Sunday, April 22, 2012

Mosaic Monday: Cross Gardens










It's a rainy, rainy day here in New Jersey, and I'm not complaining in the least.  We need the rain badly.   On Friday it was beautiful and sunny, and I paid a visit to one of my favorite area gardens -- the Cross Estate Gardens in nearby Bernardsville.  The gardens are now a part of the National Park Service, and administered in conjunction with the New Jersey Historical Garden Foundation.  Included are a wisteria covered pergola, a formal walled garden and a native plant garden.  The estate began life as part of the "Mountain Colony" of grand summer retreats for wealthy tycoons looking to escape the heat of New York City.

The house was originally built in 1905 by John A. Hensel, and was called Queen Anne Farm.  In addition to the house, there was a carriage house, a gatehouse and a stone water tower.  In 1929 it was purchased by Redmond Cross, whose wife, Julia Newbold Cross, was a member of the Royal Horticultural Society.  Together with Clarence Fowler, a noted landscape architect, Mrs. Cross made extensive improvements to the garden.

Today I am showing you just a few photos from the native plant garden.  The approach to the garden is through a tunnel of green mountain laurel, and when you open the gate, you are faced with the colorful contrast of a purple redbud tree surrounded by a sea of bright yellow leopard's bane.  It is nothing short of stunning.  The purple and yellow theme is continued by a great sweep of mountain phlox punctuated by yellow marsh marigolds.  Deep green mayapples provide a visual rest from all that color.

I have many more photos to share later in the week.  Wait till you see the formal garden.  ;)  I have to stop typing (and photo-editing) now, though, because my right hand is killing me.  Arthritis, I guess.  :(

Here are the instructions to join today's post:
1. Publish your Mosaic Monday post. The post may be about any subject you wish. The only stipulation is that it include a collage, or mosaic of photos.
2. Once it is published, click on the title of the post. This will lead you to the static link for your post. The static link is the page with only that post on it. Copy the url from your browser at the top of the page.
3. Paste the url into the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
4. Type your name in the appropriate inlinkz box in this post.
5. Click on "Enter."
6. Please link back to this Mosaic Monday post so that your readers can find other wonderful mosaics.

That's all there is to it! It's always a good idea to then check and see if your link is working. If you have any questions, feel free to email me: mrcarroll(at)optonline.net


And a quick reminder: if you would like to join Mosaic Monday but don't know quite where to start, there is a tutorial on mosaic-making on my sidebar. Just scroll down, and click on the small blue mosaic.





46 comments:

  1. These are gorgeous shots, Mary! They are like field of dreams..Beautiful flowers, and colors!

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  2. Hi Mary, lovely photos from the garden. It is nice that they are growing a native plant section. I love the redbud and the leopards bane together. Thanks for hosting and for sharing your visit to the garden. Have a wonderful week ahead.

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  3. Gorgeous images, Mary! Thank you so much for sharing these and hosting Mosaic Monday.

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  4. What fantastic and vibrant photos Mary. It is down right exciting to see everything coming up in the gardens this year.
    ♥, Susan

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  5. Oh, my - so beautiful! I really love that last image.

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  6. STUNNING!What a beautiful place! The Queen Ann Farm native plant garden was the perfect place to discover beauty and capture it all in your photography!
    What a delight to visit!
    Yvonne

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  7. The very last photo is so soft and dreamy! I keep going back to look at it again! Beautiful photos! Happy Mosaic Monday!

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  8. Mary how is it possible that you can take the simplest little flower and make it a masterpiece? Beautiful photos!

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  9. Beautiful shots! I love walking through the gardens with you!

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  10. Mary, I am so glad you keep returning to your favourite garden and sharing the plant life there. The native plants are stunning as portrayed through your lens.
    Judith

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  11. wow Mary your photos are breathtaking! I sure wish I had your talent. I absolutely love touring gardens. Wisteria is one of my favorite vines.
    Hugs,
    Jann

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  12. A beautiful place Mary -- the native plants you show are wonderful, and I will come back to see the formal gardens. I hope you will eventually show the wisteria-covered pergola. (Another of my favorite flowers from when we lived in Oregon that we never see here in FL.) It's probably too early for it to bloom though (?). Thank you for doing all you do (especially when you have achy hands!)

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  13. Wonderfully laid garden flowers.

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  14. You'd never think of rain when seeing those bright and sunny photos! Thanks for sharing such beauty!

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  15. Beautiful flowers, such a lovely garden. Thanks for sharing, Mary! It was such a nice rainy day here in NY, too, I love a good rainy day.

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  16. That is just stunning. Thanks for sharing it with us.

    Velva

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  17. simply stunning - what other words can describe gardens and images like these? How amazing it must be for you to go from snow in winter to fields of spring flowers - amazing!
    Thank you again for the opportunity to contribute and share at Mosaic Monday.

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  18. Mary, Your photos are stunning! I used to live in Short Hills and we would go often to Morristown Historical Park and the Audubon gardens, but I do not remember this estate! We moved away in 2000. I went to the link you provided and I must try to make a trip there. I think your description of it is wonderful. I made a mosaic with PicFrame for the first time! Linda

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  19. Enjoyed seeing the beautiful flowers. I did not get a mosaic done for this week - hopefully for next week.
    Thanks for hosting - you are appreciated.

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  20. Such a beautiful spot - are those Mayapples leaves in the first photo?

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  21. Hi Mary!
    Your photos are just beautiful! thank you for sharing your lovely visit to Cross Gardens.
    ~Clara

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  22. At this time of year the native gardens are at their best...these are stunning and I would love to visit this place...Beautiful!

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  23. Wow. Wonderful photos!
    Have a nice week,
    Markus

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  24. what a wonderful trip through your garden :)

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  25. I really do like Spring in your garden....... Wonderful.

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  26. What a gorgeous garden. I love mayapples but I can't grow them here. I am waiting to see if my redbud actually blooms. It has buds but we are waiting on a snow storm today. Love the photos Mary. V

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  27. I love your spring grouping. They definitely start my day right, now I can go to work with a smile on my face. :-) Blessings!

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  28. Mary I have been looking for Spring since arriving home from Arizona> I think that I have found it here on your post! Happy Earth week!

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  29. You get the most interesting perspective in your photos, Mary. They are lovely and have an ethereal quality to them.
    -Karen

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  30. These photos are lovely works of art. They are so dreamy.

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  31. Your photos are wonderful. Love all the flowers. Smiles to you, Susie(She Junks)

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  32. Beautiful shots Mary. What lens and aperture did you use for the close ups.

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  33. Thank goodness spring is here. Beautiful shot Mary for sure.
    QMM

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  34. What beautiful shots you have this week! Thanks for hosting again this week, Laura

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  35. So glad you are getting some needed rain. Those flowers are just beautiful!

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  36. What a gorgeous garden, Mary. And, you have turned it into a work of photography art.

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  37. Magical, beautiful garden Mary. I love the way you photograph the beauty around you...those May Apples, do you not just love that fragrance... Have a lovely week~

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  38. Oh my gosh - it's like heaven here ~

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  39. How I love your photos Mary, such beautiful colors and compositions, truly beautiful !
    Oh, I know your pain in your hand, I have RA and sometimes, because of too much editing, one of my fingers becomes very swollen and painful, at other times it's the wrist or all the hand. We just need to rest our hands more often...
    Have a beautiful day tomorrow !

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  40. Love your garden it's beautiful. Thanks for hosting a great party. New Follower.

    Jody

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  41. Hi Mary

    It's been awhile since I've stopped by. So glad that I chose today. what a great post - loved your photos.

    Hope that blue skies are headed your way!

    Leann

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  42. I'm so glad I found you....not quite sure how!! I'll join your followers so that I can find you again. Love the photos and wish that I could do as well. Joan

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  43. beautiful clicks - flowers always make me smile....glad to have found your blog :-) happy sunday !

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read and comment. I love to hear what you have to say!