Wonderful photos to fantasize about, from commentor Delphinium:
These pictures are not from my garden but thought since most of us are waiting for Spring, they might be a nice filler until the weather warms up a bit.
Sonnenberg Gardens is a NY State Historic Park that includes a late 19th century Victorian Estate with a Queen Anne-style mansion, nine formal gardens, and several greenhouses. Sonnenberg is the former summer home and creation of Frederick Ferris and Mary Clark Thompson.The area in front of the greenhouses featured a lovely fountain.
In the back of the greenhouses were some small gardens — this one had Yuccas and alliums.
This greenhouse contained a large variety of succulents.
While there are plenty of flower gardens on the estate like this one, there is also a designated community vegetable garden with produce grown for the Gleaner’s Kitchen in Canandaigua to help feed the hungry.
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What’s going on in your garden(s), this week?
eclare
The orchids are so pretty.
sab
As an aspiring but indifferent gardener I am relieved that those are not from your garden. Not a ding at you, just relief to me (why even bother to try to keep up).
Very gorgeous.
I didn’t keep up with filling the squirrel/bird feeders so the squirrels/tree rats (my pro squirrel husband hates me calling them tree rats) ate the tops off most of my spring bulbs that were popping up too soon. So no early flowers for me you evil tree rats.
ETA I like squirrels a lot except in Spring. My granddaughter calls them squirtles. Some sort of popular culture thing of which I am unaware.
NeenerNeener
Hey, unlike most of the other places people post on here, I’ve actually been to Sonnenberg Gardens!
sab
@NeenerNeener: I never even had heard of it. Now I want to go there.
slipz
I was married in the Japanese garden at Sonnenberg in 1985. Still going strong.
sab
After watching many seasons if Midsomer Murders my Irish American husband wants to do a Midsomer bus tour. The only reason he wants to see UK is their fictitiously high murder rate? Irish American perspective is my guess. Whatever gets him over there is fine with me.
Jeffg166
@sab: My neighbor seems to think squirrels would starve to death if she didn’t put peanuts out two or three times a day. Needless to say my garden is their destination to cash them.
They are constantly digging or rooting around in the soil and pots year round. I have to cover everything with some kind of mess covering to get the plant big enough for them to ignore it.
Last year one little bastard ripped off half the tulip to eat something in the middle of the flower.
sab
@Jeffg166: I hear you. I like the obnoxious little guys but they are obnoxious.
sab
@sab: What are the best times of year?
sab
@sab: Angela Lansbury was originally English also before she moved to Cabot Cove Maine.. Homicidal Brits are now a thing?
JeanneT
This garden does look like a great place to visit….. it would be a nice stop on a leisurely trip to see my brother in CT.
Does anyone know how the locals pronounce Canandaigua?
Geo Wilcox
@sab: Have you watched the Cadfael series? They do a tour of that show’s locations as well. The series is way shorter than the on going Midsomer Murders series but well worth checking out, Derek Jacoby stars as the main character. The books that Cadfael was taken from are about 20 or so, more then the 7 the Midsomer Murders series was made from.
Spanky
@JeanneT: Cannon-day-gwah.
Note: I am not a native.
kalakal
Love those orchids.
Here we are overrun with Tussock Moth caterpillars. Interesting little chaps but don’t touch. They’re venomous and can give you a nasty rash or worse
Tussock Moths
delphinium
@slipz: How lovely! On the day I visited, they had a tent and chairs out for a wedding there near the Old-fashioned Garden.
raven
It’s pouring on the garden!
delphinium
@sab: Ha ha. Yeah, I haven’t had a lot of success with orchids, so enjoy what other people grow.
delphinium
Some bits of trivia: Mary Clark cancelled her passage on the Titanic to attend a flower show.
When Mary passed away, she left her estate to her nephew Emory Clark. He sold the estate to the US government in 1931 who in turn established the Canandaigua VA hospital on the adjacent farmland and the mansion was converted into housing for the doctors and nurses. It wasn’t until 1973 that it was obtained by a non-profit and opened to the public.
delphinium
@NeenerNeener: I hadn’t been there in decades so was curious to go back and visit again. Looked like they had recently redone the rose gardens as most of the bushes were quite small still.
delphinium
@kalakal: Yikes!
satby
Very nice pictures to wake up to delphinium! Especially since I woke up to a couple of inches of snow.
delphinium
@raven: Had snow Friday late afternoon into Saturday morning but at least the sun is out this morning.
OT, will be getting that book you mentioned, You Don’t Belong Here-sounds like such a fascinating story.
delphinium
@satby: Yeah, we had snow on Friday and Saturday morning. Can’t wait for Spring!
sab
@Geo Wilcox: I heve not been aware of it. Wlil check it out. Welsh?
sab
Also too, we had a tangle with an over aggressive salesman with our cable company. Wanted to add a channel. Now we want to cut the cord entirely (good job, aggressive salesman.)
So now what? Roku? Britbox?
ETA He wanted us to add our cellphones to the cable service we were already unhappy with. Then we couldn’t complain.
Before this call I liked Spectrum. Now I hate it
Hate Spectrum, a lot.
kalakal
@sab: Set around Shrewsbury in Shropshire so Anglo- Welsh borders.
It’s a good show, the main character is a Benedictine monk who solves murder mysteries. It’s set in the 12th century ‘Anarchy’ when Stephen & Matilda were fighting over the throne
ETA I like Britbox, but I’m biased 😀
Gvg
Spring is going strong here in Florida. Have you ever noticed how this urge to garden roses in non gardeners in spring? Hoards of people who are going to lose interest later become active buyers in spring and mob the trucks at the box stores at this time of year. I think it’s instinct almost buried by city living. I find it amusing to watch.
I cannot grow orchids, many failures. I can grow other difficult plants and orchids are easy to obtain and reasonably priced here but I can’t. My mother is persistent and learning. She has the advantage of being social. She has expert friends who give her more and take away any that need more help so she never has to feel guilty. Now sometimes her plants live and rebloom. On the other hand I am better at seeds. Consequently she gave me her packets to start. I hope to get a bunch of trays started today.
First, I have to blow off the roof though. I think the trees are done dumping their spring leaf shed. I hope it doesn’t take to long. Spent the whole day yesterday learning how to spray beneficial nematodes on my lawn when I thought it would be a couple of hours. Hope it reduces fleas and roaches. Possibly termites though I haven’t had those in 20 plus years and take other steps too so how would I know if this helps? Do not enjoy roof blowing. Hope to enjoy seed planting.
raven
@sab: Roku lost a bundle in the bank failure. Roku is a device for streaming (as well as a channel) and Britbox is a streaming channel
We have a tv that is a Roku TV so it’s built in.
delphinium
@Gvg: Never really cared for roses so that will be 1 less person looking to buy any. : )
Good luck with the leaf blowing and nematodes-hope it works for you!
WaterGirl
Beautiful flowers to wake up to!
Speaking of waking up, how did I not know we were going to have a time change last night?
delphinium
@WaterGirl: Seems like there are fewer reminders to people now-guess they figure it isn’t needed so much since smart phones and computers automatically adjust the time, and the changeover occurs over a weekend night so people don’t typically have a lot scheduled?
WaterGirl
@delphinium: Yeah, that was my first clue when I looked at my phone and it said 8, then I walked into the kitchen and my stove said 7. :-)
Uncle Cosmo
@WaterGirl: Consider yourself lucky – my cordless land line still hasn’t reset its clock…and there’s no “clock” button on the base station or any of the handsets to permit me to adjust it automatically.
Quinerly
What’s going on here near beautiful Santa Fe?
3 pallets of flagstones and 1000 sq ft of higher end fake grass bought at almost 1/2 price for The Princeling’s side yard. A doggie oasis in the High Desert! A third gate into that yard and 22 railroad ties for landscaping and to anchor the turf. JoJo las Orejas is one lucky “working” dog who prefers to lounge on a chaise since as a black dog with a white chest, he gets lots of compliments when he wears red or is relaxing on red cushions.
Question…I need to purchase 2 more rain barrels. Does anyone have a favorite that’s NOT the industrial, red brick color design. I love those and have them, but need at least one that is shorter, fatter, or elongated. It’s all about where one particular canale is located, dumping rain on a concrete patio. TYIA for any suggestions. There’s a lot out there when I Google but would love to hear about a personal experience with a different style. Have a great day, BJers.
Quinerly
Oh…and gorgeous pics!
delphinium
@Quinerly: I would love to see pictures once your yard (well, JoJo’s yard) is done! Hope you can post some.
Quinerly
@delphinium:
Thanks for your interest!
This is a learning curve for me after having gardened for 40 years in a small NOLA style bricked courtyard with containers and balconies in inner city St. Louis.
I’m lucky in that the “main” backyard here was landscaped beautifully with a koi pond, drought tolerate native perennials, pollinators, and 6 fruit trees. I have made friends with a young woman of Yaqui heritage who works at a local nursery that is devoted to only native plants and heirlooms. She has been a wealth of info and a delight to hang out with.
I put in on my own extensive cactus beds out front using cuttings growing wild on my acreage. Moved a lot of gravel around. This side JoJo yard is from scratch. It basically was 2000 sq ft of gravel, luckily with two pines, 3 cottonwoods, and a sickly aspen. Been here a year now and this gravel and dust has got to go. I started last Fall with a small drought tolerant pollinator area in the corner with plants I divided from the main side. Added an area with beautiful ornamental native grasses I bought from my friend. Going to add some containers to this corner west, no wind flagstoned patio that over looks JoJo’s private doggie park with his baby pool. Sunflowers to line the west fence in his part. I am very excited. It doesn’t have an expansive view like the main side, but it has great wind breaks where the little “pocket” patio is going. Plus, great heat in the winter from the walls. I’m calling that part my winter patio.
delphinium
@Quinerly: That all sounds lovely, and you are indeed lucky to have made friends with someone with a vast knowledge of local plants and heirlooms.
Lived part of my childhood in Tucson and part of my adulthood in Phoenix so have always appreciated the beauty of the desert.
Quinerly
@delphinium:
I fell hard for the desert on my very first trip out here…to Taos, in February of all months. So odd, considering I grew up on the coast of NC. And…all my visits and travel out here yearly until I decided to move were in the winter. Last year in my new to me house was my first spring and summer. I’m learning a lot and rewiring my brain.
Nancy
Delphinium,
I haven’t been to Sonneberg Gardens in years. You’ve reminded me why I need to go back. And thank you for the lovely photos, indoors and out.
I just got an orchid for my birthday. Hope I can keep it alive.
I appreciate the history, Mary Clark and her son. I am a NYS transplant of more than 50 years. Still learning about my environment.
The pronouncation advice is fine. I hear locals say it as Can-an-Day’-gua. I also like Irondequoit–pronounced Ir-ron-de qui-t and Chili–Chy-lye.
I would rather read the Brother Cadfael books that watch the series. Derek Jacoby is wonderful but to my mind he is not Brother Cadfael. He was great in Last Tango in Halifax– I loved the scenic vistas in that.
Snow, snow, snow here north of Canandaigua and west of Irondequoit.
smedley the uncertain
@WaterGirl: Same Here. Neither one of us were aware. Finally noted the cell phone and the Atomic Clocks had all changed.
delphinium
@Nancy: Happy belated birthday! Enjoy your orchid, they are lovely plants. I grew up around here but then lived elsewhere for several decades before moving back about 10 years ago so have been reacquainting myself with the region.
J R in WV
I have a Kroger’s plants orchid that I’ve had for years now. It has bloomed several times now. I find that you need to let them dry out a tiny bit and then drench them, like once a week or so.
I had one that was a gift from a biologist who manages a tropical plant installation at the Huntington Art Gallery, the blooms were shaped like star-fighters. Very spectacular, but after it did well for some years, it croaked on me.
Mustang Bobby in Miami has posted photos of his outdoor orchids in his yard, very nice, happy year round… But not worth moving to Miami for me.