MT. CUBA CENTER

Today I went on a tour of Mt. Cuba Center with my sister and her neighbor. The center is located in Delaware. It was a stormy day with pouring rain. The temperature was actually cooler and less humid when we arrived in Delaware. Mt. Cuba is a 600 acre woodland  wildflower non-profit horticultural institution. According to their web site, "In 1935, Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland purchased farmland near the village of Mt. Cuba, Delaware to build a stately Colonial Revival house for their family. Both shared an interest in plants and an enthusiasm for gardening. With the help of prominent landscape architects Thomas W. sears and Marian C. Coffin, they developed a series of formal gardens and elegant outdoor entertaining spaces. Over time, the Copelands' growing passion for native plants and naturalistic gardening led them to create a series of glorious wildflower gardens, meadows, paths, and ponds. Today, these gardens boast a diverse, scientifically-curated plant collection that includes more than 1,900 plant species, varieties"
http://www.mtcubacenter.org/about/. Enjoy!

This is the back of the house.

This is the view from the front of the house.

Pots of Begonias

Agapanthus Outside Conservatory

Coleus Container

Inside Conservatory

Upward View

Bog Containers of Picture Plants

Agapanthus

All Heuchera

Sorry for the rain drops on some photos. It poured during the whole tour. The tour was ended due to the weather/lightening. I was pleased to learn that we would receive a day pass to return on another day. This is a beautiful center and pictures do not do it justice. You must visit. Lynn thanks for allowing me to come along on the tour. It was a nice day.

In The Yard Part II

What a difference a week can make with all the rain we have been having. My container veggies are under attack. The broccoli has holes in the leaves. I didn't see any worms, but of course I didn't look real hard. If I see a worm the plants may have to go. What kind of attitude is that? How can you garden and not want to pick off insects? The cucumbers have white spots on the leaves. I have 3 more tomatoes. I had my first cherry tomato on my salad. I expected a sweet tomato. I told my sister I ate my first cherry tomato. She asked if it was sweet? I said no and we both started laughing. I didn't notice any problems yet with the leaves of the tomatoes. So, I won't be able to feed the neighborhood with my veggies but I will know that they was organically grown and where it came from. I brought plants so I cheated but I did buy seeds to plant but with all the flower seedlings I had to try to get to survive until Spring there was not time to start vegetables. Maybe cool season veggies this Fall. I bought these seeds for this year but some will obviously have to wait until next year. I regret not trying the container corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I bought them specifically for growing in containers.

Cucumbers

Zinnia growing, although planted late.

Cucumbers starting to climb.

 Who know's if I'll get broccoli. I planted it late and broccoli is a cool season crop. Maybe a replant for the Fall?

Tomato getting taller. No cucumber apparatus for growing vertically, improvise.

Sorry for the blurry picture.

Flower seeds sewn late. Lets see if I have flowers by October.

In The Yard

You can get some inexpensive gardening items shopping out of season. I got these containers for a fraction of their price during the Winter. The blue ceramic ones come from Ross. They're usually inexpensive anyway you just have to buy them when you see them because they won't be there when you come back. They have holes already in the bottom but I don't plan on using them as planters because they are ceramic and would crack in the winter. It would be too much trouble to bring them in every Fall with heavy soil. I am using them as pedestals for my pots. Have you looked at the prices for stone or concrete/cement pedestals? 

Lobelia waiting patiently all Spring and now Summer to be planted.

My Coleus Seedlings

That came out nicely. I also added perennial plant. I can't locate the tag for the name of the plant.

Some plant didn't do well and died. I pulled them out. The pansies are also done so I tried torenia.

I planted this one too. All are my seedlings except the lobelia.

Coleus Chocolate Mint (the dark one), only 1 seedling survived of
10 pelleted seeds from
Parks Seeds

I added torenia, coleus, and canna. Look at the small echinacea searching for the sun.

The fern is really growing. I must do something with the planters on the right.

Took out Pansies

Time to plant something else. I'll take a picture of what I put in.

Transplanted Coleus no Longer Wilted

Still have to plant these.

Day lilly finally bloomed.

Pansies taken out. Begonia and vinca planted. No growth on the trellis yet.

Astible, Variegated Lirope, Torenia, Heuchera, Sedum, Boxwood

Crowded isn't it ? A work in progress.

Veronica in Bloom

My clematis is blooming again. She bloomed on old wood in Spring.

Look like aster yellow to me. I've never had this happen to my echinacea.