What’s in Bloom

The Haggerty Education Center’s raised beds are a cheerful mix of bright and sunny annuals in shades of red, yellow and blue, all beautifully displayed against the evergreen shrubs in the background. Several tall Bronze Fennel plants (Foeniculum vulgare) are in full bloom in the gardens next to Matilda’s Cottage, and the bees are busy pollinating their flowers. It’s mid-summer and the Hardy Hibiscus plants are putting on their annual show with a variety of large, colorful flowers; this week we’re featuring the gorgeous pink flower of Hibiscus moscheutos cv. Copper King with its red center and veining. Each flower only lasts a day, but the show goes on for weeks with new flowers opening daily. There are many other Hardy Hibiscus plants at the Arboretum; plan a visit and see them all!

Thanks to Valerie Scarinci for the Hibiscus photo.

The gardeners at the Arboretum are certainly doing their job keeping things watered in this heat! A Purpletop Vervain (Verbena bonariensis) and a lovely spotted white Asiatic Lily (Lilium spp) are blooming in the beds near Matilda’s Cottage. Several Amaranth plants are also in bloom  next to Matilda’s Cottage, showing off their striking red flowers. One of the common names for the Amaranth is Love Lies Bleeding, a very apt description for this unusual looking plant!

On Sunday, July 14th a group of people joined us for Dr. Jon Greenberg’s Biblical Botany Walk. Dr. Greenberg led us around the Arboretum’s gardens to specific plants, such as Chard and Figs, and spoke about them in terms of their significance in the Bible as well as their symbolism and history.

It was a very hot day, so many thanks to all who attended and stayed with us for the duration of the program!