The Cornell Plantations # 3

I goofed in the previous post and called the pretty small red flower in the huge planter a Hibiscus. Alice has corrected my mistake (very sweetly, of course). The above plant is a hibiscus, with the large flower I mentioned earlier. The smaller flowered plant is an Abutilon(Chinese Lantern, aka Flowering Maple according to what I found on Dave's Garden site). They are related and look very much alike, which is why I assumed the Abutilon was a hibiscus. I must admit, I was wondering how such a small "bud" could become such a large flower :) I'm not familiar with it, having never grown it, but I think I'll have to give it a try.



As I promised, here are some long shots of the gardens, plus a close up or two.

This is gift shop again.



Sedum and red coleus. I don't know what the green is, but the contrast is pretty.



Celosia (I think) and Cleome. You can see the large beans on the Catalpa tree to the left of the picture if you look closely.



Is this red flower a shrimp plant? It looks similar, but I'm not sure.

I love this gate! The blue flower growing by it is Browallia (Amethyst Flower or Bush Violet). I found the name of it on Dave's Garden, among others, when I did some searching yesterday.



Here's the backdrop of the wedding site, with Japanese Anemone, Coleus, Rex Begonia and Impatiens, to name a few. What a beautiful, peaceful spot it is.



Grasses and Kale in the herbaceous border.



Russian Sage (Perovskia) and blue salvia...same border.



Zinnias and Coreopsis tinctoria (tickweed)



Such vibrant color!

More small zinnias in the orange garden. They're so pretty and perky, aren't they?



Another Castor Bean with greener leaves and red clusters (are they flowers?) The darker leaved plant had mahogany colored clusters.



Another lovely view.



I wish I knew the name of this gorgeous tall shrub with the pink hanging flowers.



A close up of the lovely hydrangea.



Lots of plants here I don't know the name of! Salvia in the middle.



Another unknown. such a pretty yellow flower! Please help me out with a name if you can.



Golden rod and salvia looking wonderful together against the rock wall.



And finally another shot of the wedding site under the lovely Catalpa tree.

I don't know how I got away with posting so many pictures at once. Blogger must be feeling benevolent :)

It's pouring rain here again tonight, after several days of warm September sunshine.

I hope you're all enjoying your day....or night, wherever you are in this big wide world.

Some Closeups at The Plantations

As promised, here are more pictures of the wonderful dahlias and other plants at The Cornell Plantations. I'll post some longer views next. There was so much to see. I wish you could've all been there with us.

I want to thank you all for your lovely comments and good wishes for Kylie and Ko. We all appreciate them very much.

And I appreciate all of you!



I love this one!



Actually, I love them all!



What a lovely combination this is. Coleus is such a great filler and they used it a lot in many colors and varieties.



There were several different kinds of bees and they were all very busy, as you can well imagine!



This is obedient plant (Physostegia Virginiana). Mine is blooming here at home too, giving us lovely late color.



I don't know the name of this pretty pink flowered plant. If any of you do, please share your knowledge with me!



Golden Rod is now selling in nurseries and has become very popular in gardens these days. It's everywhere in the fields around here, looking very pretty beside the wild asters. It looks wonderful here, paired with the blue.



This lovely hydrangea is part of the setting where the wedding ceremony was held.



And here are the pale pink Japanese Anemone again. They're such a graceful flower.



Cleome with sage (salvia). These are 2 plants I don't have in my garden. Next year I must try to plant both.



I can't remember the name of this blue flower. Doesn't it look beautiful growing against the iron gate?



These little zinnias were in the orange garden.



Purple Veronica and coneflowers.



Cranesbill Geranium.



I found this huge grasshopper on a zinnia.



And look at the size of this bee! Does anyone know the name of this flower? Penstemon, perhaps?



Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa). This is another one I'd like to grow.



I looked at the name for this unusual plant, but can't remember it. Isn't it interesting? Please feel free to help me out with anything I haven't named.



This hibiscus was in one of the huge planters lining the walkway. They also had it planted against a fence. The opened flower is very large.



This is a rudbeckia. It's about 7 to 8 feet tall. See how much it looks like the coneflower, which is also a rudbeckia?



Here's a closer view of that lovely copper-leafed plant. Sissy tells me that it's a castor bean plant. Thanks Sissy!

The Plantations at Cornell

I think this Canna is Tropicana. What do you think Zoey? If you've visited Zoey's Perennial Passion, you'll see what I mean.


As I mentioned in the previous post, Kylie and Ko's wedding ceremony took place at The Plantations at Cornell University. These gardens are so beautifully planned and maintained, a real feast for the eyes, and so full of beauty!

We went back the following day and spent more time just relaxing and enjoying the beauty of it all.

To walk through them is a truly inspirational learning experience. The photos I took will be a handy reference for me, to show which plants pair well together; how tall or short a particular plant grows.... helping to see where in a border to place it; which plants grow well in shade or sun; climbers, grasses, interesting foliage, and plants I've never seen before. There are so many other lessons to learn here. I'd love to go through with a guide to answer my questions!

I'll have to do a couple of posts in order to show you just a sampling of the gardens. As you can imagine, I took a LOT of pictures :)

This is the Orange garden for the orange lovers among you. It's gorgeous!



Dahlias and coleus...a wonderful combination!

There were so many exquisite dahlias! I'll show you more of them in the next post.



This walkway was lined with huge planters.....

...and covered with fantastic vines. I'd love to see them during their bloom period. Ross was checking out the planter to see how it's made.



Here's Ross standing under what I think is a yellow-flowered Trumpet Vine. I've only seen the orange-flowered one before. Look at that curving trunk!



At the other end of the walkway is a beautiful Japanese garden filled with several varieties of Japanese Anemone, among many other things. This one is a double pink.



And here's a white single Japanese Anemone. I just love these flowers in all their variations.



This pathway leads to the site where the wedding ceremony took place. There are several "garden rooms", created by the lovely stone walls, rustic wooden fences, trees and shrubs.



There's the wedding site, under the big shade tree.



A tall border on the left of site.



And looking back towards the gift shop.



This is the border on the opposite side.



Another one of the many beautiful dahlias.



Further over, in another area, there are grasses (for Alice) interspersed with many other plants, most not flowering at this time. I think this may actually be part of the Japanese garden.



This border is filled with herbs, kale and many other interesting and unsual plants, as well as some old favorites. I love the mahogany colored tree with umbrella-shaped leaves. Does anyone know the name of this?

I wish you could've all been there to see these beautiful gardens. They're worth a trip, and free to the public. Be sure to take some time to visit them if you're ever in Ithaca, in beautiful upstate NY.