John Eric Schneider - Landscape Architect - retired

Trump’s attempt to rename the Kennedy Center it is a politically motivated takeover disguised as improvement, further designed to erase its legacy as a living memorial to our 35th President, John F. Kennedy.

This proposed renovation ~ rebranding are part of a broader, autocratic cultural capture by Trump to penalizes the arts community, which has led to artist boycotts and financial instability. I’m pleased to see the ASLA on board with this lawsuit.

Is the White House building a triumphal arch outside of Arlington National Cemetery?

A new triumphal arch may be built across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary.
The proposal by architecture firm Harrison Design appears to be the same height—if not taller than—the Lincoln Memorial, which it would face.

The idea is controversial, but it isn’t exactly new per se. The 1901 McMillan Plan by Daniel Burnham, Charles McKim, Frederick Law Olmsted, and other architects dictated that Washington, D.C. should have a memorial similar to Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, but that aspect of the program never materialized.

UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS CLOSING
1st it was Pierce Jr. College, and now the University of the Arts is closing next week. A sign of the times.

I’m sad to hear this as I was employed by the University of the Arts during the 1990’s, having designed the school’s interior courtyard and worked as liaison for the school to Rafael Vignoli, architect who designed the Kimmel Center.

This was the same time I was part of a team working on the streetscape design for the “Avenue of the Arts” under Mayor Ed Rendell. In total, it was 8 blocks from City Hall to South Street. The concept was to enhance the historic character, focus on the arts, and social vibrancy. It included vintage lampposts, a sound system, sidewalk paving, crosswalks, planters, bus shelters and decorative subway entrances.

I designed the front beds of the University of the Arts using the same plant material used at the Philadelphia Art Museum. I had two Southern Magnolia’s craned over a four-foot wall.

https://www.uarts.edu/closing?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2ohnwFHdOcJLNuFd_v3-qdr6633gzsQn8K4xR87uFc7LOU6jb1yoTBeCs_aem_AcSFCUXiQioh9ez71yi9_SPMkiUfX8_uqzOV0tMvKsvyJ7hRY7ptsd9WGt42Ah2IG7-daZ_klmJS6YT83Mk8rFM2

~ TIME TO PRUNE THE HYDRANGEAS ~
The Very first plant I learned in Horticulture school was the Hydrangea, paniculata to be specific. Now in the first week of September, Hydrangea season is on the wane, but the care of keeping them is not. They require maintenance even when the shrubs aren’t in full color.

An untrained gardener will tell you to prune in the spring. But if you do that, you’re cutting all your buds off and you’re not going to get any flowers in the summer.

The correct time to prune is early September, right now, which is right before the buds start forming for next year. If your hydrangea bush rarely flowers, the time you prune may be to blame.

If you grow hydrangeas, you probably know that the acidity of the soil affects the color of the flowers. Higher acidity produces blue petals, a neutral pH produces pink, and somewhere in between gets you purple. If you’d like to alter the color of your plants, you can add aluminum sulfide to the soil for blue, and sulfur for pink.

Hydrangeas also need to be watered by the roots. Watering the whole shrub from above leaves water to accumulate on the leaves. “If the leaves don’t dry, the sun will burn them.

Historic Grand Opening of the Cape May Point Science Center - Friday, June 2nd 2023 The Grand Opening of the Cape May Point Science CenterThe Cape May Point Science Center is excited to invite you to our first private event! This fundraiser will be heralding the next century-plus of rich history for the former Shoreham Hotel and St. Mary's By the Sea. Our nonprofit wishes to thank....

~LONGWOOD GARDENS BUYS GRANOGUE ~

Of all the famous du Pont houses, Granogue is by far the most visible in northern Delaware, perched high on a hill, encircled by the Brandywine valley. It looks like a castle from below. A mile long drive leads to a square forecourt, surrounded by the house on three sides.

Now, it’s reported that Longwood Gardens, has purchased it to be preserved. Another win for conservation.

Granogue was built by Irenee du Pont, president of the DuPont Company from 1919 - 1926 on a 500 acre tract of land adjacent to the Brandywine River. The name of the estate is derived from the railroad station on the property, five miles north of Wilmington.

The architect was Albert H. Spahr, from Pittsburgh, one of Irenee’s fraternity brothers at MIT. Construction began in August 1921and on until March 1923. Spahr added a slate roof atop a Germantown granite exterior. The complex U-shaped structure was built with porches, sunrooms, and terraces spilling out on every side, with the south overlooking the garden. The garage had room for 12 cars.

The garden was Irenee’s wife’s territory. Irene du Pont was a painter with an art studio on the property, and she sketched out the garden’s design, with paths, walls, and fountains while the house was being built.

A DuPont company engineer in charge of construction followed her designs, which ranged from a naturalistic rock garden, down a terrace, to a formal triple-parterre garden with a pool.

Originally, there was a Head Gardener with an Assistant who supervised up to 9 men who worked in the orchard, vegetable garden, flower gardens, and greenhouse.

https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2023/02/01/longwood-gardens-to-buy-delaware-du-pont-granogue-estate-mansion/69841963007/

Happy February ~ Winter flowers ~ This is Witch-Hazel or Hamamelis × intermedia 'Jelena' a large spreading deciduous shrub, with broad leaves which has sienna -orange flowers in winter.

Karen and I had a nice collection of Witch-Hazels at our woodland home on Cathcart Road. I miss seeing that grouping this time of year. They were planted In front of our dark evergreens and showed off the flower cluster to the best effect.

Eupatorium perfoliatum — also known as Boneset and Throughwort — is an herb and member of the aster family. This is an excellent plant for the perennial border which flowers in October and November.

Boneset was a favorite medicine of the North American Indians. It is regarded as a mild tonic and an excellent remedy for colds and fever, especially for flu. Medical evidence suggests that it enhances the immune system. It’s also been used in the expulsion of tapeworm.

Bonset can be planted in the border with Aster novae-angliae, Lobelia cardinalis, Monada fistulosa, Rudbeckia laciniata, Solidago, Panicum viragatum and various Carex.

The flowers attract butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.

Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864-1953) was a early American photographer and photojournalist whose career lasted for half a century. She was given her first camera by George Eastman, a friend of her family.

She was named an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects for her work in preserving old buildings.

She also photographed many, many gardens across the country and in Europe. Here photographs now resides in the Library of Congress.

Here are a few of her hand-colored glass-plate lantern slides which Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.considered "the finest existing on the subject of American gardens."

LILIES are among the most recognizable of all summer garden flowers.

While some people might think lilies are too old-fashioned for their gardens, truth is there are dozens of hybrids of lilies that offer color, fragrance, and a whole lot of style.

Horticulturists and Botanists put Lilies into 9 different divisions based on their hybridization history. (Remember Clint Eastwood as a lily hybridizer in his movie “The Mule”?)

Putting lilies into categories helps horticulturists and home gardeners know what the flowers of a variety of lily look like, when they bloom, and what conditions they thrive in.

Here’s a few different varieties worth noting.

CAUTION: All Lilies are poisonous to cats.

Have a wet, sunny spot in your yard that you don’t know what to do with? Viking Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) might just be the shrub for you!

Aronia melanocarpa “Viking” | Black Chokeberry

Viking Black Chokeberry is a fragrant, dependable small to medium sized shrub with upright, mounded habit 3’-6’ high. Small clusters of white flowers in spring are followed by glossy black fruit. Dark green foliage turns reddish-purple in the fall. Can be planted in combination with Virginia bluebells and in mass as a screen. Excellent for mixed borders or as a naturalizing plant. Deciduous; zones 3-8.

Black chokeberry flowers support a variety of pollinators that include bee species and other pollinating insects. It is also a host plant for butterflies and several moths. Birds and mammals will eat the berries. Protect these shrubs when first planted as they can be browsed by deer and rabbits.