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.
by Bonnie Semmling
