What’s in Bloom

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.

Butterfly-weed is a type of milkweed that is native to North America. It grows in open, upland woodlands, dry fields or prairies, and on rocky slopes or glades. This clump forming perennial has orange, occasionally red or yellow, flowers that bloom from late May until August, and which attract butterflies, as well as bees and nectar-loving flies.

Bottlebrush buckeye is a native, deciduous shrub which grows in open woodlands of the eastern United States and grows to 12 feet tall and 15 feet wide. In early summer it produces 12 inch long panicles resembling a bottle brush, composed of small, individual one-to two-inch white flowers, which attract ruby-throated hummingbirds and butterflies. The long, upright panicles provide a textural complement to the mounded habit of the plant. The palmately compound leaves, arranged in opposite pairs, turn a bright clear yellow in the autumn. This low-maintenance, suckering shrub prefers partial shade and moist, acidic soil and is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8.

Dahlias are native to the highlands of Mexico and Central America, where they were first cultivated by the Aztecs, who used them both ornamentally and medicinally. The plants were introduced to Europe in the late 18th century by Spanish botanists, who were captivated by their striking flowers and underground tubers. Named after Swedish botanist Anders Dahl, dahlias quickly gained popularity across Europe, leading to centuries of breeding and the development of thousands of cultivars in a dazzling array of forms and colors. Today, they are celebrated worldwide as garden favorites and showstopping cut flowers.  Find other cultivars of dahlias on display on Flower Garden Walk, the Idea Garden, and in container displays throughout the gardens!     

Although known as the Japanese stewartia, Stewaria pseudocamellia is found in both Japan and Korea. It is a small, slow-growing, pyramidal, deciduous tree which typically matures to 20 to 40 feet. It has cup-shaped, camellia-like white flowers two and a half inches in diameter with showy orange-yellow anthers. The flowers appear in early summer. The Korean name for this tree is No-gak-namu which translates as "deer's horn tree", which symbolically describes the beauty of the mottled, peeling bark with its tones of orange, green and grey.

Native to North America, and a member of the dogbane and milkweed family, hemp dogbane grows widely across North America, especially in open woods, prairies, and along stream banks. It's well-adapted to a variety of soils and is known for spreading aggressively.  While toxic to ingest, the plant’s flowers are rich in nectar and attract a wide range of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and moths, making it beneficial in native pollinator gardens.  It's earned the common name "dogbane" because it was thought to be poisonous to dogs.  Despite the name hemp dogbane, it’s not related to Cannabis. However, Native American tribes used its fibers similarly – for making cordage, nets, textiles, and bowstrings due to their exceptional strength.

Purple coneflower is native to the eastern and central United States and grows in rocky open woodlands, prairies, and thickets. A clump forming perennial, it has soft pink flowers that grow to a height of 3 to 4 feet, and blooms from mid June to August. Purple coneflower has become a very popular ornamental plant and many different cultivars and hybrids can be found in the trade. As with the other members of the aster family, it has many ecological benefits including attracting butterflies, birds and especially native bees. Look for other plantings of purple coneflower throughout the gardens!  

Spigelia marilandica commonly known as Pink-Root is a native to the United States, from Maryland south to Florida, west to Illinois and Texas.  Spigelia grows in moist woods, ravines, or along stream banks in partial to full shade. This perennial can grow up to two feet high and one and half feet wide. Pink-Root produces bright carmine red tubular flowers which are two inches long with a yellow inside, and attracts Ruby-Throated hummingbirds from late May to the end of August.

Our waterlily collection is a Nationally Accredited Plant Collection by the Plant Collections Network, a program of the American Public Gardens Association and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service. This diverse collection is a must-see highlight during the summer months at Longwood.

Like many cacti in the Cereus genus, it produces large, fragrant flowers that bloom at night. These blooms are usually white and attract nocturnal pollinators like moths and bats. After flowering, Cereus stenogonus can produce colorful, edible fruit often called "pitaya" or "apple cactus fruit." The inside is usually juicy and sweet, somewhat like a less sugary dragon fruit.

Longwood’s first Director, Russell Seibert, brought back Disa uniflora from Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in Cape Town, South Africa in 1963.  Longwood Gardens was the first institution to flower this terrestrial orchid in the United States.  Disa uniflora is native to mountainous stream banks in South Africa and are one of several groups of terrestrial orchids we are actively hybridizing and propagating from seeds.

Find a variety of cultivars on display in other areas of the gardens.  

Hydrangea quercifolia is an elegant, native, deciduous shrub, with deep green foliage and panicles of white flowers that bloom June to July. The flower heads turn from white to pink during the summer months and finally become a handsome russet before the foliage turns a spectacular wine-colored fall color. Snow Queen will grow to 6 feet high with an equal spread and does well in sun or shade.