Monhegan Island....My Anthill.

Summer is upon us, and those pesky back to school commercials are beginning to appear one by one.  Somehow, summertime always flies by for me, and with the warm weather comes so many things to do and see.  I must admit, I have gotten a bit sidetracked and distracted, letting the entire month of July go by without a Grown In the Garden post!  With that being said, I am eager to share two summer adventure spots with you as well as some highlights from my own garden this year.

Part One: Monhegan Island, Maine.

I returned to the island this summer, eager to continue my exploration and artistic research on the island.  Upon departing on the Elizabeth Ann boat I anticipated returning to the same island that I had watched fade into the horizon a year ago.  The weather on the island last July was perfect, crisp, clear, and sunny almost every day.  I learned about the island in this way, not really considering what it might be like in...let us just say...for example...dense fog?

I arrived that day to the Monhegan that I knew.  A world of bright red poppies swaying in the wind and surreal, painterly sunsets over Monhegan's little sister island Manana.

My first day, I was eager to get out and locate all of the places that I had remembered...this time without getting lost.  As I followed the trails up and down the rocky shore line, I discovered all different kinds of plants growing in and out of rocks.  I began to notice patterns within these little ecosystems, like how far certain plants would grow towards the water, and which ones prefered specific parts of the island.  These patterns were beginning to teach me about the landscape, and island that I was now becoming a part of.

And then, the island that I thought I was beginning to know so well, suddenly transformed as if it had disappeared into the sea.

The fog was altering the way that I was seeing things, rolling in and out in such a haunting way.  The landscape became more mysterious and dramatic, as shapes and forms were revealed in ways that were not visible when the sun was shining.  The fog also began to highlight certain seemingly invisible occurrences that I might typically pass by.

And little Manana disappeared for at least 3 days.

Then....the fog lifted.

And everything was clear again.

 

I realize that I will never fully come to know everything that there is about this magical island, though I feel like I know it and myself a little better now.  I know now what it is like, to feel like an ant wandering up and down, in and though the landscape, winding my way in and out of pathways, learning the way by sense and nothing else. 

Please stay tuned for Part Two.

Longwood Gardens All to Myself: Backwards

After 30-ish years or so of visiting Longwood Gardens, this May marked the first year that my family and I had the grounds to ourselves.  Well not exactly, but it sure seemed like it.  There were a number of factors that contributed to my new-found, imaginary acquisition of the historic DuPont property.  First, it was close to 95 degrees that day, though with beautiful crystal clear blue skies, and second, it was not a holiday, or a weekend. 

In years past, we have practically always visited the gardens on Memorial Day weekend, which often brings floods of garden and fountain enthusiasts.  However, even though it is crowded at Longwood, you usually don't notice it.  That is the wonder of the garden landscape, allowing visitors to escape from the world into their own private spaces.  

But on this day, Longwood Gardens would become all mine.

Longwood Gardens is located in  Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.  The property, originally inhabited by the Lenni Lenape Indians, has had a rich history dating back to the 1700's.  As it stands today the grounds were designed in the early 1900's, mainly at the hands of Pierre S. du Pont.  The gardens are known for their festival of fountains, Italianate gardens, and magnificent Conservatory. 

In 30 years of visiting the gardens, one comes to expect certain things, which to a new observer might be a magical discovery.  To these seasoned visitors, the garden experience becomes something entirely different.  One must look to discover new spots, subtleties, and details, that overwhelmed new visitors would most likely overlook.   The garden has "rooms", palaces in fact, each with its own individual character and personality.  The topiary and rose gardens feel like entering Alice's Wonderland, while the great fountain lawn feels like stepping straight into the palace of Versailles.  The Italian water garden seems surreal in it's perfection, as if the ghosts of time are present here, content on never leaving paradise. 

There is a section ( my favorite ) where the fountains are not running, and the blue tile is deteriorating with weeds poking their way through.  In this spot, there are so many details, so much possibility for my mind to imagine what this place must have looked like in the early 1900's. 

This year, we decided to explore the garden backwards; backwards for us, that is.  It is amazing how taking a different route, and seeing things in an unexpected way can change the entire experience. 

This year, I paid particular attention to the teaching garden, where you can view a wide variety of perennials, and get great ideas to apply to your own garden.   The poppies and peonies were unbelievable.

 

And a great veggie garden....

 Herb Garden....I loved the curls of the garlic scapes....

We then ventured out of the teaching area and started to make our way towards the conservatory.

Can you spot the monkey puzzle trees??

The Longwood conservatory is full of Tropical, Desert, and Mediterranean climates, along with rose, and hibiscus specimens, a beautiful indoor plant display, and outdoor water lily garden.  

 

And my all time favorite highlight, is the orchid collection.  Over the many years of visiting collection, I always secretly wished that I could have the orchid room all to myself, to pretend that it was all mine.  This is by far the best, most extensive collection that I have seen in my garden travels.  

Finally, we left the conservatory looking out regally at the landscape below, and made our way past the formal flower beds, down winding, natural wooded paths, to the Italian Water Garden.

I was interested to learn that this garden is a lesson in linear and spatial perspective.  It was designed with the back pools fourteen feet longer so that when viewed from above the pools would all appear to be the same size.  

Can you spot the waterfall steps??

Finally, the day ended where most years it begins.  This display felt to me like a black and white movie, completely desaturated, but full of exciting texture and value.  We exited the bright wonderland, full of vibrant color, returning through the bluish gray, monochromatic gates to the real world.  

A seemingly appropriate end to a wonderful, backwards visit.