Welcome back to It’s Poppin! This week in the gardens, time is flying—some of the trees and shrubs we highlighted just last week, like fragrant viburnums and serviceberries, have already finished flowering. And just like that, we’re on to the latter half of spring!

Holden Arboretum

The stars of the Arboretum this week are the later-flowering crabapples and yellow magnolias. Check out the Crabapple Collection just behind the Visitor’s Center to catch the last of the earlier-blooming crabapples as well as the later-blooming varieties that are hitting their peak now, like Malus ‘Prairiefire’ and ‘Sparkling Sprite’.

If you wander out into the Rhododendron Discovery Garden, look for Magnolia ‘Golden Gift’, a later-blooming yellow-flowered magnolia. The grouping of three mid-sized trees planted toward the southern side of the garden is sure to steal your attention from some of the nearby rhododendrons that are starting to come into bloom (to be covered in an upcoming It’s Poppin’- stay tuned!).

Finally, as you wander through the wooded areas of the Arboretum, keep an eye out for some understated but remarkably abundant blooms: oak flowers. That’s right—oak trees do flower! They may not look like the typical blossoms that come to mind, but those tiny, inconspicuous structures play a big role. If you spot a low-hanging branch, take a closer look at the dangling catkins—those are the male flowers that will release clouds of pollen into the air, hoping to reach a female flower and, eventually, become an acorn.

Cleveland Botanical Garden

Tulips are still going strong at the gardens, and after you’ve taken your family photos or selfies with them, venture further into the gardens to find some more beautiful spring bloomers. One of our showiest native trees, flowering dogwoods (Cornus florida), have come into bloom this week. They can be found throughout the wooded areas of the gardens, but they’re putting on a particularly spectacular display in the Waterfall Garden.

In the Restorative and Gateway gardens, look out for the feathery bottle-brush blooms of fothergilla. These shrubs are a hybrid between two Fothergilla species native to north America, and their airy flowers give way to interesting fall foliage in shades of orange, yellow and red come October.

Finally, although the spotlight is on flowering trees and shrubs, It’s Poppin’ wouldn’t be complete this week without mentioning great white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum). An iconic understory wildflower, trillium are as beloved by humans as they are by deer, which is why you don’t often see them in large patches in suburban woods. We have some beautiful stands in the Hershey Children’s Garden and the Woodland Garden that are a must-see.

Enjoy the warmer weather and make sure to get out there to catch the last of the spring bloomers—summer will be here before you know it!