News – Page 7

Message from Meryl – Oct. 18, 2022

Posted on October 18, 2022April 18, 2023

Dear Friends,

Autumn leaves are swirling and we have reached another lovely FALL season at Willowwood. And while members of the Willowwood Foundation Board of Trustees are already busy planning for a spectacular SPRING, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge some “changing of the guard.” We thank trustees Peter Williams and Margo Dana for their years of service as we welcome Olga Christie to our Board. In addition, Leslie Allain, our long time administrator whom many of you know, has now fully retired. Our debt to her is tremendous and we are thrilled that she has joined our board. We are pleased to report that Patti Millar has accepted the position of Foundation Administrator and she has hit the ground running!

You will no doubt meet Patti on May 21, 2023 on the occasion of our long-awaited, newly re-imagined SILVER ANNIVERSARY LILAC PARTY. Save the date for a bash that will appeal to each of your senses as we celebrate spring. Keep your eyes peeled for regular updates in this space and on Instagram.

While your calendar is handy please make note of another unique opportunity, the 7^th annual Tubbs lecture slated for April 23 in the Stone Barn. Tom Molnar, an associate professor at Rutgers will provide an overview of the University’s longtime dogwood breeding program.

The Foundation’s commitment to the glorious vision of the Tubbs Brothers remains stronger than ever as we continues to work closely with Morris County Parks to support horticultural initiatives, professional internships and staff education, educational programming, and scholarships. Please support our programs and events and be sure to visit the Arboretum, a place of beauty and joy in every season.

With best wishes,

Meryl Carmel

President Willowwood Foundation

Message from Meryl – 6/29/22

Posted on July 1, 2022April 18, 2023

Summer 2022 is here in all its glory and change is in the air. I am pleased to announce that the Willowwood Foundation Board has recently added a new trustee, Olga Christie of Far Hills. Olga is an accomplished gardener and photographer. Native plants, trees, and shrubs reign supreme in her home garden and her passion for nature photography has been beautifully expressed through her images of Willowwood Arboretum in all seasons. We are delighted to welcome Olga to the Board.

After another stunning and showy season our lilacs are sleeping once again. But have no fear! They will spring back to life in time for our 25^th Lilac Party next May. So please save the date: May 21, 2023. The Lilac Party Committee is hard at work planning an exciting reawakening event after our long period of covid hibernation. More details to follow.

If you haven’t been by the Arboretum lately, be sure to put a visit on your summer “to do” list. Of special note is the newly renovated Rosarie. There are several unique features including an eye-popping “purple door” and a gentle water feature which adds coolness and a sense of peace to the lovely environment.

Special thanks to MCPC staff member Zinnia Cheatham, Plant Records Curator Specialist, for her informative bloom reports and Instagram posts.

With best wishes for a safe and happy summer.

Meryl Carmel
President, Willowwood Foundation

News About the Gardens at Willowwood Arboretum

Posted on June 27, 2022April 18, 2023

Bruce Crawford, Manager of Horticulture MCPC

Spring 2022 was a great season for plants at Willowwood! It provided great growing conditions for the shrubs, trees and meadows to flourish and prepared the arboretum for the long sunny days of summer. This spring also saw the installation of numerous new plantings and of course, the summer display of annuals!

Urn donated by Ruth Thomson in 2009 – image taken June 2022

Probably the area undergoing the biggest change is the Rosarie. Keeping to many of the original design concepts, the garden features plants from the Rose Family in combination with plants inspiring a more Mediterranean appearance. A new urn was placed as a focal point for visitors entering from the Chive walk, which will be surrounded by Potentillas this summer. To add a fun twist, the old door from the red barn that is featured at the end of the main walk was painted a dark purple, which very nicely picks up the blues of the Catmint and purples of the Salvia. Adding spots of hot colors, red nasturtiums were planted along with red and yellow flowered Kangaroo Paws. To hopefully provide a dry Mediterranean appearance, bark nuggets were used for the mulch. The nuggets also give a more unique feel to the garden since they are not used elsewhere in the Arboretum. Even the chive-walk received an update with a row of large pots of Agaves placed along the nursery fence. To provide a bit of contrast to the Agave’s sword-like leaves, three Button Bushes with rounded and glossy foliage were intermingled among the containers.

Elsewhere around the house and barns, the summer annual displays provide fun splashes of color in both the beds and containers. The Cottage Garden features several bright orange Bromeliads called ‘Hawaii’ intermingled amongst the perennials to add a bold shot of color and texture. True to history, tomatoes are also added to the Cottage Garden and the covered patio behind the house is appropriately bedecked in containers and hanging ferns.

The improvements begun last fall along Longview Road continued this spring. The remainder of the truncated trees beneath the electric wires were removed and the areas was chipped to suppress weeds. With the help of volunteers from Morgan Stanley, masses of Ostrich Fern, Swamp Milkweed, Columbines and Blue-Flag Iris were planted, with more plantings to come as the summer progresses. All of the plants are resistant to deer browse and will thrive in the variable moisture conditions along the road. The planting will allow visitors to see into the Arboretum throughout the year while repeating the appearance of the meadow from inside the fence.

Summer is a great time to visit Willowwood Arboretum, both to enjoy what was planted upwards of 100 years ago or merely last month. Come out for a stroll this summer and enjoy the peacefulness of the garden mingled with these many new colorful sights!

Bloom Report – June 21, 2022

Posted on June 27, 2022April 18, 2023

“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”

— Maud Hart Lovelace

Today marks the official beginning of summer, the Summer Solstice. Now that the warmer weather is here to stay for the next few months, the riot of spring blossoms have faded and the gardens are lush with green foliage. A new bench has been placed in the cottage garden and cozy nooks await to hide out from the sun. The gardeners have been busy planting annual flowers to continue the cheerful floral display until frost and have integrated containers of plantings into the gardens for extra color.

The horticulturists have also been busy with new planting projects. One of the largest has been the rosarie, located behind the nursery and wooden barn. After several years, the rosarie garden has re-opened to the public and has been planted with a wide variety of plants. Some of the new woody and perennial plantings include an Amelanchier canadensis ‘Autumn Brilliance’, Aronia melanocarpa, Geum triflorum, Acanthus, and Physocarpus Sweet Cherry Tree. The back gate to the garden was also recently replaced and the fountain re-installed for the season. We’re sure we’ll see many people resting on the bench under the rosarie pergola listening to the water again now that the garden has been re-opened. And while you’re there, be sure to admire the striking blue on the pointy Eryngium amethystinum flowers and look at the large white blooms of the Clematis languginosa ‘candida’ growing on the pergola.

Around the main gardens many perennial plantings are beginning to flower such as the native Opuntia humifusa cactus near the greenhouse, Monarda didyma ‘Gardenview Scarlet’ in the cottage garden and the Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’ in front of the Tubbs house. Another interesting Hydrangra in flower is Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Midoriboshi-Temari’ in the rockery near the house which has colorful star-shaped flowers. The rockery and Pan’s Garden are also good gardens to admire in the summer for their use of color and texture in shady areas as they are full of ferns, grasses, and variegated plants.

The arrival of summer also means that the lilac season is ending at Willowwood. The last lilacs of the season to bloom are tree lilacs which are still flowering in highland park and also along Main Street in Chester. The fluffy cotton candy like blooms seem like an appropriate summer flower since they are so large and pale as though they are trying to match the puffy clouds above them. If you’d like to see the gardens, be sure to come by between 8AM and dusk when the front gates are open for free to the public! The Willowwood Arboretum is open year-round as part of the Morris County Park Commission park system.

Reported by Zinnia Cheetham, Plant Records Curator Specialist MCPC