Last Bit on Ladew

The outdoor seating area for the cafe at Ladew is an old horse barn.  The roof and upper walls have been removed and all that exists are the foundation walls and this trough, which has been converted into a water feature. 

The walls themselves are in a beautiful state of decay, with Sempervivium and other plants growing in the crevices.

Decay or atrophy in a garden is such a fun theme, on a project that is in design now, we're trying to create a "decaying" path through the client's wooded lot, finally reaching a terminus on a ridge that faces a creek.  It will be tricky to pull off, but the feeling you get when looking at this beautiful wall -- where time, human design and nature all intersect -- is the goal we have.

More Ladew

A few scenes from the large hedged garden at Ladew.  Clipped Tsuga create massive hedged walls.

Statues are hidden in side the hedged walls.

Below, a vista to the more formal topiary garden, nearer the house.

The axis between the hedged garden and topiary intersects with the axis between the rose garden and a streambank garden.  At the intersection, sits this oval pool.  Though it looks round below, it's truly elliptical.

Peach Watch Continues...

Back in late March, I took some photos of a peach orchard in southern New Jersey and decided to watch the orchard over the next few months, culminating in a harvest of delicious peaches.  In early May, the tiny baby peaches were evident.

Yesterday, I drove by the orchard again, and took a few pics.  At first glance, I was worried the somewhat larger peaches I saw in late May had been harvested, but no worries. 

 

They are ripening steadily, increasing in size and even developing a peachy color.  

 

Ladew Gardens,

Without a doubt, the Water Lily Gardens at Ladew were among my favorites.  But I am sadly a bit too busy to elaborate on why.  So I'm posting these shots without comment....

Ladew Topiary Gardens, Rose Garden

The Rose Garden at Ladew is an elliptical brick-walled garden. with grass and brick paths, festooned with climbing vines and roses. 

We were just a bit too early to enjoy the roses in full bloom, but it was still lovely to look at the design and some of the perennials in bloom.

 

Stachys byzantina and Clematis x jackmannii provide some variation from the climbing and bush roses. 

I really, really want to replace that piece of wood for something a touch nicer.  I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.

The brick and grass edge to the pond reads very well, and all of the water features have a touch of decay to them that I find appealing.  I like that it doesn't seem to be level anymore and water spills off the left side more heavily.  Makes it feel lived-in.

I also loved this fine, fine textured wrought iron gate and would love to know where to find something similar.  It's lightness is such a change from the brick.

Ladew Topiary Gardens, Victorian Garden

I loved, loved the effect from planting Cryptomeria japonica so close together that they formed a fairly rigid fence around the 'Victorian Garden'. 

 The Rhododendrons are thriving as well, so passing through the threshold feels pretty magical.

Ladew Topiary Gardens

On Friday, I mentioned a recent visit to Ladew Topiary Gardens but only shared a few pics of the window boxes.  We'll look at a bit more today.  Ladew is named for Harvey Ladew, who designed and created the 22-acre site.  Ladew was born in 1887 and bought the land in 1929.  He died in 1976 but not before making preparations so that his home could be made open to the public.

  

The Manor House was built in 1747 though wings were added by Ladew in the '30s. Tours of the house are available, though regular readers know I rarely bother with the interiors.

 

As the name implies, there is a large amount of topiary in the gardens.   The scene above, called the 'Hunt Scene' shows a rider, following dogs that are chasing a fox. 

Above, swans 'float' near the oval pool.

The gardens are set up as a series of rooms, including: The Victorian Garden,

The Rose Garden, 

The Water Lily Garden,

The Terrace Garden,

and the Portico Garden, to name a few.

More detail shots of these rooms in the days to come.

Ladew Topiary Gardens

A couple weeks ago, I took my students on a tour of Kurt Bluemel's perennial nursery.  After that tour (photos to come, no doubt) we stopped by the Ladew Topiary Gardens nearby.  More on the gardens later this week and next, but in the meantime, I am sharing photos of these lovely window boxes, planted almost entirely with succulents and Euphorbias.