and daffodils.
Border of the path to the Italian Water Garden.
Large peach cupped white daffodils.
My first day, these Lilac Lady Tulips were mixed with tall Fritillaria and short
Summer Snowdrops and White and Pink Hyacinths.
Lilac Lady Tulips
Pink and White Hyacinths
But on my third day, by the time I arrived at 10:00 a.m., the hyacinths were all gone,
and they were replaced with pale purple Nemesia in full bloom. Gardens work after
6:00 at night and before 9:00 in the morning to replace flowers. So whenever you go,
you find a garden at peak bloom. Only a few of us know how the gardens change
from day to day. Which is why I like to stay several days and see many gardens.
Summer Snowdrops
Pots with tall white Foxglove, dark blue Canterbury Bells, and lavender Stock and
Nemesia appeared on the second day of my stay.
Flowering Dogwood trees were all over the gardens and all over S.E. Pennsylvania.
The bright whiteness of the Flowering Dogwoods made a great contrast to the other
vegetation.
Looking up at the sky through the Flowering Dogwood is like watching snowflakes fall,
except no cold temperatures.
A Flowering Dogwood in Pierce's Woods, a part of the Gardens.
Blue Creeping Phlox carpeted the woods.
Blossoms of the Flowering Dogwood.
A visitor with the Foxglove and Stock flowers.
Redbud trees filled Pierce's Woods and all Eastern Pennsylvania.
Large patches of Trillium were on the floor of the woods. These wildflowers
are fairly rare up North, but were plentiful here.
White Trillium and Wood Sorrel. We also saw Purple and Yellow Trillium.
Patches of Foam Flowers were under the trees.
Fotheringill Bush
White Flowering Crabapple Trees were along all the highways and throughout
the Gardens.
Branches of White Flowering Crabapples
Double Pink Flowering Crabapple. The flowers were huge clusters.
Double Pink Flowering Crabapple
Guest at the entrance.
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