What’s in Bloom

Featured Bloom

Longwood Hybrid Water-platter

Victoria ′Longwood Hybrid′

The Victoria ‘Longwood Hybrid’ is a giant waterlily developed in 1961 at Longwood Gardens by horticulturist Patrick Nutt, who crossed Victoria amazonica and Victoria cruziana to create what would surpass its parents in vigor, flower, leaf size, and cold-tolerance. The genus Victoria was named in honor of Queen Victoria during the 19th century, when the plant’s discovery in the Amazon captivated Europe with its enormous floating leaves and dramatic, night-blooming flowers. The hybrid continues that legacy with massive blooms that open white on the first night, releasing a sweet, pineapple-like fragrance to attract scarab beetles, then reopen pink on the second night. Since the beetles are native to the Amazon, Longwood staff must hand-pollinate the flowers to ensure seed production and maintain the collection. The ‘Longwood Hybrid’ remains a living tribute to botanical innovation and the era that first celebrated its wonder.

See what’s in bloom … and enjoy the beauty of our Gardens.

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  • Bright, showy, fragrant lemon-yellow flowers with many petals surrounding a yellow center.

    Tanzanian Waterlily 

    Nymphaea stuhlmannii

    Besides featuring a beautiful and colorful collection of hardy and tropical waterlilies from many regions of the world, we also showcase the beauty of our ever-evolving plant exploration program at Waterlily Court. As part of our growing focus on global conservation, particularly in tropical regions, we have prioritized recent work in Tanzania. Since 2023, Peter Zale, Ph.D., our Director of Conservation Horticulture & Collections, has made three expeditions to the region, concentrating on Nymphaea stuhlmannii, a rare yellow waterlily endemic to just 20 square miles of central Tanzania. Threatened by habitat loss from rice farming and grazing by hippos and elephants, this species had not been cultivated for over a century. Working with local partners, we located wild populations and were able to import live tubers to Longwood. By understanding its cultural needs, we were able to hand-pollinate flowers and produce viable seeds for our own collection. Now, the lemon-yellow blooms of Nymphaea stuhlmannii can be seen in our Waterlily Court, with seeds preserved in our conservation seedbank to help ensure its survival for generations to come.

  • Perennial Phlox

    Phlox paniculata ′David′

    Phlox paniculata is a perennial species native to the United States and grows in open woodlands, thickets and meadows.  'David' is a white-flowering selection which grows to a height of 25 to 40 inches, in partial shade or full sun, and blooms from late June until early September. Phlox paniculata 'David' was discovered in 1987 by F.M. Mooberry, respected native plant horticulturalist and former Horticultural Coordinator at the Brandywine Conservancy in Chadds Ford, PA.  Recognizing its horticultural potential, she named the cultivar 'David' in honor of her husband. This selection has since become renowned for its mildew resistance (a common issue with phlox), and has been widely propagated and celebrated in gardens across the United States.  

  • Swamp Milkweed

    Asclepias incarnata

    Another native milkweed featured in the Meadow is the fragrant swamp milkweed. Like the other milkweeds, it is a favorite food source for monarch butterfly larva and has seeds that are attached to silky fibers that act like parachutes when released from their pods.  But unlike the others, this species does well in moist to wet sites and can even tolerate heavy clay soil.

  • Wild Bergamot

    Monarda fistulosa

    This native plant, like its garden counterpart, bee-balm (Monarda didyma), has tubular shaped fragrant flowers, ranging from pinkish purple to pale lilac, that are a favorite of hummingbirds and bees as well as a wide variety of butterflies. It is also grown for its showy flowers and for mint tea made from its aromatic leaves. It grow 2-4 feet tall in full sun or part shade and well-drained soils. In winter, the round, honeycomb heads of bergamot pods are one of the longest lasting seedpods in the Meadow.

  • Hybrid Lotus

    Nelumbo ′Perry’s Giant Sunburst′

    Known for their beauty, the highly ornamental flowers of lotus are extremely fragrant and symbolic in many cultures.  Emerging from the murky waters into the bright clear day is how Nelumbo nucifera, also referred to as the sacred lotus, first became a symbol of enlightenment. The fact that the sacred lotus is able to emerge without any trace of the muddy depths from which it was born is how it became associated with purity. Further elevating its sacred status, it’s reputed that Buddha rose up from the heart of a lotus bud more than 2,500 years ago.

  • Slender, white spike-like racemes, composed of tiny tubular flowers, and arranged in a candelabra-like formation with multiple spikes branching from the same stem.

    Culver's Root

    Veronicastrum virginicum

    Culver’s Root, is a tall, graceful native perennial prized for its elegant spires of tiny white to pale lavender flowers that bloom in midsummer. These slender, candelabra-like flower spikes rise above whorled leaves on sturdy stems, adding vertical interest to meadows, prairies, and pollinator gardens. It is a magnet for a wide range of pollinators, including native bees, butterflies, moths, and wasps, and is especially valuable for specialist pollinators. Look for a variety of cultivars on display in other areas of the gardens.  

  • Orchid

    Phragmipedium China Dragon

    Phragmipedium China Dragon is a newer slipper orchid hybrid that was registered in 1996. One of its parents (P. besseae) was only just discovered in 1981. It is a terrestrial orchid native to the forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains.  The flower is reddish orange in color, with a pouch-shaped labellum and 4-5 inch long spiraling lateral petals. The bright color of this hybrid comes from this parent, while the long petals are from its other parent, P. caudatum, whose petals can reach 2.5 feet.   

  • Yellow petals surrounding round, red, coned center.

    Gloriosa Daisy

    Rudbeckia hirta

    Rudbeckia hirta is an annual or short-lived perennial that has an upright habit and can grow up to three feet tall. It grows naturally in fields, meadows, home gardens and along roadsides in ordinary, well-drained soil and full sun.  Like other plants in the aster family, gloriosa daisy's flowers have dark brown centers comprised of many disc florets and yellow-orange "petals" which are ray florets.  These cheerful flowers bloom the entire summer while providing nectar to bees, butterflies and other insects. Later in the year, birds will enjoy its seeds.

  • Single Dahlia

    Dahlia ′Best Bett′ Mystic Spirit

    Find a variety of Dahlias on display on the Flower Garden Walk and the Idea Garden.  

  • American Wisteria

    Wisteria frutescens ′Betty Matthews′ Summer Cascade™
  • Unusual, double-bloom form with a warm mix of peach, salmon, and cream-colored petals, often accented by a striking dark center.

    Zinnia

    Zinnia elegans 'Zinderella Peach'

    Find other cultivars of Zinnia growing on Flower Garden Walk and the Idea Garden. 

  • Downy-thorn-apple

    Datura metel ′Belle Blanche′
  • Bear's-breeches

    Acanthus mollis
  • Dense, egg-shaped flower heads, composed of numerous tiny florets, transition from green to rich crimson-purple as they mature.

    Round-headed Leek

    Allium sphaerocephalon
  • Tiny, purple flowers along stem branches

    Downy Skullcap

    Scutellaria incana
  • Native perennial with small, white, fragrant, and tubular flowers arranged in flat-topped clusters.

    Late Boneset 

    Eupatorium serotinum
  • Orange-pink, multipetaled rose flower

    Floribunda Rose

    Rosa ′Harpageant′ Easy Does It™
  • Prairie-coneflower

    Ratibida pinnata
  • Large, feathery clusters of small, fragrant, pink plumes, rise above large, deeply lobed, and attractive foliage,

    Queen of the Prairie 

    Filipendula rubra
  • Flowers start as a deep, dark ruby red with a golden eye, and gradually transition to a rosy-mauve or antique rose as they mature.

    Cosmos 

    Cosmos bipinnatus     'Rubenza' 
  • Orange, downward-facing flowers speckled with dark, prominent spots.

    Leichtlin's Lily 

    Lilium leichtlin
  • Crossandra

    Crossandra infundibuliformis ′Orange Marmalade′
  • Curcuma

    Curcuma alismatifolia
  • Produces long, tubular, vibrant orange flowers with a yellow throat, resembling little firecrackers.

    Cape Fuchsia 

    Phygeliusrectus (Colorburst Orange) 
  • White, lantern-like buds open to solitary, pendulous, bell-shaped flowers.

    Flowering Maple 

    Abutilon x hybridum  
  • African-mallow

    Anisodontea  'Tara's Pink' 
  • Big, brilliant, purplish-red, papery daisy-like flowers with golden eye.

    Straw Flower 

    Xerochrysum bracteatum 'Klebb16014' Mohave Purple Red

    Look for other cultivars on Flower Garden Walk and in the Idea Garden. 

  • Green and silver striped foliage with a yellow and orange flower inflorescence

    Aechmea

    Aechmea 'DeLeon's Chantinii'
  • Tropical, dense, glossy, dark green foliage; a unique feature is the aerial roots that descend from branches, which can grow into secondary trunks, creating a sprawling, almost thicket-like appearance.

    Chinese Banyan Tree 

    Ficus retusa 
  • Red-stemmed Arrowhead

    Sagittaria lancifolia
  • Tall spikes of iris-like flowers in shades of pale yellow and pink.

    Canna

    Canna ′Hallucination′
  • Longwood Hybrid Water-platter

    Victoria ′Longwood Hybrid′

    The Victoria ‘Longwood Hybrid’ is a giant waterlily developed in 1961 at Longwood Gardens by horticulturist Patrick Nutt, who crossed Victoria amazonica and Victoria cruziana to create what would surpass its parents in vigor, flower, leaf size, and cold-tolerance. The genus Victoria was named in honor of Queen Victoria during the 19th century, when the plant’s discovery in the Amazon captivated Europe with its enormous floating leaves and dramatic, night-blooming flowers. The hybrid continues that legacy with massive blooms that open white on the first night, releasing a sweet, pineapple-like fragrance to attract scarab beetles, then reopen pink on the second night. Since the beetles are native to the Amazon, Longwood staff must hand-pollinate the flowers to ensure seed production and maintain the collection. The ‘Longwood Hybrid’ remains a living tribute to botanical innovation and the era that first celebrated its wonder.