Several weeks ago when at Longwood Gardens we had purchased the special 2 for the price of 1 ticket that gave admission to both Longwood and Winterthur, http://www.winterthur.org/, during the month of April. I realized that this weekend would be the only one free for our visit to Winterthur so despite the less than stellar day, no rain just wind and scudding clouds and cooler than usual temperatures, we knew the gardens would be beautiful nonetheless. We began our visit with tourmobile ride around the grounds, that was followed by a tour Henry Francis Dupont's 175 room magnificent mansion, and then we just wandered the gardens to our heart's content. The fragrance in the air was intoxicating, and the spring flowering trees and shrubs were so beautiful even when not fully illuminated by the sun. The gardens here are not formal because Henry F. Dupont was a great believer in the natural approach to gardening. That makes them quite different from those at Longwood Gardens or the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond. 
Virginia Bluebells, Azaleas and Redbud plus the lovely lime green of new leaves provided the perfect backdrop to the day.
Young visitors to Winterthur have their own "Enchanted Wood" complete with fairy rings, fairy cottages and other wonderful areas where their imaginations can run wild.
Looking down toward one of the first heated pools in the USA. The Dupont's treated their guests royally.
Dale enjoying a magnificent and very old example of a Japanese Cutleaf Maple.
Their must have been 50 Lilac bushes clustered in one area, and all were in full bloom. Their fragrance filled the air!
The sun came out as we drove up the drive to leave. This bank was covered with a lovely lavender Azalea.
Right after I took the above photo, Dale spotted a Groundhog!! running across the open field behind. He jumped out of the car and tried to get a photo of it, but all he was able to see was this entrance to the groundhog's home. It was one of the highlight's of his day.
Virginia Bluebells, Azaleas and Redbud plus the lovely lime green of new leaves provided the perfect backdrop to the day.
Young visitors to Winterthur have their own "Enchanted Wood" complete with fairy rings, fairy cottages and other wonderful areas where their imaginations can run wild.
Looking down toward one of the first heated pools in the USA. The Dupont's treated their guests royally.
Dale enjoying a magnificent and very old example of a Japanese Cutleaf Maple.
Their must have been 50 Lilac bushes clustered in one area, and all were in full bloom. Their fragrance filled the air!
The sun came out as we drove up the drive to leave. This bank was covered with a lovely lavender Azalea.
Right after I took the above photo, Dale spotted a Groundhog!! running across the open field behind. He jumped out of the car and tried to get a photo of it, but all he was able to see was this entrance to the groundhog's home. It was one of the highlight's of his day.We drove from Winterthur to West Chester where we were finally able to use our $50 gift card for Doc McGrogan's Oyster House purchased two years ago at a charity auction. We enjoyed a dozen delicious Wellfleet oysters, grilled tilapia and salmon and key lime pie all washed down with Fire Road Sauvignon Blanc. We had hit restaurant week without even knowing it,
and our tasty dinner cost $25 each plus the bottle of wine, of course.
and our tasty dinner cost $25 each plus the bottle of wine, of course.
It was a lovely day and a fitting end to an interesting and busy week.
1 comment:
Mmmm. Fire Road! My favorite!
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