Friday, September 11, 2015

The Garden Walk



One of the most beautiful areas in Longwood Gardens is the Garden Walk, a path the length
 of two football fields and lined with large flower beds on both sides, plus some fountains.
The gardens are organized into six major color areas: blue-purple, red, pink, fountain, orange, 
yellow and white.  This sunken garden is at the mid-point.




Not only is the path lined with flowers, but they are arranged in tiers, with the
shorter flowers at the front, then the medium sized, and finally the very tall
flowering plants at the rear, like a wall.




The rainbow of colors begins with the blues and purples.  These are Blue Lisianthus,
which look like roses and grow very easily on long thin stalks.   Later
you will see some pink ones and some white ones.  Beautiful.




Two lisianthus flowers.  They are never exactly the same hue of blue.




These are summer gladiolus.   They are very tall, so they are at
the back of the garden, with the blossoms at the top of the stalks.




Tibouchina, or the Princess Flower, has delicate stalks of deep purple flowers
and leaves which are soft like velvet.





The Purple Petticoat Datura has a large pure white flower with a deep purple
layer on the outside.





Giant Purple Hyssop.  The Hyssop comes in many colors.



Deep purple "Diva" dahlias, large and tall.  Dahlias are in each section of the garden,
as they come in so many colors and sizes and shapes.




Red geraniums began the red section of the gardens.



Red Cannas were used as backdrops.  I thought cannas were always messy and not
very beautiful.  Until this summer.  But I saw them used so effectively and
so beautifully at Longwood, that I would definitely have them in my garden.
My mother always loved them and we had beds in the front of the house; they
multiply quickly and so she always had extras to give to friends.




Tall Red Cannas.




Large red dahlias.  These were very tall and very large.




This is a large red Dinner-Plate Mallow.  It is about 12 inches across.  It is a big
cousin of the Rose-of-Sharon and Hibiscus.




And then we come to the pink section of the garden, where these beautiful large pale
pink dahlias form the backdrop.




Raspberry-pink Giant Hyssop




"Kidd's  Climax" pink and peach dahlia, very large and tall.




 Pink Lisianthus



Raspberry-pink Gomphrena  -  Globe Amaranths




"Kidd's Climax" Dahlias




Giant Peach Dahlias




Pink Wax Begonias




Frosty Pink Brugmansia - highly hallucinogenic / Nightshade family




Calibrachoa Cabaret Pink - Million Bells  -  Mini-Petunias




Pink Cannas and other colors also




Pink Gomphrena  /  Globe Amaranths




"Pinky Winky" Panicle Hydrangeas




The Garden Walk through the Orange and Yellow sections.


"Pam Howden Dahlia," one of my favorites this year.


New variety of orange French marigolds.


"Solar Flare Dahlias."  These came in several shades.




Darker orange Solar Flare dahlias.


Orange Popsicle Canna


Pale Yellow Cannas


Cup-Flower Yellow  Rudbeckia and Orange Cannas


"Best Bett"  Mystic Dahlias, photographed against the sun.


Yellow Spider Dahlias


New variety of yellow French marigolds.


Two yellow spider dahlias


Two pale yellow gladiolus


And finally, the White Garden.  These are white lisianthus.



White Spider Dahlias


White Spider Dahlias


White Cleome, "Spider Plants"


White Cleome, Spider Plants


White Datura, shot against the sun


White Datura bush, in sunlight


White Angelonia


White Nicotine Plant




White Panicle Hydrangeas


This is what a summer garden should look like, I think.

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