But it was lovely. My friends bowed out because of the snow (piles of it in Philadelphia, made driving/parking pretty entertaining). I circled the gift shop, admiring all the things I won't be able to buy until I finish educating my children, ogled the witch hazels on the hill by the cafe, had a spot of quick lunch admiring some orange-flowered witch hazel whose signpost was under a couple of feet of snow, and then went on to the conservatory. I took the plant propagation tour, so I got to see one of the enormous greenhouses. The arrangements are very complicated and clever-- snow melters, automated shadecloth, watering systems with plain water or fertilizer mixed by computer, coolers (to keep plants from blooming till just the right moment), seed-starting, cuttings, etc. In the conservatory there were grapefruit blossom, lilies, and sweet alyssum smelling divine. A gardener deadheading camellias gave advice (they are one of the few evergreens that will thrive under trees; winter sun is the killer, desiccates leaves and the roots can't pull up water from the frozen ground).
This is a tall variety of stock (Google search suggested this cultivar might be especially for greenhouses.) Isn't it luverly?
Butterfly bush trained as a standard.
This tree is planted quite close to the wall. It has been discretely pruned to fit.
I also sang at a karaoke bar in Chinatown and visited with a number of friends, so overall it was delightful. However, I have to catch up on hugging my husband. I'm blogging snuggled up next to him on the couch.
No comments:
Post a Comment