Don’t let the August heat keep you from enjoying summer— cool off in the shady, forested gardens at the arboretum, or bring a little one to splash in the Hershey Children’s Garden splash fountain. There’s plenty in bloom to explore!

Holden Arboretum

In the Eliot and Linda Paine Rhododendron Discovery Garden and the Arlene and Arthur S. Holden, Jr. Butterfly Garden, you are sure to come across Allium ‘Millenium’. Every summer when this ornamental onion comes into bloom, I always think that the tidy clumps of purple pom-poms almost look too perfect to be real.

August is prime time for asters, and a walk through the Butterfly Garden is a great opportunity to get to know some of them. On the north side of the garden near the crabapple collection, asters abound including black- and brown-eyed susans, prairie dock, cup plant, sweet coneflower and sunflowers Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’, pictured below.

Another charming aster to check out this week is gray-headed coneflower (Ratibida pinnata). These prairie plants are up to 6 feet tall with deeply dissected leaves and bright yellow petals sitting below elongated “cones”. I discovered recently that they have a beautiful, delicate fragrance—take a whiff and see for yourself! Look for them in the Butterfly Garden and in the Wildflower Garden prairie.

Cleveland Botanical Garden

Upon stepping out onto the terrace, you will be immediately struck by the colorful and textural annual display designed by Exhibits Horticulturist Sommer Tolan in collaboration with local artist Leila Khoury. Framing this display are the bright white blooms of Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’. These hydrangeas are skillfully pruned each year by our horticulture team to produce the incredibly full and lush blooms we enjoy each summer.

Another showstopper this week is the hardy hibiscus in the Sun Patio next to the Butterfly Garden. Make sure to travel back into the Inspiration Gardens to see several cultivars in red and pink.

Finally, the obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana ‘Vivid’) in the Restorative Garden is just beginning to bloom. This native plant belongs to the mint family and is named for the tendency of the flowers to remain in any position in which you move them. Try it out for yourself!