Showing posts with label Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Show all posts

The Many Shades of Lilac

The pale beauty Blanche Sweet lilac named after the silent film star.
Since Thomas Jefferson planted his lilacs in 1776 this flowering bush has captivated American gardeners. The delicious scent always reminds me of warm spring mornings from my childhood. My sister and I would have to walk through a hedge of lilacs on our way to class. When the time came to install my own garden they were the only large bushes that I used in my garden. After all, how can you have a country garden without them?
There is nothing like a wall of fragrant lilacs.
"When, on a summer evening, the melodious sky growls like a tawny lion, and everyone is complaining of the storm, it is the memory of the Méséglise way that makes me stand alone in ecstasy, inhaling, through the noise of the falling rain, the lingering scent of invisible lilacs." Marcel Proust
An array of shades of lilacs from pale to dark. 
The array of colors is fascinating, from white through dark purple they provide a medley of tones in the garden. These photos were taken at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden where they have a veritable forest of lilacs. It was so inspiring to see them planted with paths and grassy areas in the center of the various groves.  I am already planning to do a forest of these spring beauties in my next garden.

"Louvois" or common lilac.



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Tulips Grow in Brooklyn


A vibrant and joyful tapestry of tulips in the Annual Border at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Now I understand why the Dutch caused one of the first financial bubbles in the 17th century with their obsession for tulips. After seeing the ravishingly beautiful beds of tulips at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden it all made sense. I was lured to the garden by the promise of cherry blossoms, which were beautiful indeed as were the lilacs, but the tulip beds were a spectacular riot of blooms in a rainbow of colors and varieties.  
The garden is in Prospect Park in Brooklyn and since it started in 1897 has been growing ever since. Its 52 acres are divided into numerous types of gardens that are all worthy of a blogpost in their own right. I am sure that there is a return visit in my future since I want to see the progress of the espalier fruits trees in the fruit garden. But that's another tale. 
A mix of colors and types of tulips creates an unforgettable display.
The annual border is planted in colorful drifts of tulips that create a breathtaking display. It's a far cry from what the majority of home gardeners plant. 

Clearly the effect is in massing and not sparseness. 
La Belle Epoque tulip.
The creamy beige/tan and frills of La Belle Epoque put it at the top of my want list for next years garden.  
This tulip combined with the beige/tan heirloom rose La Cussie de Nymphe would make a stunning arrangement. 
Green Star is a beauty of green and white.
There were so many beautiful tulips that it was almost impossible to edit my favorites. The ones shown here are the tulips that made my must have list for next years garden.
Angelique Pink
Angelique pink and Apricot Parrot were both in the Fragrance Garden. The garden was created in 1955 for the blind and all the plants are labeled in brail. Its is wonderful place and a must see during a visit to the garden.
Apricot Parrot
Apricot Beauty and hyacinths
I really like the idea of combining hyacinth and tulips. Ah next year, there is always next year in the garden.









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