Spring is such a promising time of year in the garden! Wildflowers appear, like the snowdrops that blanketed the Boxer Trail in March.
The good old daffodils were undeterred. They were supposed to die under a layer of cardboard placed on the garden to kill weeds, but they pushed their way through to make a gala display in the semi-circle garden at the front of the mansion.
The new daylilies and daffodils planted at the road poked their heads through the soil, giving us something to look forward to as the spring progresses and turns to June.
Fairmount Hardware donated pots of hyacinths last spring and they are gracing the side garden thanks to the planting efforts of Anna Maria Vona.
With great effort, RHS members with help from Philadelphia Parks and Rec and Power Corps, worked last year to weed, mulch, and edge the garden beds by the Boxer Trail. They are now ready for the new “Alphabet Garden” for which we received a grant from the Philadelphia Committee of the Garden Club of America. We are excited to work on this exciting new gardening project designed to involve children and other community members and entice them into our Ormiston family.
The trees that were planted last fall, including Prince Edward’s Japanese cherry tree, have survived the winter and will fill out with the spring rains and summer sun.
The boxwoods by the front sidewalk, planted for the visit of Prince Edward, have survived the winter and there are now purple pansies in the urns at the bottom of the front steps.
We are also happy to report that the artificial tree that we lighted for the wassail is still standing at the side of the mansion. It did not succumb to the winter winds as it did last year. To reward it for its stalwart determination to remain upright, we plan to keep it “planted” until we replace it with a holly tree, as originally envisioned.
Look forward to more news about our beautiful Ormiston Garden.