Welcome to It’s Poppin’ 2026! Check in every week to discover the seasonal highlights in our living collections selected by curatorial staff at the Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Botanical Garden. We’ll write weekly updates through May, and then every other week through July.
It’s the second week of April, and although we’re not completely safe from frost just yet, the warm temperatures we experienced in the latter half of March have awoken plants throughout the gardens and woods. At the Arboretum, make sure to visit the Wildflower Garden to see the early spring ephemerals including trout-lily, toothworts, twinleaf and more.
At the Botanical Garden, woody plants like Korean spice viburnum and serviceberries are in full bloom.
Next week, we should expect trilliums to begin opening and maybe even some redbuds. Come visit to enjoy the first fleeting blooms of spring!
Alexandra Faidiga
Assistant Curator
Alex collaborates with the Curator of Living Collections, Plant Records Curator, and horticulture staff to ensure the Living Collections are not only captivating but also meaningful for research, ecology and conservation. Alex also helps coordinate collecting trips to acquire new plants for the Living Collections and documents them using GIS and our plant records database. She is motivated by the role public gardens can play in preserving biodiversity and loves helping people discover their new favorite plant.
Here’s more to explore
July 17, 2025
It’s Poppin’: July 17
It’s summer! Did you enjoy the long holiday weekend? If you took time off from visiting our campuses, now is the time to come back, as our summer wildflowers are... more
July 3, 2025
It’s Poppin’: July 3
By Alexandra Faidiga, Assistant Curator
Happy 4th of July! There’s plenty to see out in the gardens this weekend, with milkweeds, black-eyed Susans, and a host of other mid-summer favorites in bloom. Cleveland Botanical Garden... more
June 20, 2025
It’s Poppin’: June 20
Hot and sticky weather arrived this week! This week I teamed with Angelica Vasilatos, Ferry Foundation curation intern at the Botanical Garden, to detail what’s poppin’ in Kirtland and Cleveland. ... more
June 13, 2025
It’s Poppin’: June 13
As I walked the campuses this week, I was struck by the number of beautiful, calming white blooms. Before we move into the heat of the summer, let’s take a... more
June 6, 2025
It’s Poppin’: June 6
After a few weeks on a plant expedition to China, it was my pleasure to stroll the grounds of the Holden Arboretum and Cleveland Botanical Garden to see what was... more
May 29, 2025
It’s Poppin’: May 29
By Alexandra Faidiga, Assistant Curator
Cleveland Botanical Garden Last Saturday was the opening day of our summer exhibit Between Water and Stone, a 50th anniversary celebration of our Japanese Garden. When you step out onto... more
May 23, 2025
It’s Poppin’: May 23
By Alexandra Faidiga, Assistant Curator
It’s been a strange couple of weeks weather-wise—remember when it was 80 degrees and sunny, and now it’s rainy and chilly? No matter! The cool weather actually helps prolong the... more
May 15, 2025
It’s Poppin’: May 15
By Alexandra Faidiga, Assistant Curator
This week, the Rhododendron Gardens at the arboretum are in their full glory, and flowers are lighting up various pockets and corners at the botanical gardens. With the recent rain... more
May 8, 2025
It’s Poppin’: May 8
By Alexandra Faidiga, Assistant Curator
The photos speak for themselves this week—it’s definitely poppin’ out there! The arboretum really shines in May with fragrant lilacs blooming in the Display Garden and rhododendrons of every color... more
