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As the season comes to an end, we marvel in the unraveling. The trees strip down, revealing their form. The gardeners pull and cut back tired plants from their areas, making way for our seasonal bulb displays. Slowly, the garden heads towards a long sleep.
A few brave species dare to flower now, such as Camellia oleifera, which can be found within Wisley Woods and the Orchard. While their flowers are odorless, they’re abundant and long-lasting, with a flowering time that ranges roughly two months. But flowers aren’t the be-all and end-all of the garden; I find that seed heads can often give more of an impact than flowers. For example, the fluffy seedheads of various Clematis: from the C. virginiana that graces parts of the meadows (photographed here sharing space with a Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) to the C. tangutica that transforms the nursery fence from utilitarian to whimsical.
Now is a good time to observe what trees do in preparation for the winter. Most go the way of Cotinus obovatus (our beautiful, and massive individual can be seen in Highland Park, adjacent to the lilac collection): a brilliant fall display. Magnolias are setting big, fuzzy buds that will explode into their spicy-fragranced flowers in early spring. Most conifer species are dropping old leaves, but of course leaving the majority. An exception is our state champion dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, which will soon join in the nakedness.
While the Woodwalk is beautiful year-round, it’s a particularly good walking spot at the moment because of the turning Japanese maples, such as ‘Waterfall’. It’s also a favorite spot for our beloved resident barred owl, who continues to oversee the fall clean up.
September is both the month of abundance, but also the month that the summer starts to unravel, transitioning into fall. Pink is giving way to gold and purple in the meadows, and fall flowering grasses are sending up their inflorescences. Now, the coppery inflorescences of Sorghastrum nutans greet you as you drive in to Willowwood. While those in the meadows are wild, this species is also excellent for garden places that call for a large grass.
At this point in the season, most plants almost seem tired, their flowering or already fruited heads heavy and leaning on one another for support. Some plants always need support, like most morning glories: case in point, our heart-and-honey vine, Ipomoea luteola ‘Sunspots’ that can be found rambling through the panicled hydrangea by the propagation house, among other spots.
Speaking of morning glories, the shorter days have finally triggered the moonflowers, Ipomoea alba, to flower. To see these dinner-plate size flowers fresh, get to Willowwood early and check the Thayer Yew within the circle, in front of the Red Barn. If you’re lucky, you may hear the call of a barred owl that’s been spending time here, preening and providing natural pest control. It’s often by Tubbs house and the nearby Red Barn, much like the Hydrangea involucrata that’s spent 30 years in the nearby Cornus mas Bed. This species is so unlike other Hydrangea: it’s slow-growing, and has a charming mounding habitat and buds that resemble peonies!
The Rosarie looks very fresh, with dreamy drifts of Anemone ‘September Charm’. You may also notice the new additions to our Mediterranean-inspired garden: figs! A true Mediterranean species, Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’ does well in our area. Speaking of fruit trees, don’t forget to admire the colorful annual display in front of the Stone Barn. Although it’s not winter hardy, the papayas (Carica papaya—yes, the tropical fruit!) within the display are flowering and have even set small fruits. In contrast, the winter-hardy “seven sons” tree, Heptacodium miconioides on the other side of the Stone Barn has just started to flower.
In the cottage, Rosa ‘Marie Pavie’ continues to send out flushes of scented new blooms. I cannot get over how well this rose performs, as one may be able to tell by how many cameos it’s had in these reports. While the cottage is nearly always packed with flowers, I’ve been very taken with the punchy flowers of Rudbeckia submentosa ‘Henry Eilers’. They look fabulous in the garden as well as in cut flower arrangements.
Willowwood is unique in so many ways, but one of the most special to me is that it serves as wildlife habitat as well as carefully curated gardens. Aside from our winged residents, we have some very nice wild-occurring native plant species. A walk through the Bee Meadow is a lesson in native meadow plants, like the charming Gentiana clausa and Chelone glabra scattered throughout, both in bloom.
August is a special month at Willowwood. This is the month that I, your author, joined the team here. It is also spectacularly alive, with the constant drone of cicadas, buzzing of bees and fluttering swallowtail and monarch butterflies just about everywhere. Willowwood is no exception, as large foraging flocks of goldfinch (our state bird!) that will greet you from the entrance will prove. As you pass the meadows, remark at the spectacular color of Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium spp.), goldenrods (Solidago spp.), ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) and bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) dispersed throughout.
Of course, there’s beauty in the core of the arboretum as well. Our tiny yet productive kitchen garden has kept staff plied with produce; this “Amethyst Jewel’ tomato has been a favorite. The cottage is overflowing with flowers and replete with textures and colors. Taller than most of the other plants, Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ floats above other favorites like Phlox paniculata. Various yellow asters are starting to flower as well, their color mirrored by the flowers on the vine on the fence of the cottage: Thunbergia alata. Despite the visual similarity to those in the Aster family, they are not closely related.
As you pass by the Tubbs House, spend a minute admiring the deep red spires of Lobelia cardinalis in the Cornus Mas bed. Nearly every time I pass by I see a ruby-throated hummingbird taking a good drink! In the Rockery, Clematis tubulosa, a plant not often seen in cultivation, is in flower. Not only is this an unusual time to flower, but C. tubulosa is also a non-vining Clematis, making it especially unique. The Paeonia obovata nearby, featured in June’s Bloom Report, is now in fruit. Though its flowers are fleeting, the fruit provides much more interest throughout the season as it matures and dehisces.
You may have noticed that we are largely past the season of flowering trees and shrubs. The big exception is Clethra alnifolia, “sweet pepperbush”, a common shrub throughout much of the state, and found in various areas at Willowwood. Vitex agnus-castus also bucks that trend, and is currently in flower in the Rosarie. Nearby, admire the towering spires of Silphium laciniatum, the “compassplant”, a plant that ought to be used in gardens more often!
Within the Rosarie and throughout the property you may also find Lycoris squamigera, the surprise lily, which definitely earned such a name. This bulb-forming species sends up leaves in early spring to around June, and then dies back, appearing to enter dormancy. They’re really just lying in wait, ready to steal the show! In August they return, rapidly sending up buds that open into delicate pink flowers with tinges of blue and yellow.
I’m often asked what’s the best time to visit Willowwood by first-time visitors. “Will anything be blooming next month?” and to them I say of course! There are always flowers (or, as it is in the dead of winter) horticultural intrigue to be found at Willowwood. One should visit weekly in order to even try to catch everything. Even then, considering the rich horticultural history of the site and the many teams that have worked here and imparted their own horticultural flair, making regular visits to Willowwood is the way to go.
All this to say that we might just be at peak bloom. Everywhere one looks there’s a sea of color and texture, with fluttering butterflies and industrious little bees. One of the best examples is the considerable Aesculus parviflora in the Monarda Meadow that was originally gifted to the Tubbs brothers by Martha Brook Hutcheson in 1949. A large, suckering shrub native to the deep south, it has no issues growing in most soils and garden settings in New Jersey. An absolute pollinator magnet while in bloom!
Over in the Woodwalk, the Rhododendron maximum specimens that have been peppered throughout the space are flowering. Most individuals date back to being planted in 1925, making them an integral part of the Tubbs brothers’ plans for the site. If you follow the stream, either along the trail or meandering past the Stone Cottage, there’s a dreamy swath of Filipendula rubra, queen-of-the-prairie, flowering in the Alder Thicket. Paired with the heart-shaped leaves of two katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum, one of them the cultivar ‘Pendula’) trees, the combination is absolutely precious.
The Rosarie is an absolute treat for the eyes right now. As you enter you can’t miss the hot flowers of Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ paired with the so-called blackberry iris, Iris domestica. The former is very attractive to hummingbirds, so you may see one or two! Cool down your hot eyes with the icy inflorescence of Eryngium planum ‘Blue Hobbit’ just across the bed. In the back of the Rosarie border the thick spires of the flowers of Acanthus ‘Morning Candle’ are framed by the lovely Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’, a particularly cold-hardy cultivar. Lastly, don’t miss the lovely purple blooms of Solanum wendlandii (framed against the iconic purple door of the Rosarie here!), an unusual member of our tender plant collection.
Started at Willowwood only last year, the vegetable bed in within the core area has been incredibly productive! We are particularly taken by the ‘Bright Lights’ swiss chard and ‘Azur Star’ kohlrabi. There are also a few new annuals (started and grown here at Willowwood!) that have been particularly charming. Trachymene coerulea, or “didiscus”, have really started to take off in the display in the front of the Stone Barn, here paired with the ‘Orange Wonder’ snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) we’ve all been so taken by here. An inherently whimsical plant, the Amaranthus ‘Green Pearls’ has lived up to its name, as seen in the Cottage.
