What an absolute pleasure to finally meet Liz, LG, Craig, and others after talking to all of you online for what, maybe 7 or 8 years?! It was surreal and somehow you folks were even nicer in person! The APS convention was breathtaking. I'm just slowly catching up on some photos and will share some here. I hope more of you can make it next year, which will be a spectacular show in Minnesota. Later (winter) I will create a more in-depth blog post and video.
Garden tours - Day 1. Fran's beautifully sculpted gardens featuring many gorgeous woody peonies.
Next stop, Linwood Gardens! This property had the most beautiful architectural gardens and sculptures. The home on the property was remarkable and had an incredible view of the Genesee Valley. This is where much of Daphnis' work was carried out after meeting William H. (Bill) Gratwick III at an art show. Daphnis and Saunders would later meet here and collaborate on their hybridization efforts. Fittingly, many Daphnis and Saunders cultivars are on display here and an attempt is being made to assemble the remaining cultivars that are not in the collection.
Holly Watson of Linwood Gardens delivers the history of the gardens. As a historian, she was perfectly fit for this!
The Italian Garden.
A sculpture of a wisteria bud in the lily pond. You'll notice several sculptures throughout these photos which were handcrafted by Linwood's own William H. Gratwick III. You many recognize that name as the originator of several woody peony cultivars.
Woody peonies in the nursery area.
'Golden Isles'. Everyone was going gaga over this one.
'Marie Laurencin' and 'Pluto'
Day two of garden tours coming up in the next post!
