Bloom Report June 2026

By Bonnie Semmling

The thing about time is that it keeps ticking. While we try to preserve what we can, all collections are subject to the processes that break them down. As stewards of the history of the site, we have an obligation to spiritually continue the work of those that started it. Chionanthus virginicus, our native but uncommon fringe tree, was planted both by Robert Tubbs and Benjamin Blackburn at different points in time. But time ticks on, and those specimens have since left us and others planted in their spiritual honor. I think of our two horticulturalists when I gaze at our fringe trees in flower, the easiest of which to see located in the Alfalfa Field near the grassy parking lot.

How about a tree that’s striking without flowers? The ‘Wolf Eyes’ Kousa dogwood in the Rockery catches my eye on a daily basis, its variegated leaves glowing in the light shade. Variegation can be very polarizing, but everyone I meet agrees that a shady location like this is the perfect placement, providing necessary contrast. The same principle applies in the Woodwalk, where the Rodgersia podophylla brought to Willowwood (from Blackburn’s time in Japan!) has sent up its billowy flowers that glow in the dappled shade. If you’re more partial to bright color, Spigelia marilandica can handle quite a bit of shade – seen here near the Cottage Garden entrance.

Within the Cottage Garden there’s a great diversity of peonies in bloom and in my opinion, one of the loveliest bulbs: Gladiolus palustris. Their flowering period is short but cherished. Similarly raucously-colored are the flowers of Weigela florida ‘Rubidor’ nearby the great swathe of Rosa blanda also in bloom. The cottage never falls to have flowers and is a wonderful place to stop and sit among them.

Of course, we cannot ignore the Rosarie! Various native selections are showing off right now: Baptisia alba and Lonicera sempervirens ‘John Clayton’, whose flowers are a pale warm yellow instead of bright red, as well as Gillenia trifoliata, Bowman’s Root. Providing airiness, the light flowers of Bowman’s Root catch the light and dance on the wind, contrasted against the deep red stem.  As you walk back through the Chive Walk, I recommend a stop to admire the flowers of Iris versicolor ‘Purple Flame’, yet another fabulous native selection.