What’s in Bloom

Now on display, the traditional Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum, white flowering form 'Susono-no-Tsuki'.  This ancient technique, known in Japan as Ozukuri, originated hundreds of years ago in Asia and is the most exacting and challenging of all Chrysanthemum training styles!  It takes 17 months and more than 2,000 staff hours to nurture and train this single plant into a perfect blooming dome with one central stem. Each large flower is evenly spaced apart from each other using a supporting frame. Disbudding plants to allow just one flower per individual stem to develop creates a larger bloom. Flowers all are similar in size and bloom at the same time. Fun Fact: Two of the large Thousand Bloom mum plants are grown to maturity, and the strongest plant is selected in October for final display.  Only days remaining to view the splendor of our Thousand Bloom Chrysanthemum! 

Tanuki is a bonsai technique that combines a piece of deadwood with a living plant and seamlessly blends them to appear like one.  The dynamic vertical lines of the deadwood contrast beautifully with the downward growth of the mum, resulting in a display that conveys a deep sense of age and character.  

Ginkgo biloba, often called the maidenhair tree, is a living fossil and the last surviving member of a plant lineage that dates back over 200 million years. Native to China, where it’s long been cultivated around temples and sacred sites, the ginkgo has since found homes in cities around the world thanks to its resilience to pollution and pests. Its fan-shaped leaves turn a brilliant gold in autumn, drawing admirers even to quiet cemeteries where some of the oldest specimens can be found. The tree’s fruit, actually a seed with a fleshy outer coating gives off an infamously pungent odor when ripe, but inside lies an edible nut valued in East Asian cuisine. Extracts from the ginkgo’s leaves are also widely used in modern herbal medicine, often promoted for supporting memory and cognitive health. Ancient yet enduringly adaptable, the ginkgo remains a striking reminder of nature’s ability to survive and thrive across the ages.

This deciduous holly, native to eastern North America, adds color and interest to the late fall and winter garden.  Stems of the fruit, which can persist throughout the winter, can be cut and used in holiday arrangements.

Osmanthus heterophyllus is a broadleaf, evergreen shrub, indigenous to Korea, Taiwan and Japan, with glossy, deep green leaves with spines that resemble hollies. The little white blossoms that appear in October and November fill the garden with fragrance.  ‘Gulftide’ is a selection that grows to 5 feet tall and 3 feet across. It thrives in either sun or partial shade, and any type of soil, even dense clay.  Holly osmanthus is not eaten by deer and has no serious pests or diseases and can be cultivated as an individual specimen, combined with other shrubs, or shaped into a lovely hedge.

Amsonia hubrichtii, brings a golden glow to the autumn garden as its fine, feathery green foliage turns brilliant yellow. This perennial native to Arkansas and Oklahoma also produces clusters of pale blue, star-shaped flowers in spring. Its name honors Leslie Hubricht, who encountered the plant in Arkansas in 1942, a lasting botanical tribute to a naturalist best known for his work with freshwater and land snails.

Acer palmatum ‘Ornatum’, Japanese maple; a view of fall color from inside and out

Vernal witch-hazel, a standout member of the Hamamelidaceae family, puts on an unforgettable autumn show before stealing the spotlight again in late winter. As temperatures drop, its lush, wavy-edged green leaves ignite into vibrant shades of golden yellow.  Even after autumn fades, this resilient native shrub often clings to a few papery leaves through winter, adding warm texture to the landscape right up until its fragrant, ribbon-like flowers steal the spotlight in late winter.

Chrysanthemum 'Hillside Sheffield' is a charming, hardy perennial known for its soft, apricot-pink daisy-like blooms that appear in late fall, often blooming well into November. Beloved by pollinators and gardeners alike, it adds a welcome splash of color when most other flowers are fading. This heirloom variety is known as a Korean hybrid, and has since become a cottage garden favorite for its easygoing nature and graceful, informal habit. Once established, 'Hillside Sheffield' returns year after year, thriving in full sun with minimal fuss. 

Native to the southeastern United States, oakleaf hydrangea is a deciduous shrub, with deep green foliage during the growing season turning wine-colored in the autumn. The panicles of white flowers bloom through June and into July fading to pink and finally a handsome russet in the fall. Growing to eight feet high with an equal spread and does well in sun or shade. Hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9, this hydrangea prefers moist, fairly rich, well-drained soil to grow.

Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis, commonly known as fingered citron is one of the oldest cultivated citrus varieties and certainly one of the most unusual. Native to northeastern India and China, it produces a striking, finger-like fruit with little to no pulp or juice, but an exceptionally fragrant rind rich in essential oils. For centuries it has carried cultural significance across East Asia, where its hand-like form symbolizes happiness, longevity, and good fortune, and the fruit is traditionally offered in temples and homes. Historically, it likely spread along ancient trade and pilgrimage routes with Buddhist monks, making it as much a cultural artifact as a botanical curiosity. Though not eaten fresh like other citrus, the aromatic rind and pith are high in pectin and can be transformed into jellies, marmalades, and candied peel, proving this strange fruit is as useful in the kitchen as it is interesting on display!

Euryops pectinatus is a compact, perennial, evergreen shrub in the daisy family, native to the rocky slopes of the South African Cape and is the only place where this plant occurs naturally. It has finely divided gray-green leaves that provide a great backdrop to the cheery yellow, 2-inch flowers that appear almost year-round in mild climates and are attractive to pollinators. The genus name comes from the Greek word for "large eye," referring to the showy flowers. The species name comes from the Latin term for something with narrow divisions, like a comb, referring to the divided leaves.
 

The bald cypress is a remarkable tree native to the southeastern United States, especially thriving in the swampy bayous and river floodplains of the Gulf Coast. Despite being a conifer, it is a deciduous tree meaning it drops its soft, feathery needles each fall, earning it the name “bald” cypress. In autumn, its foliage transforms into a stunning rusty orange, Its famous “knees” or woody projections that rise from its roots help the tree survive in waterlogged soils. The bald cypress provides vital habitat for herons, wood ducks, owls, and turtles, offering nesting sites and shelter among its trunks. Both ancient and resilient, it’s a true icon of America’s wetlands!  The elegant bald cypress allée (aka Flower Garden Drive), stretches in parallel rows, originally planted by the Peirce brothers in the 19th century and later enhanced and preserved by Pierre S. du Pont in the early 20th century. Today, the towering trees frame a tranquil vista that is ablaze of fall color each year,  a living legacy of vision, history, and natural beauty.  Be sure to check out the bonsai specimen in the Bonsai Courtyard!