The sun was not to appear today, so it seemed a great day to get in the car and drive toward New York… to visit “The New Azalea Garden” at the New York Botanical Garden!
A project of Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Chilton, Jr. I wonder if the Chiltons have ever seen the Lee Memorial garden, another garden devoted to the rhododendron family in New Canaan CT. The garden comprises 11 – acres and is sited amidst rock outcroppings dating millions of years ago, before the last Ice Age!
The historic azalea collection from the 20’s and 30’s was incorporated into the new design. You can read all about it at New York Botanical Garden, but I recommend a visit now or next Spring!
There is an abundance of shade-loving perennials, ferns and sedges. Epimediums, one of my favorite plants, were profuse.
My bearded iris have not opened yet, but NYBG is probably another zone warmer so the iris there were full out!
I always love the Jane Irwin garden. A newly purchased property by the Town of New Canaan is now the Irwin Park, former home of Mrs. Irwin! This garden is beautiful any time of the year, but today everything popped against the bright green new growth on the boxwood!
There was much more to see and then a quick stop at the Garden Shop.
I purchased a product called RosePharm, made with peppermint oil and rosemary extract that claims to treat blackspot, powdery mildew, rust and rose pests. That is a tall order for a biodegradable and natural product. I will let you know how it works!
Arriving home, I felt guilty about all the chores I neglected. Somehow I thought that walking happily through the NYBG was a pleasure but the idea of working in the garden with cold and wet dampness of the day was discouraging. My deck is a mess of plants waiting to be organized on garden shelves or planted in the ground. The garden always awaits…..
And allows for life’s quiet moments….like watching the newest goslings to visit the pond!
Jayne In Georgia 