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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