Written by Diana Klein, Director of Public Programs After more than six years, London Town is saying goodbye to one of its great team members, Rachel Rabinowitz. Rachel is familiar to members as the friendly face behind the front desk - handing out thousands of stickers and answering millions of questions with a smile. Few visitors know that even beyond her great work at the desk, Rachel has been an integral part of London Town's complex operations. As our Collections Manager since 2019, she's inventoried and cared for the thousands of objects in London Town's collection and archives. Most recently, Rachel spearheaded an 18-month process detangling (physically and metaphorically) 50+ years-worth of collection conundrums to ensure we had full legal title to all of our objects. This process allowed us to move forward with our plans to make the William Brown House increasingly accessible for visitors and school children. Rachel is also London Town's Volunteer Manager - working to ensure that everyone who works so hard for us is fully trained, scheduled, and appreciated. Photos of various London Town flowers by Rachel If you've enjoyed the photos of the gardens that accompany many of our blog posts, well, you can thank Rachel for those too. An excellent photographer, Rachel often stays late after work to catch the flora and fauna of London Town at their golden hour. The images on our website? Yep, she took most of those too. Speaking of the website, Rachel has had a large part in updating, editing, and maintaining the site; she's created and posted marketing materials; she's processed memberships; she's acted as our go-to IT person - there's really no way to fully explain the tremendous impact Rachel has had on our site. We would be gutted to see her go, except that we know that she's moving on to her perfect job! She will soon be an Archivist at the Maryland State Archives where she will follow her passion in helping the citizens of the state learn more about their history and making that knowledge more accessible to everyone. London Town wishes her fair winds and following seas as she crosses the gusty South River to that relatively younger town, Annapolis (so named in 1694).

Black Swallowtail relishing Phlox blossoms in the cottage garden Prairies are filled with forbs of all heights and colors. Grasses, sedges and rushes intermingled with forbs make an exquisite mosaic of colors and textures in a prairie. Replication of a prairie design in a garden is rather easy, given how many new varieties of forbs are in the market. A cottage garden filled with forbs (wildflowers), a painters dream pallet of colors, free form, mixed textures and colors, is a true magnet for pollinators and also one that easily transforms summer twilights into something magical. "The word 'forb' is derived from Greek phorbḗ, meaning 'pasture' or 'fodder.' In addition to its use in ecology, the term 'forb' may be used for subdividing popular guides to wildflowers, distinguishing them from other categories such as grasses, sedges, shrubs, and trees. Some examples of forbs are clovers, sunflowers, daylilies, and milkweed." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forb Three of my favorite and most recommended wildflower forbs are: Verbena, Joe Pye Weed and Helianthus (sunflowers). Many wildflowers have varieties that are well adapted to a cottage garden. One of the new award-winning Verbena varieties blooming by the visitor center at London Town currently, comes from the prestigious AAS (All American Select) seed collection. Verbena bonariensis 'Vanity' is deep purplish-blue flower, compact enough for a cottage garden. Verbena bonariensis 'Vanity' "Vanity prides itself on performing well in hot dry conditions while remaining a showy garden plant. Vanity is also the recipient of the Fleuroselect Gold Medal award for performance in European trials" https://all-americaselections.org/.../verbena.../ Yellow Swallow Tail and Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum) painting a 'prairie' prefect picture! Joe Pye Weed is another stunning plant that attracts a variety of pollinators but is also a must for all cottage gardens, given its color contrast and height. Blooming currently in the ornamental and rain garden at London Town, Joe Pye Weed is attracting butterflies and bees all summer. Ever wondered where the name 'Joe Pye' came from? "One enduring legend is that this plant was named for Joe Pye, a tribal herbalist who befriended New England settlers and shared his knowledge of herbal medicines with them. He became famous for using his weed to treat typhoid fever." https://www.dukefarms.org/.../bee-friendly-flowers-week.../ Between the colors of purplish-blue tones of Joe Pye Weed and Verbena, add some white and blue phlox and you have a prairie forb trio to cherish all summer long! Great contrast of height, complementary tones and these three are some of the best pollinator magnets. Wildflowers planted in a garden paint a natural picture of a woodland prairie grassland instantly. It is good for the butterflies, very good for the environment and simply splendid for the garden soul!

Bulbs might seem mysterious given their aboveground and belowground growing phases. Have you seen the flowers of Lycoris/Magic lilies? Lycoris is one of the most unique bulbs. They go through a period of deep 'summer sleep' which is dormancy during hot summer days. Leaves of Lycoris come out of the ground in spring like most bulbs, but this bulb doesn't flower in spring at all. Infact, the leaves die back in late spring without flowers and then the 'deep summer sleep' begins following which only flower stalks come out of the ground in late summer, without any leaves. Tender flower stalks growing without any leaves, now that seems mind boggling! How does a plant grow flowers without any leaves? In some bulbs, during summer dormancy, only the aboveground plants parts are morphologically dormant (not growing); the belowground parts remain physiologically active (growing). These below ground parts are getting ready to send out flower stalks in late summer/early fall. Lycoris genus belonging to the family Amaryllidaceae, it is most definitely one of the families with stunning geophytes. What are geophytes? Plant physiology of geophytes simply put is, very complicated and, still fully unexplored. Common geophyte vegetables are carrots and onions. "Geophytic species are plants with a life-form in which the perennating bud resides in an underground storage organ. Geophytes are usually referred to as species with a very short aboveground growth period, whereas in the unfavorable period of the year, they survive in the form of specialized underground storage organs—bulbs, corms or tubers. After the period of active growth and flowering during spring, the senescence of the aboveground tissues followed by root senescence occurs, while the plant enters a dormant period without visible organogenesis". https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8145364/ Amaryllidaceae is a large family with bulbs like, Daffodils, Onions, Chives, snowdrops etc. Another interesting fact about this family: "Plants of the Amaryllidaceae family, including 75 genera and about 1,100 species, are among the top 20 in the most widely considered medicinal plant families. A number of pharmacologically active compounds, such as phenols, alkaloids, lectins, peptides, etc., have been identified and characterized from this family." https://link.springer.com/.../10.1007/978-3-642-22144-6_18 Currently blooming in the spring walk, Lycoris leafless flower stalks still seem to baffle even the most avid gardeners. Now that's an 'awe inspiring geophyte'. 'Sleeping beauty' of the summer gardens has awaken!

Monotropa uniflora (Ghost plant, Ghost pipe, Indian Pipe) Wildflowers might seem to resonate with bright summers, open meadows, beautiful finds in a woodland, many vivid colors and pretty pollinators. Even ephemeral, transient, seasonal, dainty and delicate resonate well with the woods, but thieves in the woodland? Oh my! Mycotrophic wildflowers are quite the sneaky wildflower thieves one can find in a woodland. Two such myco thieves were spotted at London town, the 'Ghost Pipe' flower (Monotropa uniflora) and 'WinterGreen' (Pyrola picta). Pyrola plants are also referred to as ‘Mixotrophs’ they make some of their food and steal some of their food. Pyrola (Wintergreen) is a dainty little woodland thief! 'Myco' means fungus and 'trophic' means nutrition. Some wildflowers have the ability to take nutrition from the nearby trees and survive. But they aren't fungus, it is a plant, just acting like a fungus. The 'Ghost plant' for one is the spookiest wildflower and a very uncommon one. It is pale white, growing closer to the leaf litter of the woodland floor with sneaky little roots, deriving all its nutrients from the nearby mycorrhizal fungus that is also stealing from the nearby trees. Double sneaky! Mycotrophic plants are said to be 'epi-parasites'! Pink lady’s slipper (Cypripedium acaule) is an epiphyte offering a symbiotic relationship with fungus. The fungus aids the pink slipper seeds with nutrition and when the plant grows, the fungus draws nutrition back from the plant. "To most of us, green and plant go together like peanut butter and jelly on a sandwich. Green plants, since they make their own food from sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, are called autotrophs, meaning 'self-feeding.' However, there are plants that are not green and having no chlorophyll, cannot make their own food (organic carbon). These plants are called heterotrophs, meaning 'other-feeding,' since they must get their nutrition from other organisms. "The second of these two groups are mycotrophic ('fungus feeding') plants. These plants obtain their organic carbon from a host green plant by tapping into an intermediary mycorrhizal fungus attached to the roots of the host plant. Since they cannot make their own 'food,' the mysterious mycotrophic wildflowers take this symbiotic relationship between tree and fungus one-step further. Mycotrophic plants 'tap' into and parasitize the hyphae of a mycorrhizal fungus by reversing the flow of carbon (derived from the host tree) and other nutrients to meet their survival needs. The unlucky fungus 'feeds' the parasitic wildflower and receives nothing in return. Some people have even referred to this 3-way relationship as 'mutualism gone badly!' For this reason, the myco-heterotrophs are often said to be 'epiparasitic' on other plants." https://www.fs.fed.us/.../mycotrophic/whatarethey.shtml "Thieves from the Heath" “Mr. Conifer, Mr. Conifer. We've been robbed!” “Calm down Abies, what do you mean we've been robbed.” “Mr. Conifer we just got a call from the warehouse and they are reporting that two pallets of food stuffs are missing!” “When did this brazen theft happen, Abies?” “It happened in the dark of the night Mr. Conifer. It looks like the work of Thieves from the Heath; probably the Snow Plant Gang.” “Oh no, not Sarcodes and his den of thieves!” - https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/mycotrophic/index.shtml London Town woodlands are truly filled with awe! From wild orchids, trilliums, trout lilies, twin leaf, and rue anemone to unique monotropic plants, there is always one plant that leaves us in awe of the woods and the ephemeral beauty they add to the grounds. Next time you walk in the woodland garden, watch your step and check around the base of the leaf little 'myco' thieves might be sneaking around the woods!

Mid-Atlantic summer perennials come in plenty colors and shades. But one perennial that surpasses all the others in terms of habit, color choices, pollinators best choice, variety in color/texture and much more, is the well-loved Rudbeckia genus. Daisy like dainty flowers, Rudbeckias belongs to the sunflower family, Asteraceae. The Black-Eyed Susan is one of the most adaptable plants that is not just robust in its function but also has plenty aesthetic appeal. The Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) has been the official Maryland flower since 1918 when it was designated the "Floral Emblem" of Maryland by the General Assembly (Chapter 458, Acts of 1918; Code General Provisions Article, sec. 7-306). The Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1701-1778) described and named the flower Rudbeckia after Olav Rudbeck and his son, both professors at the University of Uppsala, and hirta from the Latin meaning "rough hairy." Rudbeckia hirta and fulgida are common, but one other Rudbeckia species that gets overlooked is the wildflower, Rudbeckia lancinata, the 'Green head coneflower.' Yes! not all Rudbeckias are the same. Instead of inner disk floret having brown/black flowers, the green heads have greenish yellow disk florets and are a delicate looking wildflower good for any garden. Now dainty might not be the word that comes to mind when it comes to one of the Rudbeckia species which has leaves as large as those of the Skunk cabbage and can reach up to a height of 5-7ft! Yes, the Rudbeckia maxima is a whole story in itself. It has the prettiest bluish/gray/green leaves and the flower stalks are tall slender with a unique flower head. Even one single maxima in a garden could make huge statement in summer. Black-eyed Susan, Green-head cone flowers, Gloriosa Daisy, and Yellow-Ox-Eye are the many common names for Rudbeckias. When picking a Rudbeckia for a garden, start with a smaller plant and check the mature height of the plant. Some can stay low, but others can fill up a whole garden bed. Rudbeckias are also maintenance free perennials. One could leave the flower heads to dry on the plant, as they provide and excellent source of food for the birds and in early spring you can cut them back. Even better, Rudbeckias self-seed readily! Daisy like dainty Rudbeckias are also very robust plants. They are extremely drought tolerant, good for erosion control and for slope stabilization. Many species of birds, bees and butterflies also depend on the Rudbecks. Now what's not to dote about this genus with the prettiest canary yellow daisy like flowers!

From top right to left: Vitex, Hydrangea, Hosta, Cactus, Lilies, Gladiolus Summer colors gardens in all shades of a rainbow. VIBGYOR designs work well in both spring and summer, with ample choices in both seasons. Here are some easy choices of plants for a summer VIBGYOR garden V- violet Vitex, Irises, Asters I- indigo Mahonia, Phlox, Centaurea B- blue Hydrangea, Echinops, Salvia G- green Hosta, Hakone grass, River Oats Y- yellow Sunflowers, Rudbeckias, Gillaridias, Roses O- orange Crocossmia, Daylilies, Nasturtiums R- red Gladioli, Yarrow, Climbing Roses London Town Gardens right now have all shades of a rainbow in bloom. Come and enjoy them in person and get inspired for your own VIBGYOR garden!

Woodland gardens with dappled shade and canopies that allow small sun windows are prefect for Lacecap Hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) and Lilies. Lacecap Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) In Lacecaps, amongst the outer corral of large sterile flowers are encased tiny delicate fertile flowers. Pink, purple, bluish tinges of petal color balance perfectly with the rich green large Hydrangea leaves. As the Latin name suggests, 'macro' refers to large and 'phylla' refers to leaf. Lacecaps pair well with Hostas, ferns, wild ginger and many other woodland ground covers. They might take a year or two to establish, but once settled in the garden, they re-bloom profusely and the shrubs grow to be a nice large stately layer in a woodland garden. "The cymose inflorescence is composed of sterile flowers with enlarged sepals as well as inconspicuous fertile flowers, which are buried beneath the sterile flowers. The species is endemic to the central Pacific coast on the Japanese island of Honshu where the plant is known as Temari-bana." (Wilson, 1923). "Another variety, var. normalis, coexists in the wild with var. macrophylla. This plant is known as Gaku-bana, and is the origin for the many 'lacecap' cultivars grown as garden shrubs in Great Britain (Wilson, 1923)" https://www.sciencedirect.com/.../hydrangea-macrophylla Lilies Lilies are another woodland and sun garden favorite for summers. For aesthetic appeal, I suggest lighter flower colors for dappled shade locations, such as light lilacs paired with purple hostas, or creamy whites Liles with lime green Hakone grass, paired to perfection! Bright Lily colors suite best in a prominent spot in a garden, by a water feature, nice wooden fence as backdrop or a tall shrub layer. Color might seem tough in hot summer months in mid-Atlantic gardens but adding Lilies and Lacecaps in light colors will add delicate layers and soft notes for some pretty good garden tales.

Photos: A mix of simple and compound flowers Flowers come in diverse shapes, sizes and colors. Simple or compound, each one has the same goal, to attract as many pollinators as possible. Racemes (compound flowers) certainly have an upper hand vs simple single flowers like those of the Daylily. One single inflorescence raceme stalk has multiple flowers, and in most cases, all flowers are placed together tightly for the highest impact. No wonder most compound flower are one of the best pollinators, eg., Rudbeckias, Sedums, Sunflowers, Echinacea, Salvias, Daisies, Solidago, Eupatorium, etc. Simple single flowers were a characteristic of the most primitive Angiosperms, for eg., Magnolias. But as plants evolved, complex compound flowers came into the picture and disk florets and racemes are evolution at its best! When planning a summer pollinators friendly garden, have a closer look at the flowers of the plants you are choosing and check if there is a good mix of plants with both simple single flowers and complex flowers. Simple is always good, but when it comes to pollinators, complex compound flowers are your best bet!

Echinaceae purpurea, commonly called coneflowers, are one of the best all star perennials. The generic names is derived from the Greek word, 'Echinos' meaning 'hedgehog' or 'sea urchin', referring to the spiny looking disc flowerhead in the center of the flower. Echinacaeae is a staple for all summer gardens, especially if songbirds and fuzzy pollinators are your favorite garden visitors. Coneflowers resonate with prairies, they suite a cottage garden, rock garden and free from of garden design VS a manicured one. They come in many different colors, purple, pinks, reds, bright to subtle yellows and creamy whites. Here is some good info. on different types of Echinaceae: https://mtcubacenter.org/.../echinacea-mid-atlantic.../... Other than being one of the best native perennials for pollinators and summer gardens, Echinaceae is also widely used for its medicinal properties. "The purple coneflower, Echinacea angustifolia, was the most widely used medicinal plant of the Plains Indians. It was used for a variety of ailments, including toothache, coughs, colds, sore throats, snakebite, and as a painkiller. H. C. F. Meyer used it as a patent medicine in the 1870s and introduced it to the medical profession. Recent scientific research (mostly German) on Echinacea species has shown that they possess immunostimulatory activity." https://www.jstor.org/stable/4255194 Two of my favorite perennials that blend in superbly with purple Echinaceas are, Lavenders and Yarrows. Together with coneflowers, the Yarrows and Lavender makes for a maintenance free powerful trio. They have gorgeous bold colors, they are one of the best staples for a wide variety of pollinators and, the aesthetic appeal they would add to a garden would be best described as colorful ephemeral beauty!

Summer twilights are an array of rainbow colors that get deeper as the sun goes down. But Alba (Latin for white color) might not come to mind first when one thinks of colorful summer twilight evenings. Well, white flowers are the best kept secret for summer gardens! Many white blooming flowers start their bloom time in summer, such as, hydrangeas, tea roses, Shasta daisies, phlox, southern Magnolias, Stewartias and even Yuccas. White pops up bright in a garden at twilight and looks even more pretty at dusk. As dusk rolls in slowly in summer, white blossoms make spending time in a garden seem simply magical. A pop of white color makes the whole garden seem elegant and relaxing. Three of my favorite albas in a summer garden are Yucca white flower blossoms. They are hardy and last for a long time, but one look up close and you will notice how intricate and delicate their pattern is. Same with Stewartias, up on the tree they are hard to see, but when the blossoms fall on the ground, you will agree that it is nature’s best white in a blossom! And white hydrangeas panicles are a must for all summer gardens. A maintenance free, perennial shrub for all types of gardens. Mop heads, Annabelles and good old Oak Leaf hydrangeas, there are plenty choices when choosing white panicle hydrangea blossoms. Did you know that what we see as white isn’t white to the bees? They see blue-green! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5398734/ Summer is for color, but there isn't a match to a 'white blossom' at twilight in a garden. Southern Magnolias with white blossoms, Oak leaf hydrangea white large panicles, Shasta daisies, white sweet fragrant tea roses and delicate Stewartias have filled the woodland floors and ornamental gardens at London Town this week.

From left to right: Dogwoods (photos 1 and 2) and Stewartia London Town woodlands filled with dappled shade and calm layers of deep green, drape an elegant look instantly when two botanical gems present their demure blossoms. If there were only two plants one could pick to define elegance and art in a woodland garden, they would be Stewartias and Kousas. Camellias end their spring flower blossoms around mid April in the woodland gardens at London Town. But in another two months a member of the same family, Theaceae fills the woodlands with similar or maybe even more delicate pearly white blossoms. Silky Camellia, Japanese Stewartia are common names of genus Stewartia. This genus has 2 native species and almost 21 non-native species. All have exceptionally beautiful flowers, leaves and habit of the tree. Stewartias have intrigued botanist for hundreds of years, its origin, its geographical distribution, deciduous leaves, all are of interest. "In 1917, the plant explorer Ernest Henry Wilson traveled to present-day South Korea, on his sixth and final collecting expedition in East Asia. He would spend nearly the next seven months in the region, traveling widely." https://arboretum.harvard.edu/plant-bios/japanese-stewartia/ "If there is a tree that embodies the Japanese principle of wabisabi, the intuitive appreciation of understated beauty, it is the genus Stewartia." Here is a good guide for cultivation and habit of Stewartias: http://pollyhillarboretum.org/.../StewartiasInCultivation... The distribution of species between Eastern Aisa (EA) and eastern North America (ENA) has been studied widely to understand species distribution and origin. "The disjunct distribution of plant genera between eastern Asia (EA) and eastern North America (ENA) has long attracted the attention of biologists and biogeographers. For most genera that have been studied, there are more species in EA than in ENA, and the diversity anomaly may have resulted from the greater physiographical heterogeneity in EA than in ENA in conjunction with climate and sea level changes. The genus Stewartia (Theaceae) displays this diversity anomaly, with two species in ENA and 21 species in EA." https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/704354... Kousa dogwoods have a similar elegance and habit like Stewartias. Paired together, they would painted the most elegant picture there could be of a calm woodland garden. An elegant tree for all seasons, its bark, leaves and flowers are an artist and gardeners dream. Here is a link to some neat pictures: https://mortonarb.org/pla.../trees-and-plants/kousa-dogwood/ Designing a woodland garden involves, understanding the site and habit of plants so that they could naturalize easily. Adding artistic specimen trees adds depths of layers and elegance to the gardens. Come and enjoy the Kousas and Stewartias of London Town gardens in the spring walk and the dell.

Top 2 on left: Star Anise (Illicium) and the rest are Magnolia June brings in late spring/summer blossoms of some unique and special collections of London Town. Following the Dogwood and Kalmias, the Illiciums and late blooming Magnolias add the extra depth of layers to the beautiful cool woodland gardens that are full of dappled shade. Illicium's (Star Anise) name is derived from the Latin word allurement, rightly so for the lingering aroma that comes from the leaves and fruit. In the botany world, Illiciums are highly valued considering their evolution and origin. Calling them primitive angiosperm would almost be a misnomer. They belong to the group of the very first angiosperms (flowering plants). "Illicium is a member of the ANITA grade and as such represents one of the basal most lineages of flowering plants." https://www.jstor.org/stable/23645118 "There are about 40 species of Illicium. Culinary star anise is the species, Illicium verum, or Chinese star anise which adds a flavor of licorice to drinks and dishes, while other species of star anise such as Illicium anisatum are toxic if ingested." https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/.../july-2018-plant.../ Another jewel of June in the gardens is the last blooming Magnolia, M. hypoleuca. A large white blossom with beautiful large leaves, make it a prefect Magnolia for a woodland garden. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/.../PlantFinderDe... But an even more unique and rare Magnolia to bloom this July at London Town is Magnolia ashei. Our newest addition to the gardens, this Magnolia is native but is facing habitat loss. https://www.usbg.gov/plants/ashe-magnolia "Native to the Panhandle. This small tree is relatively unknown because of its rarity. Ashe magnolia, Magnolia macrophylla var. ashei, is native in only a few counties in the Florida panhandle and is endangered because of this limited distribution. It is primarily found on the slopes of ravines, growing in the understory of mixed hardwood forest. While it is now illegal to remove this plant or its seeds from the wild, nurseries can grow this plant using seeds from long-cultivated landscape trees. Ashe magnolia makes a lovely small flowering tree if planted in the right location. It grows best in rich, well-drained soil under partial shade, although full sun is tolerated if plants are irrigated during drought" https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/.../ashe-magnolia-rare.../ Come and enjoy these June jewels of London Town while their fragile blooms last.