Timothy Walker Zoom Lecture
Timothy Walker, lecturer, botanist, gardener and author presented our first Zoom lecture on American Gardens on June 9th. Below are links to a few of the gardens that he showed us during his enlightening, informative and humorous talk. Although we cannot visit these gardens just now there are many virtual tours on the websites for us to enjoy.
Brooklyn Botanical Garden - The Enid A Haupt Conservatory is “the height of indoor gardening, the garden moves inside. It’s beautiful!” Also see the Japanese Gardens maintained by Japanese gardeners.
Dumbarton Oaks, Georgetown, Washington, “was created by wealthy industrialists who became the new young aristocracy of America as their fortunes grew.”
Dan Hinckley of Seattle, Washington. Dan is an American plantsman, garden writer, horticulturalist and nursery man. Timothy says Dan has a “fabulous nursery, probably the best in the world. Great plant collector, with fantastic garden. Colour and vigour, he has the perfect proportion.” Timothy showed pictures of beds photographed at 12-hour intervals that appear completely different based on the light! See Dan’s website for his Bark-a-lounger Botanists videos made during the coronavirus confinement.
The Arnold Arboretum and the Harvard Museum of Natural History – see the Ware Collection of Glass Models of Plantscreated by 19th century father and son Czech glass artists.
The Chicago Botanic Garden - The Heritage Garden “was based on Europe’s first Botanical Garden in Padua, 1535”. Also see an English walled garden by John Brooks.
Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - “Owned by the Dupont’s, this is the most perfectly maintained garden I have ever seen.”
Winterthur Gardens, Delaware
Rockefeller Rose Garden, The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, New York
Chanticleer, a pleasure garden – Pennsylvania
The PepsiCo Sculpture Gardens, Purchase, New York, designed by Russell Page in 1965 - “A wonderful garden, it looks very contemporary, even though it’s not.”
Missouri Botanicals Garden – One of the oldest botanical gardens in the US started by Englishman Henry Shaw in the early 19th century. “Amazing standard, like Kew and Cape Town South Africa.”
Some of the plants Timothy mentioned include:
Arisaema dracontium – common name green dragon. This is a native Missouri wildflower.
Jeffersonia diphylla – deciduous perennial with lovely two-lobed leaves and pure white flowers.
Paris polyphylla – exotic looking perennial for shade.
Kalmia Latifolia - common name Mountain Laurel “The flowers look like Iced Gem biscuits” This North Carolina native is highly toxic.
Penstemon canescens - common name grey beardtongue. Native to the South East US.
Franklinia alatamaha - Fabulous white flower - very rare.
Pachysandra - great dark ground cover
Athyrium - common name Lady Fern
Cerinthe major - common name honeywort, shown with alliums.
Sarcoccoca – common name sweet box.