What's Blooming Now - September 15, 2011

The Blooms Continue!

These early September days still hold the flush of flowers in White River Gardens. Late summer bloomers like vibrant blue plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) and fall-blooming anemones are only now kicking into gear. Both plants can be found in spots throughout the Gardens in mostly sun to primarily shade. Ceratostigma is located in near the Efroymson Wedding Garden back gate, along the Clowes Water Gardens, and in the Ruth Lilly Shade Garden.  Look for the semi-double pink Anemone ‘Queen Charlotte’ in the Whimsy Garden, and white blooming varieties in the Heritage and Shade Gardens.

The Heritage garden is quite floriferous right now. Along with the anemones you’ll find Boltonia (B. asteroides), a tall, airy plant with white daisy-like flowers, and New England aster (Sy mphotrichum novae-angliae), attracting butterflies to its vibrant purple blooms.
 And if you look down through the anemones you will see a real fall season treasure- a clump of autumn crocus (Colchichum autumnale). The foliage of this plant dies back long before the blooms emerge.  That mauve-pink color nearly glows among the green anemone leaves.

True to its name, Chinese sumac ‘September Beauty’ (Rhus chinensis), located across the walk on the east side of the Heritage garden, is looking gorgeous right now! This small tree that can sucker from its roots to become a large, shrubby mass, is covered with huge clusters of tiny, cream colored blooms.
 
Our Victoria water lily (Victoria amazonica), located in the Clowes pool farthest from the Spitting Frogs, keeps sending up her solitary blooms every few days. Native to the waters of the Amazon River basin, this plant grows huge, spike-backed leaves, and flowers that are white the first day and pink the second.
 
These and many other “must see”  plants are blooming now in the White River Gardens. So take advantage of the admission to the Zoo that includes a visit to the Gardens and see them all!