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The beauty of our surrounding landscape can be a source of inspiration for artists, writers, scientists and plant people alike. Bigger landscape elements like mountains, rivers, or the topography of the Bull Run and Blue Ridge mountains which border Oak Spring can even be incorporated into garden design. Read our latest blog post written by our Horticulture Apprentice, Claire, to learn about the history of a design philosophy which first originated in 17th century China and encourages us to draw inspiration from the surrounding landscape.
The gardens Bunny Mellon created during her life were influenced by a number of places, objects, people and literature. One woman who had a lasting impact on American gardens and served as an inspiration for Mrs. Mellon was Ellen Biddle Shipman. Ellen, born on this day in 1869, was a pioneering landscape architect who designed over 600 gardens in her lifetime. Read on to learn about Ellen’s life and how some of her trademark garden design staples made their way to the gardens of Mrs. Mellon.
Summer is a time that’s bursting with activity. The landscape is full of soaring butterflies, buzzing bees, and a host of birds and other critters. In this guest blog post, written by our Biodiversity Conservation Manager, learn about the creation of the Rokeby Wildlife Garden, which supports Oak Spring’s flora and fauna, and get a few tips on how to start your own wildlife garden.
As a horticulturist, garden designer, and philanthropist, her passions and vision for the future left an enduring influence through the formation of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. In celebration of her birthday, a newly discovered fossilized plant species has been named in Bunny’s honor. Our President Sir Peter Crane outlines this new discovery and another pioneering woman who helped to bring this fossil flower to light.
Bunny Mellon once said “every rock has its purpose” and “every plant has its purpose.” Inspired by French styled parterres, the terraced gardens of Oak Spring are the perfect marriage of the two sentiments. The rock in this case is local fieldstone which was hand laid by Oak Spring’s stonemasons, and the plants are a smattering of herbs and other perennials which were first sprinkled out as seeds by Bunny during the garden's construction. Today, the cracks of the fieldstone spill out with plants that thrive under the beating summer sun. Learn more about the history of the terrace garden and some of the plants that thrive there in this blog.
When someone says the word pollinator, what first comes to mind? You may think of a European honeybee, butterfly or hummingbird. To kick off National Pollinator Week, learn about a few of the unsung pollinators of the world and hear from our Ecologist and Collections Specialist, Dr. Rea Manderino on their importance.
Spring is the time when we take to the outdoors for some warm weather activities— for the Mellon’s one of those activities included croquet. In this guest blog post, written by our newest Horticultural Apprentice Bennett Meeks, learn all about the steps necessary to create your own croquet lawn and some general tips for heathy lawn care.
Through gardens we can observe the cycles of nature, produce food and medicines that sustain us, commune with wildlife, and so much more. At various times throughout history, people have had different ideas of what their garden should be made up of or what it should be utilized for. In our latest blog post, read about a few of the varying approaches to gardens through some of the oldest botanic gardens in the world and see some of the related objects from the Oak Spring Garden Library collections.
The gardens we know today are inspiring– the designers who created them took many approaches, influenced by their upbringing, travels, or their inner circles. Many of our modern notable gardens have inspirational roots in gardens from the, some of which were historically designed by women. While many did not receive formal training, it didn’t stop them from convening in their own ways to radically change the way we view gardens today. It’s no easy task to pair this list down to just four, but to usher in National Garden Month, learn about the lives and legacies of several plantswomen.
Happy first day of Spring! As winter’s grip fades, we turn to the forest floor to marvel at the spring ephemerals that are beginning to emerge. These native plants pack a lot of beauty into a small timeframe and have historically been used in traditional medicine. Celebrate the vernal equinox and read about four short-lived wonders.
Our landscapes and gardens are integral to humans, offering up an immediate opportunity for us to connect with nature. Increasingly, we are incorporating more native, local flora in our designs and plantings at OSGF, which creates better habitats for insects, wildlife and more. Read to learn more about the process of creating the Rokeby Wildlife Garden (which will be the first of many) and a few of the species that were planted.
It’s hard to believe but our Horticulture Apprentice, Thomas Bardoff has been with us for a full year! At the beginning of Thomas’s time, he shared his insights on our blog into the process of pruning one of the most recognizable pieces of Mrs. Mellon’s garden, the stepover cordons. Cordons, espaliers, and the ‘Mary Potter’ crabapple arbor were the embodiment of Bunny Mellon’s strong fascination with pruning techniques. Our Garden Team works diligently year-round to maintain these fixtures and in our newest blog post, Thomas shares his thoughts on a year at Oak Spring.
Ever wondered how our gardeners spend the winter months? It’s a lot of plant production! In this video, Assistant Head Gardener Allissa Montgomery demonstrates how to sow perennial seeds and shows us around Oak Spring’s production greenhouse.
In honor of National Wildlife Day this year, we’re celebrating some of the unsung - but no less important - pollinators that we see flitting and crawling among Oak Spring’s flowering plants.
Gathering winter greenery to use in holiday decorations is a longstanding tradition at Oak Spring. Read the stories behind some of the plants we use in our traditional wreaths.
In observance of World Soil Day, assistant gardener Jordan Long discusses the process of revitalizing the soil in Oak Spring’s potager garden, and why healthy soil matters.
Read about several late-season native flowers and native hybrids - all lovely, low-maintenance, and pollinator favorites - that are currently spilling from our garden beds.
