Cleveland Botanical Garden 

Last Saturday was the opening day of our summer exhibit Between Water and Stone, a 50^th anniversary celebration of our Japanese Garden. When you step out onto the terrace and into the allée, you will see an array of plants nestled between raked sand beds and stones, including various intriguing dwarf conifers. These were acquired over the past several years for Holden Forests and Gardens’ living collection by Plant Records Curator and resident conifer expert Ethan Johnson. The incorporation of these specimens acquired for the permanent living collections is an interesting departure from the usual summer annual display in the allée, and these plants will eventually be planted out in the gardens once the show is over. As you walk down the allée, take time to notice the unusual shapes, forms and colors of some of these specimen conifers.

While you’re exploring the exhibit, make sure to stop by the Rose Garden– the roses are really starting to pop. Now that a couple of years have passed since its major overhaul, the Rose Garden is really starting to grow up and fill in. Check it out to find your favorite color rose—we have them all! 

Holden Arboretum 

At the arboretum, prime rhododendron season is petering out, but peonies are coming into their own. Like roses, peonies have a long history in horticulture and plant breeding which has produced a vast diversity of cultivated varieties (“cultivars”) in every color. Look for them in the Display Garden and Rhododendron Discovery Garden. A few other highlights at the arboretum this week are yellow false indigo, catmint, and golden Alexander. 

The cool weather we’ve had for the past couple of weeks has been great for getting the most out of rhododendron flowering season, and soon we’ll be transitioning into the beginning of summer. We have some consistently warm, sunny days forecasted for next week– what summer blooms are you waiting on to start poppin’?