It’s Poppin: June 11

June 11, 2026

It’s hot out there, but that won’t stop our plants from poppin’! The hot, dry weather we’ve had for the past couple of weeks means we are doing supplemental watering a little more than usual, but the upcoming rain in the forecast will hopefully give us a nice reprieve.

At the arboretum, Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia) is blooming in the Rhododendron Discovery Garden and near the path along the west side of Blueberry Pond. The genus Stewartia belongs to the Theaceae or tea family, which exists mostly in Asia with the exception of three genera from the southeastern US, including Stewartia. Make sure to check out the unique flowers of these tea family representatives while they’re in bloom! Also look for American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis, our 2026 arbor day tree giveaway species) and numerous colorful varieties of yarrow (Achillea millefolium) blooming throughout the grounds.

At the gardens, roses are continuing to bloom in both the Western Reserve Herb Society’s Historic Rose Garden as well as the rose garden near the terrace. Two summer-blooming native shrubs that just happen to be named after US states– Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) and New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)– are also in full bloom in White Oak Walk and the Butterfly Garden.

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