What’s in Bloom

Scarlet Rose Mallow also known as Texas Star Hibiscus, is a striking native perennial prized for its bold, star-shaped scarlet red flowers that bloom from midsummer to early fall. Towering up to 6–8 feet tall, it adds dramatic height and color to pond edges, and moist borders. This heat-loving plant is a favorite among pollinators, especially hummingbirds and large butterflies, drawn to its vivid blooms. Its flowers also attract bees. Despite its exotic appearance, Scarlet Rose Mallow is easy to grow making it a stunning and ecologically beneficial addition to native plant gardens. 

Young water-platter leaves emerge from the water as a green roll of prickle and soon transform into large, floating plates with an upturned rim.  Victoria platters grow at an astonishing rate. At maturity, the leaf can reach diameters of six feet and can support more than 80 pounds of evenly-distributed weight. Water-platters flower for two nights.  The first night flower is white and fragrant, while the second night flower is pink.
 

Purple Milkweed is a striking but increasingly uncommon milkweed native to the eastern and Midwestern United States, where it naturally grows along woodland edges and open prairies. Its rich purple flower clusters attract a wide variety of pollinators, while its leaves provide essential food for monarch butterfly caterpillars. More restrained than Common Milkweed, it forms tidy clumps, making it a beautiful choice for native gardens. Unlike Common Milkweed, it rarely produces seed pods, so many populations persist by slowly expanding from underground rhizomes. This is one reason it has become uncommon across much of its native range. It is now listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern in several states, making it one of the more conservation-worthy milkweeds in North America.

‘Hummingbird’ is a dwarf selection of the deciduous shrub Clethra alnifolia that displays full-size flowers on a compact three foot plant. The flowers release a wonderful scent when the upright panicles bloom from July to August. Sweet pepperbush prefers moist soil in dappled sun but will tolerate a little less light or even full sun and is hardy from USDA zones 4 to 9.  This American native is deer resistant and is a vigorous spreader.  It also attracts butterflies. You can't but enjoy the fragrance of Clethra alnifolia  'Hummingbird' when you step into Peirce's Woods!  

Lobelia cardinalis, commonly known as cardinal flower, is a striking perennial native to North America, celebrated for its vivid scarlet-red blooms that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Typically found in moist environments like stream banks and wetlands, this plant thrives in full sun to partial shade and can grow up to four feet tall. Its bright flowers bloom from mid to late summer, providing a vibrant splash of color when many other plants begin to fade. Despite its beauty, all parts of the plant are toxic if ingested, a natural defense that helps deter herbivores, like deer. Not only does it enhance garden biodiversity but it also plays an important ecological role in supporting native pollinators.

Crape myrtle Lagerstroemia ‘Sioux’ is a deciduous ornamental tree valued for its vibrant pink blooms, smooth mottled bark, and attractive summer foliage that turns reddish-orange in fall. Blooming from mid to late summer, ‘Sioux’ offers long-lasting color and thrives in full sun with good heat and drought tolerance. This cultivar was developed by the U.S. National Arboretum and named ‘Sioux’ in honor of the Native American Sioux Nation, as part of a series recognizing Indigenous tribes. Its upright, multi-stemmed form and resistance to powdery mildew make it a outstanding choice for both home landscapes and public plantings. Check out other cultivars of Lagerstroemia throughout the gardens! 

Joe-Pye-weed is a native plant, related to asters, that attracts butterflies and is profuse in our late summer Meadow.  It was used medicinally by Native Americans for the treatment of fevers, and was named for the Mohican leader, Joseph Shauquethqueat, who was also known as Joe Pye. 

Named for its velvety orange-red flowers that resemble the paws of a kangaroo, this striking plant is native to Western Australia. These evergreen shrubs form clumps of narrow green leaves from which stalks of brightly hued flowers emerge. This kangaroo paw variety is specifically bred to attract honeyeaters, native Australian birds that specialize in sipping nectar. So fond are they of this plant’s nectar that they often neglect to wipe their beaks on nearby branches after feeding, carrying pollen from one ‘Bush Ranger’ to another and facilitating pollination with little effort. Look for additional cultivars to appear in the West Conservatory in the coming weeks.
 

Longwood Hybrid Aquatic Canna 'Ra' is a distinctive hybrid developed through Longwood Gardens' canna breeding program using Canna glauca, an aquatic species native to wetlands from the southern United States through Central and South America and the Caribbean. Longwood acquired Canna glauca from acclaimed Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, designer of Longwood's iconic Cascade Garden, his only surviving North American garden. Inspired by the species' ability to thrive in standing water, breeders developed 'Ra,' which produces elegant blue-green foliage and soft yellow flowers that attract hummingbirds and other pollinators. Named after one of the famous exploration ships that inspired the aquatic canna series, 'Ra' reflects Longwood's commitment to expanding the possibilities of ornamental plants for water gardens!

Nelumbo ‘Mrs. Perry Slocum’ is an exquisite lotus cultivar, celebrated for its large, multi-petaled blooms that undergo a remarkable color transformation, from soft pink to creamy yellow, and finally to a soft ivory as they age. This dynamic floral display, along with its sweet fragrance, makes it a standout in water gardens. A hybrid of the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), which is native to Asia, Mrs. Perry Slocum was developed in the United States and named in honor of the wife of renowned lotus hybridizer Perry D. Slocum. Its leaves exhibit remarkable water-repellent properties, causing droplets to bead and roll off, an adaptation that helps keep the plant’s surface clean and healthy. With its impressive size, strong vertical presence, and lush green foliage, this lotus brings a sense of serenity and grandeur to aquatic landscapes, appealing to gardeners, collectors, and botanical enthusiasts alike.