What's Blooming Now - Still a Great Show Despite Dry Conditions - September 29, 2010

It has been a rough summer for plant life at the White River Gardens, but despite the dry conditions, there is still a great show to be seen!

The Form and Texture Garden inside the Polly Hix Design Gardens is home to several of these show stoppers. For instance, check out the Vermillion Bluffs Sage (Salvia darcyii ‘Pscarl’). This beautiful mass of red flowers is actually coming from one plant! This is also a great time to see the bees enjoying Russian Sage ‘Filigran’ (Peroviskia atriplicifolia)! This cultivar ‘Filigran’ can also be spotted in the two parking lot islands that are out front of White River Gardens. Snapdragon ‘Rocket Rose’ has been making an appearance all summer, but is especially nice now that the weather is cooling a bit.

Although some are beginning to fade, Autumn Crocus ‘Waterlily’ (Colchicum) is looking great in the Herb Societies herb garden. The Autumn Crocus is a fall blooming bulb.

The most prominent plant in the Virginia Fairbanks Sun Garden is the Helianthus maximilianii (Maximillian’s Sunflower). Although this tall plant is covered in beautiful sunny yellow blooms, beware! It is aggressive and can spread quickly.

In the Heritage Garden, the New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) and ‘Fireworks’ Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa) are showy in their colors of purple and yellow.


      Russian sage                                  Autumn crocus water lily                   Maximillian sunflowers

  New England asters           Fireworks goldenrod                   Sedum