What’s in Bloom

Cineraria is an annual plant that Longwood has used in our late winter/early spring displays since the Conservatory opened in 1921.   We maintain our own seed supply of this wonderful blue strain by hybridizing stock plants each year.

 

Tower-of-jewels is native to the Canary Islands, specifically the island of Tenerife.  The seeds of this plant first came to Longwood in 1983 and it took extensive research on how to grow it until it was first displayed in the the Conservatory in 1991.  

This evergreen succulent from east tropical Africa is known for its towering height potential (it can grow up to nearly 10 feet tall—ours are about 2.5 feet tall now), as well as its vibrant red blooms that appear like sparks. We received an Aloe nyeriensis in 1969 and have been growing and propagating it ever since. Growing Aloe nyeriensis completely in-house is a process that takes more than 16 months of two warm cycles and a cold cycle, with manipulated daylength along the way.

This tried-and-true variety of miniature daffodil was developed by pioneer plant breeder Alec Gray sometime in the 1940’s.  With it's modest 6 inch stature, featuring 2-to-3 slightly reflexed and vibrant yellow flowers per stem, and a reliable propensity to naturalize, 'Tete-a-tete' is a perfect choice for a variety of garden settings.

Scilla siberica is an early flowering bulb which features pendulous, deep blue flowers in March and April.  This squill, which grows 3 to 6 inches tall, thrives in semi-shaded spots in well-drained soil and naturalizes well under deciduous trees.

 

Yulan magnolia is a deciduous tree native to central and eastern China, where it has been cultivated in Chinese Buddhist temple gardens since 600 AD. Its flowers were regarded as a symbol of purity in the Tang dynasty and it was planted in the grounds of the emperor’s palace. This specimen tree has an excellent white to ivory colored floral display in the spring before the leaves emerge, which contribute to the origin of the Chinese name for the plant, "jade orchid." With creamy white flowers born on the bare branches at the end of winter, the yulan magnolia is regarded as an emblem of purity, feminine sweetness, and beauty.

The blossoms of flowering cherries are a sign of spring to many.  They are a symbol of renewal and optimism for a happy future.  Celebrate spring by finding a flowering cherry at the Garden or in your neighborhood.

'Lennei' an old cultivar dating back to 1830s, when it was selected from a batch of seedlings in Italy, by Giuseppe Manetti, director of the Viceregal Garden at Monza. Unlike Magnolia x soulangeana and Magnolia x soulangeana 'Alba' the flowers of this distinct clone are two-tone.  The tulip-shaped flowers are rose-purple on the outside and white within. In China, the Yulan magnolias were highly prized and considered a valuable gift even for the emperor. This too was the case for American and European gardeners and nurserymen of the nineteenth century, one of whom was reputed to have paid 10,000 francs (an average French worker earned 30 francs per week) for this choice clone.

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.