Lost Gardens of New England

Will Spring ever come?  After a full day of snow showers that did not cling to the lawn or roads yesterday, we awoke this morning to a coating of snow all over. It quickly melted as the sun came up and stayed shining for the whole day.  It was not much above freezing, but we ventured out to New London to the Lyman Allyn Art Museum to see a traveling exhibit, "The Lost Gardens of New England".

It was an interesting display of art, some photos, architectural renderings and landscape architects' plans.  Several gardens in Connecticut were included. I have visited  Roseland Cottage in Woodstock and the Harkness Mansion in Waterford. Both are being restored, but many historic gardens are now gone. There are parking lots or front entrance landscape beds where once lovely, planned estate gardens once thrived.

The exhibit also shows the history of garden styles in America and European influences upon their design. The gardens evolved over time to reflect architectural trends and changing American ideals. The exhibit did a nice job of showing all these aspects.

Here's a link to the exhibit in a multimedia presentation by Historic New England.

Sorry, I have no photos of my own.  A sign said they were not allowed, but a woman took photos of everything while she chomped on her chewing gum beside me!

Blooming!

Those daffodils bloomed overnight!
Spring is on its way!

New Life for Some Houseplants

I wish I had taken some photos before I began to prune.  But, here is what the Areca palm and the Ficus tree look like now:

They fit the space they call home in the corners of the living room at the clubhouse.

They have needed a pruning for a year or more, but this seemed to be the 

right time to give them some new life with pruning, adding potting soil, 

new sphagnum moss and some fertilizer.

A spritz of water on the old frond 

and that new frond that has not yet unfolded 

should help to keep the dust down.

When I bought the moss and potting soil at Paul and Sandy's

I saw some plants that I just had to have on the coffee table

to get me through to Spring in 2 weeks.

A primrose, some Tete-a-tete daffodils and 

a Codlaeum variegatum (as labeled).

I would call it a croton.

Can't wait for the  daffodil buds to open.

I hope the croton does okay in the cool room.

Maybe the temperatures will be more moderate in the coming weeks?

I couldn't resist a new cyclamen.

Spring has arrived at my house!

Orchids Blooming at Home

I came home to all three orchids blooming at once!

That hasn't happened in a couple years.

Thanks to my neighbor who carefully tended them 

while I was away.

They look so wonderful with snow behind them out the window.

Yes, it's above the window sill!