Bloom Report July 2026

As we enter the dog days of summer and seek out shade and cool hollows, the plants seemingly heat up. Gone are the pastels of spring; enter the brightly-colored flowers of summer. Starting in the meadows, drifts of butterflyweed – Asclepias tuberosa - are buzzing with activity. Orange flowers are relatively rare in nature and this shade seems particularly special, lifting the spirits at first gaze. One cannot praise this indestructible plant too much: aside from providing food for a diverse number of pollinators, it’s also a host plant for monarch butterflies.

Similarly buzzing with activity right now is the Rosarie, with its ‘Potomac Orange’ snapdragons and Verbascum phlomoides – yes, a mullein! While this one is but a volunteer, it’s historic in a sense, as various Verbascum species have come and gone, introduced by the Tubbs brothers and Blackburn. By the arbor you can find Knophifia ‘Flamenco’, colloquially known as red hot poker plant.

But, if you’re feeling over-saturated or need a reprieve from the heat, Willowwood provides. Pan’s Garden is always a place of peace. The masses of ‘Deutschland’ Astilbe resemble cirrus clouds while the glittering leaves of lady’s mantle – Alchemilla mollis – soften the border. Similarly calm and cool is the adjacent meditation garden, where, if you are early enough you can catch the large leaves of Petasites hybridus exhibiting guttation, a phenomenon in which the plant exudes excess water when root pressure is high.

Nearby at the Tubbs House you’ll find a very charming old-fashioned daylily: ‘Serenade’. With its long stalks it extends above that of other perennials, like the nearby Astrantia major. To end on a high note, I suggest a ramble through the cottage, which is aglow with Monarda ‘Gardenview Scarlet’.