A Maryland Country Garden

Visit to Brookside Gardens

Last week, husband and I visited Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland.  This is our closest, large public garden--only a half-hour drive away.  Among its attractions is a lake with a Japanese tea house on a small island, a conservatory which has a butterfly exhibit every year in the spring and summer, and a series of garden rooms with a lily pond, rose garden and various perennial borders.  The butterfly exhibit is a favorite of mine (and of many others, I'm sure) where you walk into the conservatory and are surrounded by various species of butterflys and their host plants.  There is also a case showing the different stages of development of butterflies.  No photos of that yet, but here are some photos from our last visit: 

                                                   

      

            

                   

Clematis Montana

My clematis Montana 'Rubens' is in full-bloom on my deck.  This plant is amazingly vigorous and needs no care at all except hacking it back occassionally when it starts to eat our dining set on the deck.  This year, it's decided to climb onto my crape myrtle.  Along with it's spectacular display of blooms, it has a strong fragrance similar to vanilla. 

The Daffodils Are Gone

Their flowers are spent.  Now I have to wait for the leaves to brown and wither.  I planted around 100 of them over a two-year period "naturalized" on the outskirts of my cultivated area.  I love them because animals don't eat them and they are totally trouble-free. 

And here is my Irish Wolfhound, Lear, enjoying the daffodils:

The Kitchen Garden

I had a kitchen garden put in in the fall of 2001.  It was a 20th anniversary present from my husband.  It has raised cedar beds, gravel paths, and a 5-foot fence around it.  It's also too large.  The dimensions are approximately 35' by 40'.  I plant vegetables and also use some of the beds for flowers, and use others as "nursery" beds.  That's where I can plant small seedlings and let them grow-on before putting them out into the cruel world ;)

And here are some 'Grandpa Otts' morning glories on the fence.