More about Hillwood. Marjorie Merriweather Post was the daughter of C.W. Post of the Post cereal (General Mills) fortunes. The estate and gardens are now open for the public to enjoy. A random fact: the actress Dina Merrill is one of Post’s daughters. Her father? None other than E.F. Hutton.

Yesterday I posted some photos from the cutting garden and greenhouse. Here are a few more:

Just for fun, I shot the same rose with my iPhone:

Interesting effect, I think. Almost like a colored-pencil drawing.

zinnia

dahlia

“Japanese-American hybrid garden”

We liked the statue of Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt, but the next one left us scratching our heads….

Those are lion’s legs, so that would make her…a female sphinx.

According to the Hillwood brochure, “Mrs. Post believed in living a healthy lifestyle with plenty of fresh air and exercise. She favored dance and golf to keep physically active.” Hence the putting green.

Some gorgeous orchids in the greenhouse. I’ve never seen these before. Does anyone know the names? Generally, I’ll put the name in if I know it, but ten years in California made me forget a lot of East Coast plants. I once knew them all in Latin too, sigh.

Finally, a shot of some potted caladiums outside the visitor center. Too much sun, but I like the way it sets the leaves afire.

Have a great one!