Linwood Gardens

Happy Valentine’s Day! Whether you’re appreciating a partner, parent, child, relative, or friend, may you feel the love today and throughout the year. Also, happy belated Lunar New Year to those who celebrate! This blushing, rose-like tree peony bud is just one of the things we love and love to share.

Snow! We enjoyed going for a ski among all the softened curves on the familiar landscape. The new bench in the Walled Garden carried a thick blanket and the Lily Pool sculpture just had a topknot. Have you checked out our winter photo tour yet? We even added a few more photos! Find it at linwoodgardens.org

New winter album! We’ve been short on snow so far this season, but now you can enjoy wintery photos of Linwood Gardens - from the coziness of home! Album is on our website, linwoodgardens.org. Enjoy!

The face of ‘Artemis’ (by Nassos Daphnis and named after his daughter) seems innocent and candid. Our hope to see her in the spring will help us be patient this quiet winter!

‘Medea’! This is a real blast from the tree peony past - we no longer have this variety, developed by Nassos Daphnis at Linwood Gardens and registered in 1977. For now, ‘Medea’ lives on in this vintage slide made by Daphnis and Gratwick c. 1970s.

In 1905, it snowed in November in York and the three Gratwick boys bundled up and went out to play. Check out those coats! The littlest kid is Bill, who would later move to Linwood Gardens and begin collecting tree peonies. Behind the children is the canoe house; the playhouse would soon be built just to the left of it. The children are standing in what would later be the tennis court/labyrinth.

We are all about identifying and controlling invasive species if possible. This informative video by Letchworth State Park explains how to report invasive species to Western New York PRISM, an organization that works to track and mitigate species that have a negative impact on our environment. The Nature Detectives series by Letchworth can be integrated into homeschool curriculums for young nature explorers - and enjoyed by curious nature enthusiasts of all ages!

The "Little House" once had landscaping! In this early, undated photo, the playhouse at Linwood Gardens is tidy and surrounded by rock-bordered paths. We suspect those stones sunk and are still under the grass... The rock circle in the photo marks the spot where the moss-covered fountain is today.... Thanks to Becky Lewis for unearthing this gem!

Well, it’s been quite a year. There’s been plenty of difficulty but hopefully some joys, too. We’re ready to let go of 2020 and look toward a brighter 2021. Stay safe, have patience, and be kind. Happy New Year!...

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care / in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! Wherever this winter finds you, we wish you health and fulfillment. Reach out to someone who lives apart from you and make everyone’s holiday a little brighter and safer.

Happy Solstice!

Friday afternoon golden hour after the first snow.

Those ferns adorning the terrace in the summer? Well, this one has a winter job. #christmasfern #ersatz #holidaylights #hygge #cozy

Behind the scenes: Once, these large stones and small boxwoods ringed the low Italian Garden wall. The boxwoods, some half century or more later, have become a new sheltering wall of green. The stones are all but forgotten. It’s a good place to hide garden debris, though!

Sunny spotlight on our weeping beech tree! About 80 years old, this tree is eye-catching in summer when its curtains of leaves make a secret tent and in winter when its cascading twigs are bare. Its fallen leaves are recycled by fungi and bugs, turning right back into nutrients for the tree. Plus, caterpillars, toads, and other creatures can shelter beneath it through the winter.