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Field Notes
A blog compiling the writings of the
Heronswood Team.
Heronswood Team.
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Lungwort season is upon us and these robust herbs bring color and life into the garden. Flowers in red, purple, pink, blue or white attract bees and hummingbirds. The often mottled foliage is said to resemble the human lung, the origin of both the English name and the Latin (Pulmonaria) #pulmonaria #lungwort
Ever wonder why Ypsilandra starts with a ‘Y’? The name derives from the Greek ypsilon (the letter Y) and andros (male), as the stamens are allegedly Y-shaped. Join Dr. Ross Bayton this Wednesday as he runs through basic botanical Latin for gardeners. For tickets to this webinar, visit heronswood.odoo.com/event #ypsilandra #botanicallatin
Fetid adder’s tongue is blooming now, attracting its fly pollinators. They dig that fetid smell, but I cover my nose to enjoy these weird blooms. Sorry about the shaky camera work - those flies are small! #scoliopusbigelovii #flypollination
Spring flowers are often vivid in color, as they aim to attract the handful of active pollinating insects. Hazel, however, is pollinated by the wind and pollen shed from those golden catkins drifts onto the red stigmas of the female flowers. As insects are not involved, there’s no need for colorful flowers #corylusavellanacontorta
Spring has sprung! The snowdrops are blooming and soon primroses, hepaticas (like this ‘Millstream Merlin’) and many other spring ephemerals will be in bloom. Join Dan Hinkley for a Lunchbreak Lecture exploring these fascinating plants, this Wednesday at noon. Visit heronswood.odoo.com/event for tickets #hepatica #springephemerals
No, it’s not a cabbage! It’s the most talked-about plant at Heronswood. The Giant Himalayan Lily, Cardiocrinum giganteum, is peeking through the earth, ready to dazzle another generation of visitors #cardiocrinum #gianthimalayanlily
Why do we grow this? It’s flowers are small, short-lived and often frost damaged; the leaves are uninteresting and the habit is poor. Why? Because it is rare (only 7 locations left in its native Korea) and curious (close kin to Forsythia, but white/pink flowers). Introducing Abeliophyllum distichum, the perfect botanical garden plant #botanicalgardens #abeliophyllum
I love gardening in the woods, but deer remain a significant obstacle to fulfilling my gardening ambitions. Join me Wednesday for a Heronswood Lunchbreak Lecture where I discuss gardening with deer and how I’ve tackled this 4-legged problem. Visit heronswood.odoo.com/event for tickets #deergarden #gardeningwithdeer
A big shout out to valued staff members Ralph Purser and Jordan Caldera! They are about to complete the paths around our new Renaissance Garden, so it can open to the public this year. Don’t they look great!
Many of us gardeners are worrying about the cold and snow to come. Take a moment to enjoy some of the amazing plants around Heronswood taken this week and forget about the cold for a while.
