Bloom Report March 2026

By Bonnie Semmling – Plant Records Curator

Begone, winter!

Just when it seems like winter will never end, the plants remind us that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. While our native witch hazel – Hamamelis virginiana – flowers into late autumn and early winter, other species and hybrids prefer the similarly cool conditions of late winter and early spring. At Willowwood we have many such specimens. 

Hugging their twigs closely, the copper-colored flowers of Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’, found just in the parking lot - are a favorite. In the nearby Winter Garden, Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Pallida’ has started to unfurl as well, this time in the classic witch hazel rich yellow. If you’re lucky and visit on a warmer day, you may catch of whiff of the spicy aroma that the flowers exude to attract pollinators.

As the snow recedes, faithful denizens of the early winter garden emerge: snowdrops (Galanthus elwesii & G. nivalis)! At Willowwood, the thicker-leaved Galanthus elwesii flower before the more common Galanthus nivalis, but both are so loved. Sharing the spotlight are winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) that carpet the Cottage and front of the Tubbs House. 

On your visit, a peek into the window of the Propagation House is required to behold the pansies (Viola spp.) that will soon grace the garden. Flowering along with them are geophytes that have been part of our collection for some time: the almost raucous Lachenalia quadricolor and the much softer-colored Lachenalia glaucina. Both hail from South Africa, where they’re called ‘viooltjies’ (violets) in Afrikaans. But don’t be fooled – there’s no relation! But if you would like to see what a Southern Hemisphere violet looks like, Viola banksii is in flower.