What’s in Bloom

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.

It's the last week to enjoy the Victoria water-platters and the waterlily collection before Waterlily Court goes dormant for the season.  

The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) a majestic tree native to eastern North America, bursts into brilliant shades of red, orange, and gold each fall, making it a seasonal showstopper. Its sap is used to make maple syrup, and its dense wood is valued for furniture and flooring. In forests, it supports biodiversity by providing food and shelter for birds, insects, and mammals, while its deep roots help prevent soil erosion.

The pagoda mum towers are a stunning blend of horticulture and art, featuring the cultivar Chrysanthemum × morifolium ‘Seiko’. Using a clever grafting technique, chrysanthemum shoots are attached to a central stem of Artemisia annua and trained to form tiered layers that mimic traditional Asian pagodas. The result is a vertical floral structure that combines precise training, grafting, and design, one of many specialty forms that make the festival a showcase of botanical craftsmanship! 

Fothergilla gardenii, dwarf fothergilla, is member of the witch-hazel family, native to the southeastern United States from North Carolina to Georgia.  This deer resistant shrub has fragrant, white bottle-brush flowers in April and May and prefers growing in full sun to light shade in moist, well-draining soil.  Dwarf fothergilla has beautiful fall foliage in shades ranging from apricot to yellow to dark red. 

Now on display in the Potting Shed, a charming collection of chrysanthemum bonsai forms, skillfully created by our staff, students, and interns. Be sure to stop by as we get closer to the return of our upcoming Chrysanthemum Festival, on view October 24–November 16!

The bat flower (Tacca chantrieri) is a tropical showstopper native to Southeast Asia, known for its eerie, bat-shaped black or deep purple blooms and long whisker-like tendrils. Growing in warm, humid forests, this plant uses its spooky looks to attract pollinators like flies and beetles. With blooms that can stretch over a foot wide, it’s one of the most unusual and eye-catching plants in the world. Perfect for lovers of the strange and spectacular! Perfect for the season! 

Autumn crocus is a striking autumn-blooming bulb, native to regions around the Black Sea, including Turkey, the Caucasus, and northern Iran. Unlike its spring-blooming cousins, it flowers in fall with large, lilac to violet-blue petals often appearing before the leaves. It's a hardy bulb that naturalizes well in gardens, bringing unexpected color late in the season. It also provides a valuable late nectar source for pollinators preparing for winter.

Korean mums, are hardy perennials celebrated for their late-season blooms and impressive cold tolerance. Bred from crosses between traditional garden chrysanthemums and wild Korean species like Chrysanthemum sibiricum, these mums were developed to thrive in colder climates while delivering a burst of autumn color. Their daisy-like flowers tend to feature two-toned petals, in soft blends of pinks, peaches, yellows, and lavenders. Blooming in late fall when most other flowers have faded, Korean mums attract pollinators and add a graceful, natural charm to the garden year after year.

Phragmipedium Hanne Popow was part of the first wave of hybrids from the popular species Phragmipedium besseae. It was registered in 1991. The parents (P. besseae and P. schlimii) are found at elevations of 3200-4900' on cliff and rock surfaces regularly fed by water in Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru.  This small sized lithophyte or terrestrial has dark green strap leaves in a compact fan shape. It is a sequential bloomer on a 12-16" long inflorescence. Petals of the 2" flower are peachy-pink, equally spaced and in one plane. The pouch is the same color and has translucent windows on its sides.

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium ‘Raydon’s Favorite’, is a standout late-season bloomer that brings a splash of vibrant lavender-blue flowers to the fall garden. Native to the central and eastern U.S., this tough, drought-tolerant perennial forms a tidy, bushy mound and blooms profusely from late summer into frost, providing crucial nectar for pollinators when few other flowers remain. The foliage lives up to its name—crush a leaf, and you’ll notice a pleasant, minty aroma. ‘Raydon’s Favorite’ is often praised for its long bloom time, resistance to mildew, and ability to thrive in poor or rocky soils. It performs best in full sun and well-drained soil, and makes a beautiful, low-maintenance addition to native plant gardens, borders, or naturalized areas. Bonus: it's also deer-resistant!

Melinis nerviglumis 'Savannah', commonly known as ruby grass, is a compact, clump-forming ornamental grass native to southern Africa. It features soft blue-green foliage that takes on rich red tones in the fall, adding seasonal color to the landscape. In mid to late summer, it produces showy, 3 to 4-inch-long plumes of ruby-pink flowers that gradually fade to creamy white and persist well into autumn. The airy blooms rise about a foot above the foliage, making them excellent for both fresh and dried floral arrangements. Growing to just 6 to 12 inches tall and 9 to 12 inches wide, 'Savannah' is ideal for borders, containers, and small garden spaces.  Its drought tolerance, deer resistance, and long-lasting ornamental value make it a versatile choice for low-maintenance plantings.

Now on display: Chrysanthemum × morifolium ‘Susono-no-Hikari’—our incredible Thousand Bloom Mum!
Grown using a centuries-old Japanese technique, this single-stem chrysanthemum is meticulously trained to produce as many perfectly placed blooms as possible. Our dedicated team spends over 18 months and more than 2,000 hours nurturing this one plant, resulting in the largest display of its kind outside of Asia. This year’s bloom count: 1,363!
Come experience the beauty and precision of our most labor-intensive display of the year—Chrysanthemum Festival!