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Down the Rabbit Hole: Guest Blog by Nick Rhodehamel
For the better part of a week, a crew that was sometimes six men strong pruned, weeded and raked the Heronswood Northwest Research Garden—once known as Heronswood Nursery’s headquarters—to get it ready for the first 2011 Open House. A 70% chance of rain had been forecast earlier in the week. It rained off and on Wednesday through Friday, but Saturday, May 14, was a beautiful day with intermittent clouds and sun.
Near House
Parking Lot
The garden includes some 5,000 different kinds of plants that appear sequentially throughout the year. Spring is late on the Kitsap Peninsula where the garden is located. Lots of cool air and rain have slowed down growth in the garden, making it look bare and a little empty in places. But, like a dream, it changes every time you look, and there’s still lots to see anytime.
Driveway with Lathyrus vernus (blue flowered)
Rhododendron sp.
Epimedium x omeiense
Trillium chloropetalum
Podophyllum delavayi
About 300 visitors attended the Open House; most had come for the first time. It was a pleasure to meet them. The most interesting question I was asked was based on the observation that lots of blue-flowered plants were blooming and why was this. This is a great observation, and the answer I think has to do with pollination.
Omphalodes cappadocica ‘Cherry Ingram’ and ‘Starry Eyes’
Geranium sp.
Scilla hyacinthoides and Primula sieboldii
Wind-pollination is relatively inefficient. Wind-pollinated plants must produce much more pollen than animal-pollinated plants. This is evident if you have ever walked through a pine wood in summer when the trees are releasing pollen; there’s pollen everywhere. But plants have evolved a variety of ways of attracting animal pollinators. One of them is bright, showy flowers that entice pollinators with the promise of nectar and protein.
By and large, animal pollinators fly. They are mostly insects, birds and bats. Throughout the animal kingdom, eyes evolved for different purposes and to visualize different things. Flower color determines what a certain pollinator sees and hence what plants it visits. Bees, for instance, are attracted to blues and violet colors. Hummingbirds are adapted to see red, pink, fuchsia and purple flowers. Butterflies visit bright flowers that are yellow, orange, pink and red. Night-blooming plants are adapted to attract pollinators that are active at night like moths and bats, which don’t see colors. These plants have flowers that are bright, light colors—white or cream, for example—think of a night-blooming cereus. Plants have adapted themselves to particular types of pollinators, and you can adapt your garden to those pollinators on the basis of the plants you cultivate.
The blue-flowered plants are adapted to attract bees, which are present and active in early spring. That there are lots of these plants at Heronswood reflects the fact that they’re lovely and that Heronswood is a garden filled with some native plants, but many more exotic ones that have been selected for their particular traits (one of which is flower color) from all corners of the world.
Some at the Open House who had visited the gardens over the years were disappointed that Heronswood has changed, even though the plants remain the same. It is a different garden than it was 10 years ago, indeed 5 years ago. It’s no longer a retail nursery for one thing, so plants are no longer available on the premises. It is now a research and observation garden and to a lesser extent a seed, cutting and division-based production garden. The focus is not on how it appears, with the tidy look of always weed-free and well-watered beds. In some cases, weeds have been allowed intentionally to grow. And some beds have not been watered to see what effect that has on their plants.
Heronswood is no longer a single, isolated garden. It is one of several gardens growing in four unique climatic zones, ranging from Heronswood’s wet zone 8 at Kingston to the warm, humid zone 6 at Warminster, PA. In some cases, the same plants are growing at two or several of the different locations; in others, some plants will survive at one location only. But in effect, this makes Heronswood far bigger and much more than it was before.
Selinum tenuifolium
Smilacina racemosa
Pleione sp.
Anemone nemorosa ‘Blue Bonnet’
Erythronium oregonum
Walk to pond
Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Puget Pink’
Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Puget Pink’
Acer griseum
Corylus maxima ‘Purpurea’
Disporum smithii
Osmunda regalis var. regalis ‘Purpurascens’
Geranium phaeum
Carpinus arbor and hedge Buxus microphylla var. japonica ‘Morris Midget’
Potager
Helleborus x hybridus Heronswood Pink selection
Helleborus x hybridus Heronswood Purple selection
Helleborus x hybridus Heronswood Slate selection
There are three more Open Houses planned for 2011: June 26, July 16 and September 10. Please come see us.
I enjoyed this email but would have loved to have had the photos labeled. For Example, what species of Trillium is that in photo 6, is that a Podophyllum in #7 and #20 appears to be some sort of Corylus?
Barry
Beautiful show of new Heronswood location. Loved all the pictures BUT why didn’t you put the name of each thing next to it so one could look for it in the catalog for their gardens. Recognized many, but there were many others I wish I knew what they were.
Wish you were closer in location. Maybe someday I can come for a visit to see this lovely place in reality.
Thank you for the beautiful photos of Heronswood Gardens.
I wish I could have been to the open house. I wished, also, that you had named the plants, as there were some (blue) flowers I had never seen before.
PLEASE label pictures with NAMES of flowers/plants shown. it is so frustrating.
Any chance of a list of the cultivars in the photos in the article?
I LOVE your plants – you have “turned me on” to Hellebores.
Hope you will give a list of open dates for the garden earlier in the year in future – we would love to see it but it is a long way from VT so we have to plan a trip!
Thank you, thsnk you!
I would like more information on attending the July 16th open house if it is in Kingson.
Thanks
The blogs are always interesting, frequently educational, and occasionally truly fascinating. BUT, why, oh why, didn’t you identify at least the primary plants in these photos? There are some unfamiliar to those of us on the east coast!
Thank you for this lovely tour! I wish I could visit.
My son and I had the remarkable opportunity a few years ago to visit Heronswood in Washington. The nursery/gardens were beyond beautiful and each garden was absolutely perfect. I am so glad we had the chance to visit. We will always remember Heronswood the way it was!
This was most enjoyable. The pictures and commentary were delightful and informative, Thank you.
Thank you — these beautiful pictures refreshed my soul.
what a treat to see your lovely photos… it is hard for us in Va. to grow many of the flowers pictured. Too hot insummer, and too cold in Feb, Mar. But I was thrilled to see your Hellebores, which do well here, and the Trillium. We have also had a banner year for Epimedium. Keep up the Diary. It is such a pleasure!
Wish I’d known. Somehow I didnt get the memo. Perhaps next time! Congrats to all.
I so appreciate your wonderful notes and showing your gardens on e-mail. I love buying plants from you too, they are always wonderful! We got ‘Trachystemon orientalis from you and it’s so beautiful this year, a mass of spiraling blooms in such a gorgeous shade and leaves so huge now; just amazing. I’d love to send a few snapshots of this plant to you if at all possible. Blessings and again, thanks, Cookie Littlefield
What a lovely treat! Each photo was more beautiful than the last! What a place to live and work each day! Thank you for sharing! Hc
I so wish I could visit your beautiful garden but I am a long way away and it’s hard to make all the trips I’d like.
On a diferent subject I ordered some Hellborn plants from you last fall. Fall is the perfect time to plant this plant in Houston, TX. I got it in my middle spring. I do hope it makes it through the summer and I’ll enjoy them next fall but I wonder why plants ( not just yours) can’t be sent at a time that workes for us in the deep south even though it’s hibernating in your area. Wouldn’t it ship better that way?
Thanks,
Anita
Dear Anita,
We’ll try to post pictures periodically of the gardens so that you can at least have a virtual tour even though you cannot visit.
On the other subject, Burpee ships plants on the basis of the USDA growing zone to which they’re being shipped, generally in the spring because plant propagation is usually timed for spring planting. You might give customer service a call (1-800-888-1447) to see if it’s possible to receive plants like Hellebores in the fall.
Nice article – please identify all plants pictured – we’re not all as smart as you are!!
Thank you!
Thank you, Barbara. The plants are now identified. Glad you enjoyed the article.
Yesterday we had a glorious day at the farm. I don’t know = after all these years of being a Burpee customer, somehow we missed knowing about the farm and its open houses. (Although if you look on the internet, the Inn still shows up!) Anyway, it was a beautiful day, the displays and gardens are great, we learned a GREAT deal, all the staff were great — and we will certainly look forward to more events. George, your talk was fantastic — not only to learn about the latest varieties of unique plants and products, but also some of the history and your “side” comments. BNow if only we can get you to play the guitar for us — grin! We had been to Longwood a few weeks prior, but Fordhook was so much more personal and enjoyable. It is so nice that you let us tour your home – I have a real interest in architecture and design history so it was a special treat to see it and read about its history. Of course, you have really forced me to consider more gardening work! Well, at least that’s outside and we get our vitamin D, right? Someday, when and if I retire, maybe I will volunteer if your will take me — ha-ha! Keep up the great work — Byron G.
Dear Byron,
Thanks for visiting and for all your gracious words. We’re happy to have you as a satisfied and long-term Burpee customer. Be sure to come to the other Open Houses later this summer on August 19, 20 and 21.
Beautiful pictures. Thank You
Wish the pictures had names of plants.
Dear Mary Ann,
My apologies for that; it was an omission. The plants are all named now. Please have a look.
The pictures are lovely. Thank you for sharing them.
Just discovered your blog in my mailbox. Like it. Have bought some of your plants in the past. WIll try to remember which ones as I describe my resources.
Thanks for the email.
Jeff
hamptonsgarden.blogspot.com
Dear Jeff,
Thanks for reading the blog and taking the time to post. Your garden looks great and in a great setting.
It’s a bit of hike from Long Island, but think about coming to the Open Houses at Fordhook Farm in Doylestown. The dates are August 19 and 20.