It's been a very busy semester, and I added a new Saturday class to my roster: Public Horticulture
which has brought me to some of the most beautiful gardens in the Philadelphia area.
We visited Jenkins Arboretum, a quick drive up the road
from Chesterbrook in Berwyn, PA to tour the grounds and
listen to Doug Tallamy discuss insects and their plants:
Tama, a wild forager and author, had us try her sumac spice at Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve
in New Hope, PA and we walked the Marsh Marigold Trail, designed by a former
Temple student, glimpsing the first skunk cabbage emerging from the thawing ground.
We attended the New Jersey Native Plant Society's annual conference in Lakewood, NJ
at the grounds of a university that was once a grand estate. The statuary and canals still remain.
I hopped on the Chestnut Hill East train line one day and stepped off into
Scott's Arboretum at Swathmore College. I had no idea how vast the collection was, how old the trees and I love how it connects to nature trails and winds around the small cottages.
Tyler Arboretum, not far from Media, is another collection of plants including one of
the (if not the) largest Tulip Poplar on the East Coast. It is right next to Ridley Creek
State Park and their trails lead in and out of the arboretum, past meadow mazes
(a work by W. Gary Smith). They had wonderful artist made tree houses/huts for kids to play in.
It has been amazing to travel and watch Spring arrive week by week,
noticing all the buds and bloom times for different plants.
It's really the best time of year to get outside.
No comments:
Post a Comment