What’s in Bloom

Helleborus orientalis, commonly known as the Lenten rose, is a welcome sight in the late winter and early spring garden, often blooming when little else dares!  Native to regions of southeastern Europe and western Asia, particularly Greece, Turkey, and parts of the Caucasus, this hardy perennial thrives in woodland settings. Its nodding, cup-shaped flowers come in a remarkable range of colors, from soft creams and blush pinks to deep purples and speckled forms, offering subtle beauty during the quieter season. Despite its delicate appearance, Helleborus orientalis is tough and long-lived, with evergreen foliage that provides year-round structure. It’s also deer-resistant and an early resource for pollinators, making it as practical as it is charming in the garden.

A crocus that naturalizes well in open lawns or beneath deciduous trees, Crocus tommasinianus blooms in late winter and early spring.  The pale lavender flowers open in sunlight but remain closed on cloudy days.  They are one of the few crocus that voles and squirrels seem to ignore, making them a good choice for gardens.

Korean rhododendron is one of the earliest flowering shrubs with its bright rosy pink to pinkish purple flowers emerging before its foliage in late winter.  In its native Korea, it grows on rocky, dry slopes.  In the garden, it prefers full sun and moist soil with good drainage. The Korean name for this shrub is Jin-dal-rae. There, the delicate, exquisite blossom is eaten as a delicacy.  A pan-fried sweet rice cake and a traditional Korean form of sake are brewed from the plant flower petals.
 

Derived from the South African species Clivia miniata, this selection was the fourth named clivia introduction from our breeding program, which was started by Dr. Robert Armstrong in 1976. The flowers of ‘Longwood Chimes’ are a complex blend of bronze and burnt oranges with dark red overtones and a green throat. The red flush of the flowers, framed by leaves of dark olive green, deepens to dark red as the flowers age. ‘Longwood Chimes’ catches the eye of the clivia connoisseur and the novice alike. Enjoy viewing the collection of Longwood clivia selections on display in the West Conservatory.  

One of the first blooms to appear in the new year, Eranthis hyemalis has sunny yellow flowers with a sweet honey-like fragrance. Its flowers look like solitary buttercups sitting on a circle of lacey green leaves. They open wide on sunny days from late winter to early spring and thrive in the shade of deciduous trees.  They will naturalize in well-drained, fertile soil under deciduous trees.


 

Our Floriculture team embraced the challenge of growing Jasminum polyanthum, a fragrant vine native to southwestern China, in a new way, training plants generally cultivated as hanging baskets into striking, oversized twelve-foot towers. These specimens required more than ten months of careful cultivation, beginning with vegetative cuttings that grew outdoors in the container field through spring and summer before being moved to a cold greenhouse for fall and winter vernalization, a necessary period of cold that initiates flowering. Three weeks ago, the plants were transferred to a warm greenhouse to encourage them into bloom. As you walk through the Main Conservatory, enjoy the sweet fragrance of the jasmine flowers. 

This Japanese camellia was selected among seedlings grown from seed collected on a 1984 expedition to So-cheong Island in the Yellow Sea off the northeast coast of South Korea. A small number of seedlings proved to be hardy outdoors in Pennsylvania for more than 20 years. ‘Longwood Centennial’ was selected because of its exceptionally handsome glossy foliage and dense, full growth habit. The cultivar may reach twelve feet in 20 years and is an excellent broad-leaved evergreen for areas where temperatures stay above -11.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Its flowers are red and typical of the species.

Aloe striata × maculata is a hybrid aloe, combining characteristics of Aloe striata (the "coral aloe") and Aloe maculata (the "spotted aloe"). Though there is considerable variability, these plants usually have light coral to darker orange three-foot flowers rising above rosettes of lightly spotted leaves that have soft teeth along their margins. The term "ghost" likely refers to the plant’s light-colored appearance and striking contrast to the more vibrant, typical green hues seen in many other aloes. When exposed to cold winter temperatures, the frosty, light-colored leaves acquire an amethyst purple tint.  


 

Native from southern Brazil to northern Argentina, this large shrub with evergreen leaves has exotic flowers, and delicious fruits. About the size of an egg, the fruits taste somewhere between a pineapple and a guava, hence the common name, pineapple guava. Fruits may be eaten raw or whipped into a curd as is common in Brazil, but others prepare pineapple guava into ice creams, jams, compotes and baked goods. Unfortunately, ripe fruits bruise very easily and are usually not exported or shipped great distances, which likely explains their exotic identity.

Leucojum vernum, or spring snowflake, is a graceful early-blooming bulb native to central and southern Europe, often found in moist woodlands. Its nodding, bell-shaped white flowers are easily recognized by the distinct green tip on each of the six equal petals. Though often mistaken for Galanthus (snowdrops), Leucojum appears fuller and more uniform, while Galanthus has three longer outer petals and three shorter inner ones with markings typically only on the inner petals.

Longwood Gardens forces blue-poppies to flower every year in March. This cultivar, 'Lingholm', produces large flowers that are four inches in diameter on average. Blue-poppies, native to the high elevations of the Himalayan Mountains, are infrequently cultivated outside their native habitat. Given the right conditions, however, they can thrive in gardens located in the northern regions of North America and Europe.