Bloom Report August 2026

Lily lovers of Willowwood, listen up: now is the time to visit. All the lilies are in bloom at once, from the reliable ‘Black Beauty’ in the cottage to the classically beautiful, sweetly-scented ‘Casa Blanca’ in Pan’s Garden. However, the cream of the crop is the Cardiocrinum cordatum, also in Pan’s Garden. Native to Japan and Sakhalin, this incredible lily is a sight to behold in flower. Not only for its beauty, but height – the one pictured is at least 6 feet tall. It is also is a fickle bloomer, only putting up a stalk every 4 years or so – hence, now is the time to visit!

But please don’t ignore the rest of Willowwood: the meadows are once again in bloom, with early goldenrod (Solidago juncea) and beebalm (Monarda fistulosa) being the most flamboyant of the mix. These plants signal that it is the time when the goldfinch forage and nest within the meadows, traveling in flocks for protection and descending to gorge on seeds. Showy birds can be found in the garden as well: Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’ within both the Rosarie and cottage is always a showstopper when in flower. At Willowwood, you’ll often find both hummingbirds and hummingbird enthusiasts gathered around the plants.

The ‘core’ area of Willowwood, as always, has a diverse array of interesting plants. As part of the annual display within the core, the unusual geophyte Bulbine frutescens ‘Hallmark’ is displaying its charming flowers, dispersed between drifts of Melinis nerviglumis and Aechmea blanchetiana ‘Hawaii’. Rubacer odoratum, the purple-flowering raspberry, is also putting on a good show. This lovely native shrub could certainly get more use in the home garden, as it’s thornless and adaptable to different soils. In the nearby cottage, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Le Vasterival’ is an unusual cultivar, with oversized floral bracts that resemble whirling moths. Its name comes from where it was found: a private garden of the same name in Normandy, France.

The wetter weather we’ve come into is welcomed, as are the cool nights. Plants just hanging on before in the heat are now coming into their own, like the ‘Cupani’s Original’ in the cottage. This variety of sweet pea is close to the “wild type” that all sweet pea cultivars come from, native to far southern Italy and Sicily. Plants can also be physically transformed by rain: a charming discovery I made is when saturated the petals of Campanula punctata become almost translucent, resembling little paper lanterns.

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