Category: News

Timely posts about Willowwood.

Tubbs Lecture – 4/24/22

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The 6th Annual Tubbs Lecture at Willowwood Arboretum was held this past Sunday, April 24, 2022, in memory of Henry and Robert Tubbs. Guest speaker, Jack Alexander, held the position of Plant Propagator for 40 years at Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum. He shared his expertise in growing Lilacs and gave a guided walk through the Lilac collection at Willowwood. Each guest received a FREE Lilac.

Bio. –  John (Jack) H. Alexander III

Jack Alexander recently retired from his position as the Plant Propagator of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, a position he held for 40 years. He is a third generation nurseryman. Jack has had a long interest in the propagation of woody plants and has a special interest in lilacs. He has published numerous articles on both subjects, including some here.

 In 1995 he was named a Fellow of the Eastern Region of the International Plant Propagator’s Society and in 2004 he was awarded their prestigious Award of Merit and he was twice the recipient of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Jackson Dawson Medal.

 Jack is New England Region Vice President of the International Lilac Society, has received several awards from ILS and has served numerous terms on their Board of Directors. He is also the principal author of the booklet Lilacs Plants of History – Plants for Tomorrow. Syringa × chinensis ‘Lilac Sunday’, Syringa ‘Purple Haze’and Syringa ‘Foxey Lady’ are cultivars that he introduced. 

See: https://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/people/john-herbert-alexander/ and also an article about Jack at: http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/Spring-2016-Silva_Gift-for-Growing.pdf

Bloom Report 4.26.22

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“I sought the wood in summer
When every twig was green;
The rudest boughs were tender,
And buds were pink between.
Light-fingered aspens trembled
In fitful sun and shade,
And daffodils were golden
In every starry glade.
The brook sang like a robin-
My hand could check him where
The lissome maiden willows
Shook out their yellow hair”
-Excerpt of ‘I Sought the Wood in Winter’ by Willa Cather

This past weekend was the first garden event of the season and featured Jack Alexander giving a lecture on lilacs. It was an excellent way to kick off the spring season and soon the gardens will be full of families, photographers, and artists enjoying the warm weather and horticultural displays. The gardens are looking especially lovely this season and the much-anticipated lilacs are starting to peek open. While the early-blooming lilacs like Syringa ‘Annabel’ are starting to open, the early-spring bloomers such as daffodils and cherry trees are beginning to fade. This week some daffodils like Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus are still at their peak so visit soon if you’d like to see them. These daffodils are unique for their small red and yellow cup and large white petals. The latin word ‘recurvus’ also indicates that the petals arch backwards which makes them especially unique among daffodils. The upcoming weekend will also likely be the last weekend to see a robust tulip display. The tulips are quickly coming into bloom, most especially in the cottage garden this year, but there are also some lovely Lady Jane tulips in the Rosarie which will be re-opening to the public this year.

As the mid-season spring blooms open, the garden is constantly changing. The ostrich ferns are emerging and unfurling in the shady gardens and small blooms are tucked into the corners. Some of these are Epimedium ‘Sulphureum’ and Erythronium americanum which both have delightful bursts of yellow flowers. The flowering trees are also sure to attract the eye as the crabapples, magnolias, and redbuds are all coming into flower. These are located throughout the gardens but the Malus baccata behind the rock garden beside the house and the Magnolias in the woodland trails behind the house look especially fresh. Come and enjoy a walk through the gardens this spring. Everyone could use a moment to be mindful with their loved ones, notice the leaves on the trees coming out for the season, and hear the birds cheerfully chirping overhead. As Lao Tzu said, ‘Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.’

Spring Holds a Special Joy – 4/19/22

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Sunday Daffodils

I have just enjoyed back to back visits to Willowwood so as not to miss a single new thing. While a stop at the arboretum is a delightful experience in any season, spring holds a special joy. Although the Bloom Report provides a wonderful way to “stay in touch” it is hard to resist snapping photos of the daffodil field, blue bells, magnolias and more to share with family and friends. The daffs alone are sunshine for the soul.

Be sure to put a visit on your spring “to do” list and also make note of the date for next year’s Lilac Party. After a three year hiatus our Trustees are hard at work creating an exciting event for Sunday, May 21, 2023. As we gather once more among the Lilac Blooms we will have a great deal to celebrate.

On behalf of the Trustees, thank you for your continued interest and support of the very special Willowwood Arboretum.

Happy Spring!

Meryl Carmel
President, Willowwood Foundation

Arboretum Updates

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They always say that hope springs eternal, but so do Gardens especially during spring!   Let it be known that Willowwood is certainly not an exception to the rule.  If you have been by the Arboretum of late, you will have noticed the entanglement of invasive plants along Longview Road to the East of the entrance has been removed!  To me, it is a welcome sight to preview the Dawn Redwoods and other conifers within the confines of the arboretum as you approach along Longview.  Later this spring and summer the area will be planted with primarily herbaceous material that will echo the meadows beyond.  In addition, several genera of deer resistant woody plants will be added to ensure there is color and structure throughout the year.  In the year to come, we will work on clearing and replacing the invasive plants on the other side of the entrance.

Another project that we are looking forward to this spring is replanting the Rosarie.  The garden has of a very axial design with a focus on plants of the Rosaceae or Rose family, which inspired the gardens’ name.  In order to give it an even more unique feel, the planting was intended to provide a Mediterranean twist with silver foliage worked amongst some brightly colored flowers!   The new planting will hold true to the original intent of the garden and feature silver and robust green foliage combined with blues and touches of hot orange and red.  This spring, the Holly hedges that surround the garden were given a rigorous pruning and the Wisteria arbor is getting a restoration with some new lengths of Juniper logs.  I should note, the Holly Hedge was not all that received a substantial pruning this spring and winter.  Most of the Lilacs along with numerous other shrubs received a good rejuvenation pruning as well.   

Last fall, a number of Magnolias were transplanted to the hillside of the Long Meadow in an effort to give them a bit more elbow room to ensure proper growth.  I am happy to say the plants have survived the move without incident.  The new location should also provide a colorful spring display in the years to come as our visitors enter and exit the Arboretum.

If you have not been out yet this year, there is much to see!  The early spring bulb and shrub display has been wonderful despite the chill of March and the display of Tulips to come promises to be a delight.  Please come out and see what the Gardeners have been working on for your enjoyment, since as you know, the colors of spring will always sprout eternal!  

Bruce Crawford
Manager of Horticulture
Division of Cultural and Environmental Resources
Morris County Park Commission
P.O. Box 1295, Morristown, NJ 07962-1295

Bloom Report – April 8, 2022

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“There comes a day towards the end of March when there is but little wind. The Sun has gained much power, so that it is pleasant to sit out in the garden, or better still, in some sunny nook of sheltered woodland”

-Gertrude Jekyll

The first warm days of spring are really here since the solstice on March 20th. The cool, wet weather from the past few days slowed the spring blooms but on a lovely sunny day the gardens are becoming a welcoming oasis of spring blooms. Some of the classic early spring flowers are still around, namely dozens of Hellebores, Siberian squill, and the early spring daffodils. The next phase of spring bloomers is just starting and will last for the next few weeks. This week the cherry blossoms and Magnolias are just starting to open at the arboretum and daffodils are steadily emerging in an assortment of colors and shapes. There are many other blossoms appearing as well, although many are not as prominent as the flowering trees. One of these is the Sanguinaria ‘Multiplex’ which is currently blooming among the Siberian squill in the Rockery. This perennial favorite is naturalizing among the gravelly garden and has a wonderfully fluffy appearance with its multitude of petals. There are also some small Tulipa turkestanica growing in front of the Tubbs House, although these are easy to miss if you walk past them before they’ve opened up in the sunlight. The garden also smells like spring. The Lonicera fragrantissima has been in bloom for several weeks and is still attracting some eager bees and many of our Magnolias have a delightful fragrance. 

This is a beautiful and rapidly changing time in the garden so be sure to bring your camera to capture the moment. We also recommend stopping to sit out in the garden (perhaps in the cottage garden?) like Gerturde Jekyll recommends.  

Zinnia Cheetham
Plant Records Curator Specialist
Division of Cultural and Environmental Resources
Morris County Park Commission
P.O. Box 1295, Morristown, NJ 07962-1295