A Visit to Oak Spring Garden

The Broodmare Barn.

 

On Saturday May 15 our Botanical Artist Society of the National Capital Region (BASNCR) enjoyed a rare treat: a private tour of Oak Spring Gardens in Upperville, VA, the estate of the late Paul and Rachel "Bunny" Mellon. I had contacted the Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF) last year through one of my art students whose sister worked there. 

The garden is only open to the public for one week of the year during Virginia Historic Garden Week, so this was a very special opportunity for us botanical artists to get a glimpse of this lovely garden and unique botanical collection.

I received confirmation the tour would take place as planned during the first days of May. There was a strict limit of ten persons, and once the word went out to BASNCR members, the spaces filled up quickly. One member cancelled at the last minute, so we ended up being just nine.

 

Walking towards the Library.

 

The weather was perfect--we couldn't have asked for a more beautiful spring day! We were met at the Broodmare barn by our guide, Eleanor, one of their dedicated volunteers. Paul Mellon had at one time raised thoroughbreds here, and a statue of his most famous prize-winning horse adorns the courtyard of the barn. The barn is no longer used for its original purpose; it has been remodeled to function as a conference center that includes guestrooms with en-suite bathrooms for conference attendees.

Next stop on our tour was the library, where no photos allowed inside. The director, Tony Willis, had on display some dozen original historical botanical artworks for us. We saw illustrations of Opuntia cactus by Georg Ehret painted on vellum in 1758, a German iris oil on paper by Jean Baptiste Huet dating from 1785, and a beautiful Crown Imperial Fritillary by Johanna Helena Herolt (one of Maria Sybilla Merian's daughters) circa 1721 were a few of those.

 

The library exterior.

The two-story library interior itself was a work of art with an antique marble fireplace, a trompe l'oeil bookshelf with books painted on one wall and other curious furnishings such as a quaint set of large papier mache flowers that could be taken apart to teach the various parts of a flower to botanical students, a naturalist's doll house, and many more.

From there Tony proceeded to show us a very rare folio-sized volume of illustrations by Maria Sybilla Merian, the German artist who is credited with being the first to study insect and plant interactions and metamorphosis. Maria traveled to Dutch Surinam in 1699 to study first hand the plants and insects there and returned to Holland where she published several books of her illustrations. The etchings had been hand-colored by Merian's two surviving daughters--she passed away before the edition was completed in 1719.  We saw ancient herbals: "Hortus Sanitatus" dating from 1511, and another tome circa 1450. 

 

BASNCR members and companions under the arbor.

After touring the library it was time to see the gardens. One enters through a shady arbor of crab apple trees espaliered on a trellis, an iconic feature designed by Mrs. Mellon. The arbor connects the main garden with the "Glass House," a large structure with a central pavilion and two greenhouse wings.

The Glass House

The large expanse of garden is enclosed by the main house with smaller cottages and pavilions to either side. There is a vegetable garden, lawns, and many flower beds punctuated by fountains, reflecting pools, and topiary trees, in a formal arrangement. Informal touches of plants straying from their confines softened the outlines--flowers were allowed to grow in the paths between paving stones here and there.

 

The vegetable garden at Oak Spring

Flower beds.

American holly topiary and flower beds.

Cottage with Iris beds

 

We continued on to the Glass House, where the central pavilion was decorated with trompe l'oeil paintings of cabinets and shelves displaying many of "Bunny" Mellon's favorite objects: her basket collection including a Vietnamese basket gifted by her friend Jackie Kennedy (upper center panel), garden tools, fruits and vegetables. Even the "tiles" on the walls and ceiling are painted.

Trompe l'oeil cabinet doors in the "potting shed"

The actual potting table behind the doors with more trompe l'oeil decorations.

Cabinet doors with trompe 'loeil

The Glass House greenhouse

We were informed that the greenhouses are not used during the summer months, since they are not well-insulated and become too warm.

 

Lilac bush outside the garden.

Family memorabilia: a Monet painting over a fireplace.

 

As we were reaching the end of our two-hour tour, we were led back toward the barn to enter another pavilion housing a collection of family memorabilia and a gift shop, where we were able to choose from a number of souvenirs. What a wonderful ending for an outstanding day!

Bunny Mellon's garden gloves and secateurs.

On Reddish Knob

Looking towards West Virginia from Reddish Knob.

 

Last Sunday I joined the Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) group on an excursion to Reddish Knob, VA. This is a part of Virginia that I'd never seen before and at 4,101 ft. one of the highest elevation points in the state; the flora in this area and the views promised to be outstanding. 

 

The view south, Shenandoah Mountain.

 

The day was cloudy and cool, and the moment I got on I-81 it started to rain lightly. I had my three-season jacket with me but had opted to leave my rain jacket at home, in order to lighten my backpack--I hoped I wouldn't regret my decision later on. Thankfully the rain stopped by the time I reached the exit at Harrisonburg.

Driving on the back roads through the small towns in this area before finding Briery Branch Road, I skirted around at least a dozen horse and buggy carriages--this is the heart of Mennonite country in Virginia--they were probably heading home from Sunday services. 

 

Old sugar maple (Acer saccharum) trunk

 

Our meeting spot at the Hone Quarry picnic area was by a stream in a rich wood, and we did a bit of botanizing here before driving up to Reddish Knob. Under very large sugar maples, beech, birch and hemlock we found spurred violets (Viola rostata), miterwort (Mitella diphylla) and one very dense growth of one-flowered cancer root (Orobanche uniflora).

Spurred violet (Viola rostata)

Miterwort (Mitella diphylla) among ferns

Cluster of one-flowered cancer root flowers (Orobanche uniflora)

As the name of this species implies, there is only one flower per plant, so this cluster represents many plants growing very close together. The only part of this parasitic plant that grows above ground is the flowering stem. The forest floor elsewhere was thick with sweet white violets, Solomon's seal, Geum, sweet Cicely, Hepatica, ferns, bluets, sedums, wild yam and ebony spleenwort.

 

Wild yams (Dioscoria villosa) in rich woods

 

After we had surveyed this area, we set out as a car caravan to drive up the mountain, pulling out by the side of the fairly narrow road to look at the confabulation of flora on the banks. At our first stop a most remarkable display of Lyre-leaved sage in bloom greeted us, growing among bowman's root, whorled loosestrife, yellow-eyed grass, bracken ferns, mountain laurel and enormously tall plantain-leaved pussytoes.

 

Walk leader Sally Anderson ID's plants on the bank.

Lyre-leaved sage (Salvia lyrata) with plantain-leaved pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia)

Bowmans root (Gilleniua trifoliata) with lyre-leaved sage

Whorled loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia)

Eastern yellow-eyed grass (Hypoxis hirsuta)

There wasn't much space for road traffic to pass by us, and as the last car in line, I could see several cars and trucks piling up on our tail, growing impatient with our pace. We finally reached a place where these could pass us so we could continue at our leisurely pace--I couldn't believe how fast the locals barrel around these curves!

At our next few stops we encountered a number of different arrays of flora on the steep road banks as we climbed: tree-sized pinxter azaleas and lovely dogwoods on the down-sloping bank to our left; starry campion, mountain laurel, wood vetch, violets, Carolina pinks, blueberries and iris on the upward slope to our right.

 

Pinxter azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides)

Bird's foot violet (Viola pedata)

Bank filled with Carolina pinks (Silene carolinana)

Close-up of Carolina pink

Dwarf iris (Iris verna)

 

As we rose, the clouds began to clear, and at times patches of sunlight illuminated the banks. Bird's foot violets, mountain bellwort, blueberries, and deerberries appeared.

 

The higher slopes.

Mountain bellwort (Uvularia puberula)

Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum)

 

At another curve with wider pull-off we walked around a bit and found blueberries and huckleberries, mountain fetterbush, some gaywings, trillium and quite a number of pink lady slipper orchids. These were much smaller than the ones I've seen in Fort Valley but every bit as lovely.

 

Gaywings (Polygala pauciflora)

Mountain fetterbush (Pieris floribunda)

Pink lady slipper orchids (Cypripedium acaule)

Huckleberries (Gaylusia sp.)

As we ascended, it was as if spring were unwinding backwards--the foliage was just emerging at these heights. We stopped briefly at a bend, the intersection with FR 85, and saw a hillside carpeted with interrupted fern just at the stage when the spore-bearing fronds (sporangia) were maturing. I climbed down the steep bank for a closer look.

 

Hillside with interrupted fern (Osmunda claytoniana)

Interrupted fern with sporangia

Close-up of spore-bearing fronds

 

These curious spore-bearing fronds occur not on the underside or edges of the leaves as in many ferns, but in the middle of the fronds, and fall off after they ripen, thence interrupting the frond. After this last stop, it was time to move toward Reddish Knob--it was almost five o'clock. We drove past a couple of lovely stands of wild lupines without stopping.

The last part of the road leading to the knob was very narrow and steep, and began to reveal the incredible views all around. The small parking area at the top was covered in graffitti--college kids from Harrisonburg like to drive up here to party.

 

VNPS group at Reddish Knob

On the way back down, I had to maneuver to allow another car coming up the narrow road to pass--there was no way for either of us to turn around. Then I stopped to photograph the lupines before heading home.

Sundial lupines (Lupinus perennis)

Iris Idyll

Iris 'Victoria Falls'

 

German or bearded irises are one of my favorite flowers: so elegant! Thanks to the fascination of horticulturists with this lovely species, they have been bred to have large, frilly, spectacular flowers in just about any color combination. Blues, purples, and yellows are still among the most popular, though bi-colors are also lovely.

Irises are not particular about soil, nor do they require a lot of care, so they manage to do well in my garden. The only drawback is that their blooming season is short and sweet. Even so, there are now varieties that re-bloom in the fall.

 

Irises by the front walk.

The front walk a week later.

 

My iris collection started with a package of rhizomes that I bought from a member of  the Virginia Native Plant Society when I visited their booth at the Fall Garden Fair at Blandy Farm my first year here. I was just starting my new garden in Front Royal, and the irises were a welcome addition. The lady from VNPS told me the irises were a mixture of colors from her own garden--I have no idea what the names of the varieties are.

White Irises

It was so exciting to see them bloom that first spring, although there were only a few flowers in my small bed! These have multiplied over the years, to the extent that I've expanded the bed twice, as well as taken rhizomes to plant in other sunny beds. The white iris above, in particular, is quite unusual, with a small tongue that lifts off the pale yellow and lavender beards--never seen anything like it before. On some years, certain colors seem to predominate while others hardly appear. This year a deep purple iris has yet to manifest itself.

Yellow and 'Pink Attraction' irises

 

When I began to expand the bed next to the garage, I transplanted a few of the yellow irises, and added one that I'd bought on sale, 'Pink Attraction.' It's really more of a peach color, but blends well with the yellow and the pale lilac Dutch iris in the same bed.

 

The irises in the bed I call the "Little Indians" (the arbor vitae were originally ten and quite small) are an old-fashioned variety that my mother grew in her garden. Mom had taken a few rhizomes from the garden of an old house that was about to be demolished, preserved them in her garden and gave each of us cuttings. My sister Bea gave me a couple of small rhizomes from her garden, and they have grown and expanded greatly in the years I've been gardening here.

Anchusa azurea 'Alkanet' (on the right) with 'Victoria Falls'

 

The 'Victoria Falls' iris in this long island bed below the deck is paired with 'Blatant,' a bi-color with rusty purple falls and yellow standards which hasn't bloomed much this year--the previous spring some critter ate some of the rhizomes, and it's still recovering. This one is a re-blooming variety, as is the yellow iris--they usually put forth a few flowering spikes in the fall; unfortunately these are often stymied by early frosts.  I'm now looking for a rose-purple shade to add to my iris collection in the fall.

Last fall I added a few new plants to this bed, among them an Anchusa azurea 'Alkanet' with deep blue flowers that complements "Victoria Fall's nicely. This plant is a native of the Mediterranean region and prefers the dry conditions that our area is often subject to.

Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia)

The Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) has grown quite a bit since it was planted the fall before last, gaining about eighteen inches last summer. It has flowers only on a few branches this year, but I'd rather it continued to invest its energy into height at this stage. 

Korean fir (Abies koreana 'Horstman's Silberlocke')

My little Korean fir is putting forth its first shoots since being planted last fall, and I hope it will gain a bit of height this season. I imagine it will be a few years before I see any of its unusual purple cones, but who knows? This one is a grafted tree, so it might develop faster.

 

Ninebark tree 'Amber Jubilee' with Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost'

The two amber-named trees, Ninebark 'Amber Jubilee' and the Japanese maple 'Amber Ghost' have similar foliage colors that complement each other--the Amber Bed, so to speak. I'd like to add another tree behind this one and had my heart set on a white-flowering Redbud, but I waited too long to order it and all the nurseries were out of stock. Oh well, maybe next year.