What's in Bloom

Bloom Highlights

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Sources for "What's in Bloom: Bloom Highlights" listings include the Chicago Botanic Garden's staff and database, as well as the publications and records of other botanic gardens, institutions, and the scientific community.

Cornus mas

Cornelian Cherry Dogwood

Cornelian cherry dogwood offers some of the earliest spring flowers, vibrantly colored summer fruits, and exfoliating bark that adds rich visual interest to winter gardens. It is available both as a single- or multi-stemmed plant and can be a nice specimen tree if its lower branches are pruned. Small yellow flowers appear in March, and during a cool spring, they'll last for weeks. Bright red fruit that ripens in midsummer is edible but extremely tart. Fall color can be reddish to purple, depending on the year. The gray-brown to rich-brown exfoliating, flaky bark, is very attractive. The cornelian cherry dogwood is the first dogwood to flower and is one of the first plants to flower in the Midwest in early spring.

Members of the genus Cornus, commonly known as dogwoods, are welcome in the home garden for their multi-season interest -- be it flowers, fruit, foliage, and/or bark -- and their range of forms from small trees to suckering shrubs. The dominant display, however, varies among the species.

Dogwoods are native to cooler temperate areas of North America and Asia. The genus includes 45-60 species, divided into subgenera about which taxonomists disagree. The Chicago Botanic Garden's collection includes almost 100 varieties of dogwood from 20 species (7 of which are native) and over 2,400 plants.

Viburnum farreri

Fragrant Viburnum

Viburnum farreri or fragrant viburnum is native to the northern provinces of China. It is one of the treasures made available to gardeners through the efforts of Reginald Farrer, British plant explorer extraordinaire, but it wasn't described as a new species until the middle of the twentieth century. This medium-sized shrub of an irregular habit is the first and last viburnum to bloom, with clusters of tiny pink buds that open to very fragrant white flowers in April and repeated blooms sporadically late in fall. The spring flowers emerge before the foliage and may be susceptible to late spring frosts.

Viburnums are a versatile genus of multi-stemmed shrubs that are well suited to the home landscape due to their range of sizes and cultural adaptability. Some viburnums are noted for their fragrant flowers; most bear small fruit that may add visual interest. Many viburnums have attractive fall color. There are more than 100 different varieties of viburnum at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Forsythia 'Courtasol'

Hybrid Forsythia

We know spring has arrived in northern climes when we see the cheery yellow blooms of the ubiquitous forsythias in April. Named after William Forsyth, one of the founders of the Royal Horticultural Society in the 18th century, forsythias are medium to large shrubs that produce four- petaled clusters of bell-shaped flowers in the axils of the stiff, rough branches. These Asian shrubs are very adaptable to poor soils and varying moisture, but the flower buds may be tender on older cultivars. Pruning is best done immediately after flowering, giving new growth time to form flower buds. Never shear forsythias into “green meatballs”, as their natural shapes are graceful enough.

Gold Tide™ forsythia (Forsythia 'Courtasol') A dwarf variety, Gold Tide grows only 20 inches tall, but plants eventually become up to 4 feet wide. It makes a delightful spring-flowering foundation plant or groundcover for sunny banks or slopes.

Crocus vernus 'Remembrance'

Remembrance Dutch Crocus

Native to the European Alps, Dutch crocus emerges in March-April from an underground tuber called a corm. It grows 4–5 inches tall. The violet cup-like purple flowers of 'Remembrance' open in the morning and close up at night, lasting three weeks. The grassy foliage with narrow silver bands turns yellow as the plants go dormant. Use in beds or borders or naturalize in lawns to introduce spring to the garden. Watch out for squirrels and rodents whose radar is especially adapted to finding and devouring the corms. This variety was introduced in the early 1900's and if not eaten or dug up can last for decades.

Helleborus x hybridus 'Spotted Lady'

Spotted Lady Lenten Rose

Hellebores or Lenten roses are prized for their flowers which appear in late winter or early spring and are often the first flowers to appear in the Chicago garden.  The foliage is leathery and dark green with finger-like clusters of serrated leaflets which are evergreen throughout the winter except in extremely cold locations. Hellebores prefer cool, moist soils with a high organic content but are very adaptable requiring only that the site be well-drained. Typically they are planted in woodland settings under deciduous trees where they receive full sun in winter and early spring but are protected in hotter months. The entire plant contains chemicals that are toxic to humans but makes them unappealing to deer and other wildlife. Choose your site carefully as hellebores do not like be moved or disturbed once planted.