April 12 -19

Spring is in full bloom at the TBG this week!

In the Water Garden - North you will find:
Magnolia x loebneri 'Merrill' (Loebner Magnolia); a small tree grown for its profusion of fragrant white star-shaped blooms on bare wood

In the West Lawn Garden:
Tulipa praestans 'Unicum' (Tulip); this bunch tulip will perennialze as it is a species tulip; having mutiple orange-red flowers above cream edged foliage

In the Show Garden:

Narcissus cyclaminnnnneus 'Jetfire' (Daffodil) ; this smaller variety of Narcissus has yellow reflexed petals with bright orange trumpets




In the Garden Hall Courtyard:

Tulipa kaufmanniana 'Hearts Delight' (Waterlily Tulip); this Waterlily type is so named since on very sunny days the petals will open fully to a star shape




In the West View Terrace Garden:

Magnolia x loebneri 'Leonard Messel' (Loebner Magnolia); this rounded, small tree has star-shaped flowers with 12 white petals on the inside, pinkish-purple on the outside

In the Garden Hall Courtyard:

Tulipa kaufmanniana 'Goudstuk' (Waterlily Tulip); another Waterlily Tulip with bright yellow petals, having red striping on every second outer petal; very early flowering




In the Trellis Garden:

Narcissus 'Flyer' (Split-Corona Daffodil) ; the crown of 'Flyer' is amassed with tightly packed frilled petals of egg-yolk yellow; a vigorous and long-lived large flowering daffodil

April 1 - 8

In the Garden Hall Courtyard you will find:
Iris reticulata 'Natascha' (Dwarf Wild Iris); shows unusual colouration with palest of blue flowers, with green veins and a golden blotch

In the Garden Hall Courtyard:

Galanthus nivalis forma pleniflorus 'Flore Pleno' (Snowdrop); this double-flowered form of the common snowdrop spreads easily

In the Garden Hall Courtyard:

Erica carnea 'March Seedling' (Spring Heath); one of the hardiest of the heaths, this later flowering carnea has masses of pale heliotrope flowers

In the Waterfall Garden:

Crocus vernus 'Grand Maitre' (Giant Crocus); this giant crocus, a late-spring flowering Dutch hybrid, reaches 6 inches in height, with dark blue flowers

Iin the West View Terrace Garden:

Crocus chrysanthus 'Cream Beauty' (Crocus); smaller than average, this cultivar was introduced in 1943 from the Netherlands; it bunch flowers with more than one flower coming from a single corm

In the Garden Hall Courtyard Demonstration Garden:

Iris reticulata (Dwarf Wild Iris); blooms late winter early spring in shades of blue and purple

March 25 - April 1

In the Westview Terrace Garden you will find:
Helleborus niger 'Praecox' (Christmas Rose), the best-known species of Hellebore; this cultivar has white cup-shaped flowers which appear notably earlier than others




In the Water Fall Garden:
Eranthis hyemalis Cilicia Group (Winter Aconite); belonging to the buttercup family, a small plant with large yellow cup-shaped flowers - all parts are poisonous

In the Great Hall Courtyard:

Galanthus elwesii (Snowdrop) with Erica carnea 'Myretoun Ruby' (Winter Heath): giant-flowered snowdrop with honey-scented blooms with two green marks on the petals, here accompanied by one of the earliest flowering heathers in late winter, very hardy happiest in acid soil but will adapt to mildly alkaline conditions




In the Entry Garden:

Helleborus x hybridus 'Blue Lady' (Lenten Rose); prune out the old foliage now so as to see the cup-shaped plum purple nodding flowers, leathery evergreen leaves to follow

In the Arrival Courtyard:

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Primavera' ' (Witch Hazel): spectacular winter-flowering deciduous shrub or small tree; this cultivar blooms later than most with a sweet fragrance

Feb. 24

Finally there is snow in the gardens and one of the main reason to grow evergreens!
The following selections are all found in The Show Garden:

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Filifera Aurea' (Sawara False Cypress); this broadly conical evergreen has golden-yellow needles and small cones; the best colour is most notable on the south side of the plant




Cotoneaster horizontalis var. perpusillus (Rockspray); a prostrate horizontally-spreading deciduous shrub, developing tiers of branches as it matures; here at last the snow provides a backdrop to the bright scarlet berries

Pinus koraiensis 'Winton' (Korean Pine); a shrubby low spreading pine with long blue-green needles, it will grow much wider than it will tall

Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica 'Compacta' (Corkbark Fir); a slow growing evergreen with a conical compact habit, featuring blue-grey leaves

Thuja occidentalis 'Sudsworthii' (White Cedar); this cultivar has short branches and gold leaves which tend to bronze in winter; prefers a position in full sun

Feb.19-26

In the Garden Hall Courtyard you will find:

Miscanthus sinensis 'Super Stripe' (Maiden Grass); this variety of porcupine grass boasts more golden horizontal stripes than any other, and here in winter it's upright habit is unmatched as well as its bronzed late season colour

In the West View Terrace:
Corylus avellana 'Red Majestic' (Purple Corkscrew Hazel); This corkscrew hazel produces catkins in late winter, and along with its contorted and twisted stems, provides much interest and is also popular for flower arranging

In the Water Garden - North:
Pinus sylvestris 'Fastigiata' (Columnar Blue Scotch Pine, Scots Pine); this strictly columnar form of Scots Pine remains slender in habit reaching up to 25 feet

In the Entry Garden:

Helleborus x hybridus 'Blue Lady' (Lenton Rose); Hellebores are one of the earliest flowering perennials of the late winter/early spring garden; the thick leathery evergreen foliage can be cut back now to make way for stems of downward facing flowers pushing through the earth

In the Floral Hall Courtyard:

Prunus maackii (Manchurian Cherry); this attractive small tree is perfectly suited to northern gardens as it prefers cool climates; beautiful tree bark ranging from cinnamon-brown to yellow-brown, which may be shed

Feb. 8 - 15

In the Great Hall Courtyard you will find:

Pinus strobus 'Pendula' (Weeping White Pine); This weeping form of Eastern White Pine has long twisting pendulous branches, and quite tollerant of urban garden conditions.

In the Terrace Garden - East Facing:

Sempervivum 'Bascour Zilver' (Hens & Chicks). These rosette-forming evergreen perennials stay true to colour even in winter. Another selection from TBG's collection of Sempervivum. This variety is a smaller cultivar with web-like formations over the centre leaves.

In the Terrace Garden - East Facing:

Sempervivum 'Sir William Lawrence' (Hens & Chicks); Green rosettes with contrasting blood red tips on this cultivar. Sempervivums are amoung the easiest plants to grow, tolerating both heat and cold and look beautiful through the seasons.

In the Arrival Courtyard:

The Cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry) with Fagus sylvatica (European Beech) planted in the metal cages is a living seasonal sculpure. In winter, as the beech are still holding onto their leaves, the framework of trunks and branches is clearly visible.

In the Knot Garden:

Buxus 'Green Velvet' (Boxwood); This compact rounded form of boxwood's dark green leaves tends to bronze in winter.

Feb.1 -9

In the Nature Garden you will find:

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry); a small woody evergreen shrub with glossy leaves turning wine colour in fall and winter; leaf colouring is dependent on exposure to sun

In the Show Garden:

Cornus sanguinea (Common Dogwood); a hardy dogwood with dark red twigs in winter - popular for use in seasonal container arrangements

In the Show Garden:

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Gold Spangle' (Sawara False Cypress) with Sedum rupestre 'Angelina' (Stonecrop); bright golden yellow foliage adorns this False Cypress here underplanted with Sedum 'Angelina' known for its rich amber tones though autumn and winter

In the Show Garden:
Cornus mas 'Variegata' (Variegated Cornelian Cherry); variegated foliage with thick white margin to grey green leaves, here we see the bursting buds which will open to yellow flowers in early spring

In the Show Garden:

Ilex x meserveae 'Castle Spire' (Blue Holly); tolerates full sun or part shade, producing bright red berries for fall and winter