Gardens are healing, for the mind, body, and the soul. Aroma, taste or none of it at all, and a rose is still a rose! Even one single rose can add charm to a garden and a healing note in one's heart. In a true Apothecary's garden (a physics garden), one can find a variety of aroma in roses, lavender, chamomile, sage, echinacea, spearmint, etc. But what if there was a plant that by itself had the healing properties and aroma so intense, that by itself is called 'an Apothecary Rose'! If you haven't ever smelled a Rosa gallica 'Apothecary Rose' bloom, then you haven't been in a garden. Aromatic essential oils of certain plants have medicinal properties and have been used for centuries to cure various illnesses. The 'Apothecary rose', the Rosa gallica has been used for its medicinal properties since the medieval times. "It was described by the Ancient Greek poet Sappho as “the queen of flowers.” It became the professional symbol of the pharmaceutical profession much as the balanced scales became the professional symbol of the legal profession." https://garden.mms.org/.../rosa-gallica-officinalis... But fragrance or not, a Gallica is truly healing for all five senses. A single layer of petals, deep rose pink color almost similar to a knock rose in appearance. But what a world of a difference, one is an antique treasure of most fragrant flowers and one is a modern hybrid marvel. 'Knock Out' roses are best known for their disease resistance, drought tolerance and for blooming in as little as 4 hours of direct sunlight! Now that sounds like a best seller for all retailer nurseries! A product of 'Carefree beauty' and 'Razzle dazzle', Knock Out rose is one that blooms continuously. Another heirloom rose that can be found at London Town is the 'Damask' rose. Damask is a cross between 'Gallica' and a 'Musk Rose'. Nowadays most nurseries sell varieties of knock outs. But a rose isn't a true rose without its aroma. Heirloom roses aren't actually too hard to find. One of the easiest way to add aroma to your garden is adding a David Austin rose. "The category of English Roses was created David Austin by breeding old roses with modern roses. Flowers are large, stuffed with petals and dripping with fragrance like antique roses, and have the modern virtues of smaller sized bushes, repeat bloom and a broad range of colors." https://portlandnursery.com/roses/rose-classifications/ London Town gardens are currently no less than an apothecary's garden, with lavender, peonies and roses in full bloom. If you want to try growing a rose in your garden or a container, try a tea rose, a gallica or a damask and mix them with spearmint and Lavender. It doesn't take much to design you own apothecary garden!

Calycanthaceae blossoms are stunningly pretty, some are modern hybrid marvels and they all smell like a Riesling in a bottle! One whiff and it will leave you feeling effervescent! Calycanthus flowers usually have a fruity fragrance with hints of pineapple, mango, peach, strawberry all grouped together. They smell like fermenting fruits in one blossom alone. Fragrant for humans but no so much for deer. Yes! to the deer the Calycanthus fragrance is the one to avoid, for it has a toxic alkaloid 'Calycanthine' which can cause damage to their central nervous system. Now which garden enthusiast wouldn't mind a deer repelling plant? Fermenting fruity flavor of one of these Calycanthus is so strong in one particular plant, that the hybrid itself is named 'Hartlage wine'. Deep burgundy red, the flowers have resemblance to the Magnolias and it is a botanical marvel. Calycanthus raulstonii 'Hartlage wine' is a recent intergeneric cross between Calycanthus floridus and Sinocalycanthus chinensis. It surely got the best traits from both parents! Burgundy color of the floridus and wide open flower form of C. chinensis. Now let's talk about one of its unique and special parent, Sinocalycanthus chinensis (also known as Calycanthus chinensis). "the species is rare in the wild and needs our help to survive" Calycanthus chinensis: The Chinese Sweetshrub (harvard.edu) London Town gardens showcase the precious 'Hartlage wine' the stellar baby of the Sniocalycanthus and C. floridus. The gardens also showcases both parents C. floridus and the 'rare' parent Sinocalycanthus. "One of the oldest known flowering plants with fossil records dating back to 144 million years. “Chinese Wax Shrub” is related to “Carolina Allspice” (C. floridus) of the eastern U.S. This very rare species, native to Zheijang Province of Southeast Asia, makes a lovely rounded upright shrub 6’-8’ tall with extremely pretty flowers." https://plantlust.com/plants/11718/calycanthus-chinensis/ Most precocious of all, London Town also is a host for a second hybrid marvel Calycanthus 'VENUS'. It is a cross between three different plants! "'Venus' which is a complex hybrid derived from a controlled pollination using the following three species: Carolina allspice, California sweetshrub and Chinese wax shrub. http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/.../PlantFinderDet... Last but not the least, another stunningly fragrant member of the Calycanthacease family, is the winter sweet/Japanese allspice, Chimonanthus praecox. Cute yellow flowers with aroma that can fill up an entire garden. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimonanthus_praecox From the Carolina allspice, California sweetshrub, 'Hartlage wine', 'Venus' to 'Wintersweet', London Town gardens is an oasis for almost all Calycanthaceae members. Now that's a lot of fruity fermented fragrance or a lot of rieslings in one garden! Either way you see it, the Living collections of London Town are certainly amplified with the fragrance and variety of these rare and modern hybrid marvels.

In celebration of Historic London Town and Gardens’ 50th anniversary, we wanted to share a look back over how our most historic building, the c.1760 William Brown House, has changed over the years. As you may know, the William Brown House was constructed around 1760. It originally served as a tavern, where travelers and locals could eat, drink, and share news. Travelers could stay in the building. You can learn more about who and how the building was used in our free virtual tour at www.historiclondontown.org/wbhtour. However, as the 18th century ended, London Town became more rural and less of a destination. An upscale tavern was no longer needed. Brown lost the building in bankruptcy. In the 1820s, the House was converted into Anne Arundel County’s almshouse, a place for people who had nowhere else to go. The first known image of the William Brown House appears in an oil painting of the ferry landing at London Town. The painting was originally created in 1840 by Mary Duval. Unfortunately, we don’t have the original, but this is from an 1887 copy by Mamie Steuart. We’re looking at the Brown House (far right) from across the South River. It is painted white at this time. The next known photo is this one from the early 20th century, when it continued operating as the almshouse. As in the painting, the building is still whitewashed. In later almshouse images from the 1930s and 40s, the whitewash has faded considerably. You’ll also notice a screened in porch. Now we also have photos of the interior, including the kitchen. Most importantly, we also have photos of some of the residents of the almshouse. The almshouse closed in 1965 with the passage of the Social Security Act. Anne Arundel County and the London Town Publik House Commission restored the William Brown House and turned it and the surrounding grounds into a museum and public gardens. The William Brown House was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service exactly on April 15, 1970. Exactly one year later, the first visitors signed the registry. The dedication ceremony was held on July 25, 1973. Janet Chess, Acting Superintendent of Fort McHenry, gave the official National Historic Landmark certificate to Gladys Nelker, Chairwoman of the London Town Publik House Commission, and Joseph W. Alton Jr, County Executive of Anne Arundel County. Photo courtesy of M.E. Warren. His wife Mary Warren served on the London Town Publick House Commission. We found a few photos tours inside the William Brown House from c.1977. Please let us know if you recognize any of the people! You can email us at londontown@historiclondontown.org. In recent years, the William Brown House has undergone preservation work intended to mitigate moisture infiltration and update the electricity and HVAC. Here is a photo from work performed in 2018 to repair the window sashes. The second phase of work is nearly complete, and we look forward to welcoming you back inside the William Brown House later this summer! In the meantime, please tour the building virtually here: www.historiclondontown.org/wbhtour. William Brown House, 2018, photo by Bob Peterson

Wildflowers of woodland gardens are the most therapeutic to observe and even more so to plant. Plant habit, root structure, moisture needs, aesthetic interest and wildlife connections are key when choosing ground covers. Sensitive Ferns for example are key plant indicators for water. They would make an excellent habitat in clay-sand, water logged shade spot. Its native habitat is wet, swampy marshy areas. As a taller layer above the sensitive fern, you could try planting Acuba, an evergreen medium sized shrub that can tolerate wet feet, dappled sun or deep shade. These two plant combinations with Azaleas in the backdrop or Viburnums, would be picture perfect. Even better, they would be maintenance free and almost deer proof! Another layer you could try is a basal layer of Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) which has thick dense roots and attractive heart shaped leaves. It is also a stemless plant, where the leaves form a closely arranged mat leaving no room for exposed ground. As a taller layer behind them, Ostrich ferns would compliment the wild ginger as both these plants have completely different leaves. Loose, large fronds give a much airy and dramatic appearance in the woods, a total contrast to a dense neatly arranged thick mat of wild ginger leaves. Wild ginger at the base, a swath of Ostrich Fern behind it and a group of 'Dexter' Rhododendrons in the backdrop, makes for an enchanted woodland in one single frame! One last combination you could try would be adding herbs as ground covers to your ornamental garden beds. Sedums, Nastrutiums, Cosmos, Sage, Oregano and other annuals would be prefect for a splash of color or texture. Both in the ground and in planters, herbs add layers of interest.

Woodland gardens key features includes, shade, shade and more shade! Deep shade, dappled shade, light sun windows, all of it offer ample choices for a variety of understory plants to grow. London Town Gardens have rich layered varieties of understory plants including: Dogwoods, Viburnums, Calycanthus, Maples, Rhododendrons and even Illiciums (Star Anise). Now most of these have an attractive flower, if not at least decent looking fruit, or sometimes unique foliage. When guests are choosing plants, I get these questions often, what does the flower look like? Well, if the flower is insignificant, then the next question is- what does the fruit look like? will the plant work well as a screen? Will it need too much water? When getting plants for ones landscape it is natural to think of what purpose does it solve, does it offer good flowers, fruits, foliage, water/weed issues are covered? But what goes unnoticed is what habitat will the plant suite and complete. Understory plants are a group of plants that are unfortunately often undermined. The top canopy layers like the tall trees are well known, then come the ground covers (no one likes the weeds), then comes the pretty inflorescence 'I want to add color', but what gets overlooked are the layers in between. But guess what? minimalist care is what most shade understory plants need. They are covered by a canopy of tall, gigantic trees, their base usually has one ground cover or the other (maybe invasive?), they get their nutrients from leaf litter of the deciduous trees, ample filtered shade and that's all they need. Some of the most beautiful and botanically unique plant specimens found in the woodland gardens of London Town come from the Magnoliids group. The Magnoliids are group of flowering plants that includes the order of Laurels and Magnoliales, which includes the families: Magnoliaceae (Magnolias); Calycanthaceae (Calycanthus); Illiciaceae (Illiciums) and Lauraceae (Sassafras). Now Magnolias, Illicums and Calycanthus have pretty flowers, but the flowers weren't the key feature when it came to evolution. If you look closley none of these flowers have petals, they have perianths (fused calyx and corolla)."The Magnoliales and Laurales constitute one of the two sister clades in the Magnoliidae, which are commonly regarded as the most “primitive” angiosperms in older classifications." (https://www.sciencedirect.com/.../agricultural.../laurales ). "The living members of the Magnoliales and Laurales are groups that have small to medium-sized trees with long leaves and large flowers with perianth parts. The earliest angiosperms were understory trees and shrubs, and that the flower was NOT the key innovation for the rapid diversification of angiosperms."(https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/anthophyta/anthophytafr.html). Understory trees and shrubs make a woodland complete and cohesive. When planting in a woodland landscape or even walking through and appreciating the foliage of shrubs and small trees in a woodland garden, notice the layers they cohabit and notice the key role they play in completing the mosaic of a woodland habitat. As crucial as large trees are for shade, so is the understory layer. One key layer that is an all time favorite for all is the ground cover, for doesn't everyone want to beat the weeds/unwanted plants? Coming soon is our 'Ground Covers ONLY Sale' starting Saturday, May 15th! Check out more information in the coming week.

A diary full of color, tints and tones of "rose trees" from a place where words aren't needed to describe years worth of care for a living collection that deserves nothing but love. Rhododendrons of London Town are a true painters paradise. Rhodos in Greek means "Rose" and dendrons stands for a "tree". Rhododendrons of London Town are core understory of the mature woodlands. Currently, opening up slowly are the darling dexters, now only if their fragrance had words worthy to describe. Elepidote or Lepidote, single or double, pastel or bright, each flower is unique. A mosaic of colors, a garden of awe, London Towns Rhodi collection is well loved by one and all.

Nestled between large Tulip Poplars, Red Oaks, Black gum, Dogwoods and Viburnums, are precious wildflowers found in the woodland gardens of London Town. Mesic woods have well drained soils, not too wet or too dry. Shade is dense and deep, allowing room for only those that can withstand the shade and moisture. The most beautiful time to see these woods are now in spring when the delicate wildflowers fill the woodland floor. Making most of the sunlight reaching the ground through the mosaic of branches before they leaf out, the ephemerals are a crucial food source for the pollinators. Fleeting time makes it even more difficult to capture their beauty. London Towns woodland gardens is a treasure cove of several ephemerals such as Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum), May Apples (Podophyllum peltatum), Snakes head (Fritillaria meliagris), Lungwort (Pulmoaria officnalis), Blood root (Sanguinearia canadensis) and many more. Most precious of all these is the Twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) named in honor of Thomas Jefferson. A true ephemeral with flowers lasting only for a day. Stewardship of these precious ephemerals is key to creating harmonious sustainable habitats. London Town gardens are lucky to have dedicated volunteers who care for these delicate habitats every week. One such stellar volunteer, Beverly Rogers recently noticed the location of dwarf Ginseng (Panax trifolius) flower which is hard to capture in the fleeting time window it emerges. The flower is petite, not fragrant and can very easily go unnoticed. But thanks to Beverly, what we thought was lost, was captured again! Panax is a crucial indicator of a mesic woodland. Our garden volunteers are true stewards of the land. Stewardship of the land and stewardship of precious plants can be done anywhere, with or without woods. Come and capture the beauty of these precious wildflowers of London Towns woodland gardens on this Earth Day weekend. Ephemeral woodland treasures, Tulips, Azaleas, Camellias, dogwoods are happily in bloom and all ready to inspire the land steward in you! Happy Earth Day weekend!

The Winter Walk overlook in the 1970s and today. In the 1960s, Anne Arundel County began working with the University of Maryland Extension program to turn several acres of land into gardens. The county partnered with professors R.L. Baker and C.N. Johnson, along with Dr. Tony Dove, London Town’s first horticulturalist, and created a plan to use the gardens to showcase what can grow in the Chesapeake region. Creating the Dell at London Town For this month's post, we wanted to share comparisons to what the gardens looked like in the 1970s to how they appear today. Many of these photos were taken by famed photographer Marion E. Warren, whose wife Mary served on the London Town Publick House Commission. The photos from today were taken by London Town staff. A family wanders in the Dell in the 1970s And how the Dell appears today in 2021. Dr. Tony Dove, London Town's first horticulturist, giving a tour of the Azalea Glade in the 1970s. Deputy Director Lauren Silberman in the Azalea Glade in 2021 Looking Down the Dry Creek from atop the Spring Walk in 1977 Looking down the same path in 2021 Winter Walk in the springtime in the 1970s Winter Walk in the Springtime 2021 We hope that you've enjoyed this "Then and Now" look at the gardens. Please come and visit! London Town is open Wednesday - Sunday, 10am - 4pm. Learn more about visiting here.

The aura of the Azalea hills and ravines of London Town are inexpressible. One has to experience in person the depth of color, form and layers of the Azaleas rolling down the hills with the South River and mature trees in the back drop. Azaleas form the core of understory layers of London Towns woodland gardens. In April, the understory paints pretty pastel pink, purple and mauve shades as far as ones eyes can reach. Kurumes, Glen Dales and Satsuki are some of the core groups of Azaleas found at London Town. Now these names are more of 'common names' to identify certain groups of Azaleas. For eg., "Satsuki bloom from May to June; the name “Satsuki” in Japanese is reference to their blooming period, the fifth month of the Asian lunar calendar." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satsuki_azalea. What is most interesting about Satsuki's is their origin, they are a natural hybrid! "Satsuki azaleas are evergreen azaleas from Japan that originated as natural hybrids between Rhododendron indicum, a plant that occupies mountainous stream sides, and R. eriocarpum, an inhabitant of the alluvial plains at the base of the mountains." https://www.uaex.edu/.../plan.../azalea-satsuki-5-22-09.aspx Currently, the Rhododendron indicum (Coral Bells -Kurume Azaleas) and Rhododendron schlippenbachii are showcasing their best blooms. R. schlippenbachii has an open wider form of single flowers with faint pink-white petals and leaves in whorls of five (pretty fall color). Whereas R. indicum -coral bells have a tiny flowers grouped closely with coral pink-Salmon color. All Azaleas are rhododendrons but not all rhododendrons are azaleas! We will look in depth into this in the coming weeks. For the Azalea fiesta at London Town has just started. This weekend at London Town, along with Azaleas, you will also notice some late spring blooming Camellias as well. Camellia japonica 'Kuro delight' by the dell pond is simply stunning! Now as much as we are all eager for the temperatures to warm up soon, the gradual cold to warm weather is helping the Azaleas gently open up and last longer to capture their spring charm.

Plant common names are at times fun for children and those young at heart, especially when you have names like Snakes head and red riding hood! They can be very intriguing as well, when named after a person, Elizabeth, Eric Savil or Tubergen gems. Currently at London Town, other than the Magnolia and Camellia blooms, the ground cover ephemerals are also waking up. Two unique Tulips are, the Tubergens gems- Tulipa clusiana and Red Riding hood Tulip also called the 'Botanical Tulip' referring to the original, first variety of tulips before breeders hybridized and transformed the delicate flowers into a robust sturdy flower. Plant breeding has its pros and cons. In ornamental flower breeding, especially in Magnolias and Camellias it is very crucial and interesting how finer and cold hardy varieties of Camellias very formed and are available to many in the trade. In Magnolias, hybridizing helped in forming newer color combinations, shape and size of flower, etc. Amongst Tulips, the most special are the delicate small wild tulips which are the ancestors of the tall almost faux flower shaped tulips. Tulips have been cultivated since the 10th century, but it wasn't till the 15th or 16th century that they became more popular in the west. Wild Tulips naturalize faster and are true perennials. Plant common names taken after a breeder for e.g., Elizabeth, Tubergen, Eric Savil might be easy to remember, but doesn't 'Snakes Head' seem to be the one that would be most intriguing to any age group? Snakes head- Fritilarias are delicate ephemerals with squared shaped dropping flowers, sometimes also called checkered Lily. But Snakes head is probably easiest and fun to remember. Fun and intriguing plant common names are ample, but nothing beats a 'Galaxy' Magnolia. The flower shape, color, size and fragrance are the best! Galaxy Magnolia was a Hybrid from U.S. National Arboretum (1963). Planted on grounds back in late 1970's, the 'Galaxy' of London Town is sure to draw anyone towards its spatial beauty!

Masterpiece landscapes of London Town are in true sense pure art for the soul with blossoms of Magnolias, spring Camellias, Cherry trees and several other spring blooming species filling up the canopies all over. It certainly is the most wonderful time of the year, with ample coming within weeks! London Town gardens started as experimental grounds for plant trials of close to 160 Ackerman Hybrids being tested for cold harsh conditions way back in 1983. Over the years, several other hybrids made home at London Town. Similarly, there were over 50 different Magnolias planted between late 1980's-1990's. The diversity of species, attention to detail in choosing floral colors and patterns is most fascinating. Mature trees add an irreplaceable aura to any garden. For it takes years for them to establish and thrive even though landscapes around them are transforming and restoring with new habitats at its base changing with time. Magnolia kobus, M. denudata, M. stellata, M. wieseneri, M. loebneri, are a handful of the original Magnolias planted at London Town. (In the coming weeks, we will be identifying and featuring Camellia collections of London Town). Mature masterpiece landscapes have mosaic canopies full of blossoms and well as ground covers full of wonder. Along with mature trees of Camellias, Magnolias and ornamental Cherries, many ephemerals are also on the verge of opening up soon! Every garden is unique and a masterpiece of its own, whether started as experimental grounds or collections of everything beautiful, the ultimate goal is always to make it experiential, relaxing and a Zen of its own. Come and experience the Zen of London Town, a mosaic of blossoms like none other.

Pretty, poised Persian Buttercups and Anemones are highly valued in both the floriculture and horticulture industry. The cut flower industry loves them for their longer shelf life and these petite plants can instantly add layers of aesthetic appeal to any garden. Even one single Persian Buttercup flower can add abundance of oomph to any spring planter! Persian Buttercup (Ranunculus 'Pioctee') But these eye-catching blooms have much more to them. Their corms (underground stems) have unique desiccation tolerance ability and are called “resurrection geophytes”. Persian Buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus) corms undergo a period of quiescence in dry summer months and need rehydration before sprouting back again. That is why it is advised to soak the corms in running water before sowing. Ranunculus wild variety (Photo courtesy: Rachel Rabinowitz) When growing any plant, understanding its native habitat is key. However much humans have hybridized to get the prefect blooms, the growth pattern doesn't change much. In the case of Persian Buttercups, it is night and day when it comes to the flower. Notice the single yellow flower of the wild variety of Ranunculus VS the multilayered plump blooms you can buy in the market now. A beautiful change and near miracle of hybridizing! Anemone Anemone and Coral bells Try pairing Persian Buttercups and Anemones with white Iberis or slate colored leaves of Lavender phenomenal, and your planters will instantly revive from long winter quiescence! Persian Buttercup (Ranunculus 'Pioctee') White Persian Buttercup (Ranunculus sp.)and white Iberis Lavender