Stoneleigh

Last summer, we visited Philadelphia for the flower show. We had a very short trip arranged, which I had packed full to see gardens and other sites of interest that Karen was keen on. But, once there I was highly encouraged to make some time to go see Stoneleigh. It’s a newish botanic garden in Villanova that was given to Natural Lands in 2016. I was promised it would be worth our time stopping for a visit.

So, we carved out 45 minutes after lunch to see the grounds. And, I am so glad we did. They are doing amazing things with native plants.  As the website says, Stoneleigh focuses on native plants but with a twist.  Walking through had a different feel than most gardens that focus on endemics. It was natives, elevated, with unique selections of great plants around every corner.

I also count myself fortunate to be able to visit. This conservation easement was once at risk of being gobbled up by a school to make new ballfields and new buildings. However, the community rallied together with a vigorous campaign, and with help from the state legislature, Stoneleigh was saved.

I kept my eye out for the unusual and I was rewarded during our short visit. In this post, I wanted to share some of the incredible plants I encountered, many of them variants on the natives we know and love. A huge thanks to Ethan Kauffman for helping me identify the plants I couldn’t in the following photos. And, the next time you visit the Philly area, be sure to visit; this gem is a garden is going to make this brimming heart of horticulture even better.

The parking lot at Stoneleigh evoked this wildness. In the middle was a bioswale where natives like Packera aurea were planted, and on the end cap, two yellow foliage Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis ‘Sunburst’ provided a bright spot of color.

Across from the parking lot was the largest planting of Penstemon digitalis I had ever seen. Their white flowers created a pointillistic froth.

Near the garden entrance, it was apparent that natives would be at the forefront of our visit. Here Baptisia ‘Solar Flare’ brightens this edge planting.

I got weak in the knees seeing this magnificent cut-back Acer rubrum ‘Snow Fire’ on the way into the garden. Ethan commented that they prune it like a shrub to keep it short. My mind pondered how could I have this in Texas without it frying.

This mix of Carex socialis, Carex plantaginea, and Carex laxiculmis provided an excellent example of their functionality as a green groundcover.

The matrix of Carex was a great living groundcover for trees and shrubs like this variegated Hamamelis virginiana ‘Green Thumb’.

As we ventured toward the house, we walked along a long winding pathway past a meadow and giant trees.  Poa pratensis had been left unmown along either side

Scattered around the edge of the great lawn were towering trees like this Magnolia acuminata. This giant is the 6th largest cucumber magnolia in Pennsylvania.

Tucked into the grass were woody trees like Corylus americana SUNDROPS.

As we approached the house, Eragrostis elliottii ‘Wind Dancer’ served as a matrix for emerging Echinacea pallida and Gaura lindheimeri.

Near the house was a pool that had been filled in to make a patio. The purple Penstemon smallii had sown itself around in the beds for a pop of color.

The pool had been replaced with a flagstone patio that featured circular shaped bog gardens. These gardens contained carnivorous plants like Sarracenia and a plethora of other funky native endemics.

I thought these Helenium brevifolium were cute popping out of the bog plantings.

The main house partially hidden by a giant Platanus featured foundation plantings of natives.

A perspective of the main house from the south side. Columnar Juniperus virginiana ‘Taylor’ and even the spherical Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’ provide a formality to the plantings.

The plantings around the house were rich with diversity in native plants. The front steps were flanked on either side with Styrax americanus in full bloom. It is a wonderful and underused native large shrub to small tree.

A close up of the delicate Styrax americanus flowers

Near the house I began to better understand Stoneleigh’s concept of natives with a twist. We kept seeing these variants of natives I had never encountered like Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Sunburst’. Ethan shared with me that the variegation comes true from seed on this cultivar.

Here’s another variegated plant I had never seen before—Physostegia virginiana ‘Variegata’. The leaves have the thinnest sliver of white on the margin.

The house served as a trellis for espaliering Cercis canadensis BLACK PEARL. Also, don’t miss the gray-purple foliage of the Populus deltoides ‘Purple Tower’. It almost blends in with the stone.

Here the house is once again used as a surface for espaliering Hamamelis virginiana ‘Lemon Lime’, a nice speckled leaf form of our native witchhazel.

In a world of exotic roses, I always keep my eye out for native species. This Rosa virginiana near the house was quite floriferous.

Behind the house was a mixed planting of natives featuring Coreopsis, Itea, Eutrochium (Eupatorium), and more.

A little further down the bed Panicum amarum ‘Dewey Blue’ and Lonicera reticulata ‘Kintzley’s Ghost’ echoed each other’s glaucous blue.

I have long admired Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Valerie Finnis’ for its narrow, silvery foliage. It pops when surrounded by green.

If seeing one variegated Acer rubrum made me weak in the knees, guess how surprised I was to learn there are two variegated cultivars! This one is ‘Vanity’. And, in case you are curious, the wine-colored foliage plant on the right is Calycanthus floridus var. purpureus 'Burgundy Spice'.

A close up of Acer rubrum ‘Vanity’. Don’t you love that splashed foliage and red tips?

Yet another eclectic mix of natives on the north side of the house. Acer negundo ‘Kelly’s Gold’ is espaliered against the wall while the the bold golden foliage of Silphium perfoliatum ‘The Holy Grail’ pops against the small starry blue flowers of Amsonia ludoviciana on the right of the image.

One of the most impressive trees I saw at Stoneleigh was this fabulous specimen of Nyssa sylvatica ‘Sheri’s Cloud’. The foliage was so clean with the slightest hints of amber on the tips.

I love Kentucky yellowwood, and I was delighted to discover this weeping form Cladrastis kentukea ‘White Rain’. It has to be spectacular in full bloom.

I love the color echoes here. The chairs on the main deck matched the Callirhoe involucrata blooming behind in a mix of Opuntia, and the golden flowers of Oenothera fruticosa complimented the Ptelea trifoliata ‘Aurea’ in the distance.

May at the JC Raulston Arboretum

I loved May in graduate school at North Carolina State University. Being free of homework and tests allowed me more time to focus on graduate work and research. And, in the evenings I had even more time to go visit the JC Raulston Arboretum. May was the first month where the garden didn’t feel like it was trying to decide should it be spring or winter. Warmth had settled in and the plants responded beautifully. Enjoy this reflective plant list of many of my favorites of mid-spring.

THE WOODIES

Hands down one of my favorite shrubs of all time is Corylopsis spicata 'Golden Spring'. It has beautiful late winter flowers, but to me the best show is when the yellow foliage emerges with hints of pink in the new growth.

The parade of magnolias continued in May with many of the evergreen species flowering. I was always delighted to search for the hidden flowers amongst the strap-like leaves of Magnolia yuyuanensis.

I can smell a banana shrub from 100 feet away. Usually the flowers are white, but this variety Magnolia figo var. crassipes has intense purpling in the tepals.

May is also one of my favorite times of the year to see variegation. Most of the leaves have emerged and started growing, and they aren’t burned yet from the heat of the summer. While there are a few variegated redbuds, Cercis canadensis 'Floating Clouds' was one of the best for holding color into the summer.

Deutzia get a bad wrap for being scraggly shrubs that only flower for a few weeks each year, but I still love them for their pearl-shape buds and beautiful chains of flowers. This variegated Deutzia crenata 'Summer Snow' helps extend the season with its white speckled green foliage.

Wowzers, even if this Hydrangea paniculata 'Shikoku Flash' never flowered, I’d still be happy with this spectacular cream mottling.

May is the month that some of the first fruits of the year ripen after late winter and early spring pollination. Here the native Amelanchier ×grandiflora 'Silver Fountain' is loaded with serviceberries ripe for the picking.

Our native Wisteria are often flowering in May. Seeing them reminds me of the plant at my grandmother’s house. This native Wisteria macrostachya 'Aunt Dee' was the first hint that maybe the plant that my grandmother raised wasn’t an exotic but a form of Kentucky wisteria. The seeds that the plant developed a month or so later were a second clue.

I’m not much of a rose person, but the pink stamen filaments on this Rosa 'Meiguimov' The Charlatan® really caught my eye.

Clematis 'Princess Diana' clambers through Cotinus coggygria 'Ancot' Golden Spirit for a striking combination.

I swooned the first time I saw the patina foliage of Cotinus coggygria 'Old Fashioned'. Isn’t it rich?

Oakleaf hydrangea are one of my favorite shrubs, and I was so delighted to discover this Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Turkey Heaven’ at the arboretum. The massive flowers hold up a bit better than ‘Harmony’, another cultivar with large blooms.

A close up of the billowing inflorescences of Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Turkey Heaven’

Now we are getting into some of the subshrubs. Leucosceptrum japonicum 'Golden Angel' has some woody characteristics, but most people treat this Japanese shrub mint as a perennial. The vibrant foliage certainly brightens a dark spot.

Lavandula stoechas is one of the few lavenders that we can grow in the deep south. Seeing how well it performed in humid Raleigh lent me to trying it in Texas. It has performed well here, minus dying back from the below 0F temperatures we had this past February.

I always loved the long border designed by Edith Eddleman and all the color combinations therein. Here Phlomis fruticosa contrasts nicely with the blues of Tradescantia, Amsonia, and Nepeta.

I’ve always loved Phlomis fruticosa for its vibrant yellow bilabiate flowers. You can also see its pubscent foliage here.

THE HERBACEOUS

I was surprised to see Digitalis growing well in Raleigh early in my grad school days. I thought they were more of a northern plant, but it seems getting them started in the fall and then overwintering them works.

I’m a sucker for poppies. I loved this cute little Papaver pilosum with its salmony colored petals.

Yes, I know Paeonia 'Bartzella' is a hybrid between a tree peony and an herbaceous peony, but I stuck it here in the herbaceous section because I feel most people treat it like a perennial. And, wow, does it have incredible yellow flowers. Seeing a peony thrive in the south was certainly a welcome sight.

And, here’s another peony doing well in zone 7b/8a! This is Paeonia lactiflora, the straight species that we know has resulted in many cultivar selections. I admired its blushed white petals and the simplicity of the single flower.

Romneya coulteri was always an interesting spring flowering plant in the scree garden. I liked the glaucous blue foliage that held the white and yellow flowers, and it really popped against the faded wood wall. I vaguely remember it spreading via runners or roots.

A close up of the beautiful flowers of Romneya coulteri

And, I can’t feature some of my favorite May plants from the arboretum without mentioning Asclepias tuberosa. Seeing it thriving here in the scree garden certainly provided some subconscious ideas about growing plants in gravel.

May was also the month that the tropicals really started growing again. I knew this very hardy Hippeastrum ×johnsonii from Tennessee. My parents have it in our front yard. Here it pops against the dark foliage of a Dahlia in the geophyte garden.

Another beautiful red flowering geophyte was the interesting Sprekelia formosissima. Don’t you just love that flower architecture? Native to Mexico, this plant is somewhat tender but worth finding a spot for in the garden.

I loved the two-tone red and yellow of Canna patens. The narrow petals are not as gaudy as the hybrids on this species.

Here is a nice mass planting of Eremurus 'Lemon Meringue', a geophyte I discovered during my visits to the arboretum. The flowers last for several weeks.

Delightful Plants from Denver

Now that our house move is over, I'm reflecting on photos from this past summer like July's Perennial Plant Symposium in Denver.  I wanted to share a few plants that two months later still impress me.  Some were old friends, and others were new acquaintances that I'm dying to try here in Texas.  

SESELI GUMMIFERUM (MOON CARROT)

The nebulous foliage and flowers of Seseli gummiferum just inside the entrance of the Denver Botanic Garden made myself and many others starry-eyed.  I first encountered it at Wave Hill a few years ago and tried to grow some from seed in Texas.  Alas, it never germinated for me from a fall sowing.  Seeing these great growing plants has inspired me to try it again and figure out the germination minutiae.  

That's no moon!  It's a moon carrot!  

SOLIDAGO 'CROWN OF RAYS' (goldenrod)

The Denver Botanic Garden herb garden looked—and smelled—fantastic, and brightening the beds was a dwarf goldenrod.  A member of PPA identified it as Solidago 'Crown of Rays'.  I love goldenrods that aren't too thuggish, and I added it to my wish list of cultivars to trial for the southeast.

Solanum wendlandii (giant potato creeper)

Scrambling through a planter near the greenhouses was a new-to-me tropical climber, Solanum wendlandii.  The lilac, half-dollar sized flowers really stood out from a distance and harmonized well with the diversity of textures and colors in the planting.  

Jarava ichu (Peruvian feathergrass)

I had never heard of this species before, but the smoky wisps remind me of a more plumose Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'.  It was beautiful watching the panicles dancing in the dry, mountain breeze.

Lonicera 'Kintzley's Ghost' (honeysuckle)

I met Lonicera 'Kintzley's Ghost' last year at Chanticleer for the first time, and it seemed to be growing well in Denver, too.  The gray-powdered bracts give a much longer season of interest even in absence of the flowers.  

Epilobium canum ssp. garrettii 'Orange Carpet' (California Fuchsia)

California fuchsia.  Roughly translated, instant death in the heat and humid south?  Perhaps, but it's worth admiring in Denver as a groundcover with red flowers.  

Oenothera macrocarpa (Bigfruit evening primrose)

Hubba hubba!  I've professed my love for evening primroses before, and you can certainly add Oenothera macrocarpa to that list. While I couldn't find a label on some of the plants I photographed, this might be the cultivar 'Silver Blade', although the foliage in the background looks a little less silvery.

catananche caerulea (cupid's dart)

Cupid's dart in Washington Park was a new plant for me, and it looks like a chicory on steroids.  Ruth Rogers Clausen was standing nearby as I snapped away, and she said that it used to be as common as dirt years ago.  

CRAMBE MARITIMA (SEA KALE)
¡Ay, crambe!  I delighted seeing the glaucous blue foliage of this plant in Washington Park.  I've lusted after this species for a while for it's giant leaves, and I finally have seeds to try this fall!  No, I didn't steal them from the plant below.  

SALVIA PACHYPHYLA (Mojave Sage)

This plant stopped me in my tracks.  Holy.  Cow.  I'll pause for a second while you take a look at it.  

SEE!!!  Blue-green foliage adorned by mulberry-colored bracts and purple flowers.  I want to grow this so bad...  Maybe it would live in the southeast?  Also, I rubbed the foliage and discovered it's covered in oils.  

IPOMOPSIS RUBRA (STANDING CYPRESS)

I enjoyed seeing this Texas native in Colorado as did several people on our tour bus.  While we were photographing away, a hummingbird flitted down and perused some flowers.  We grew this in our trial garden this summer, and I've already been at work scattering seed for next year.  

Vernonia lindheimeri var. leucophylla (Wooly IronweeD)

Wowzers... it's like a plant covered in gray suede. Evidently, it's a Texas native, and I cannot wait to try this in Nacogdoches.   Can you imagine it dotted with purple flowers?