Blooming Blurbs by Grace Willis

Check out what's currently blooming in The Gardens!

HIGHLANDER™ Sweet Sensation delphinium (Delphinium)

These blue and purple bicolor flowers can be found on the southwest end of the Welcome Garden. These beautiful blooms can be seen throughout most of the summer as long as spent flowers are deadheaded to make room for new growth. Each stalk can support up to 20 or 30 florets, making them particularly stunning. Not only are they appealing to the human eye, but also to butterflies! Butterflies and other pollinators can be seen frequenting the plant throughout these summer months.

Care information: These quick-growing herbaceous plants can reach 30 – 40" tall and 16 – 20" wide, but only when properly cared for. They enjoy full or partial sun and can survive in zones 3 – 7. Loamy soils with decent amounts of organic matter/humus are preferred. The HIGHLANDER™ Sweet Sensation delphinium should normally be watered twice a week, but frequency should be increased during bouts of extreme heat. An all-purpose fertilizer should be applied in the spring and once more after the first bloom for optimized growth.

White Trumpet Lily (Lilium regale)

These gorgeous white trumpet lilies (also called regal lilies) can be found tucked into our Fragrance Garden. Each stem can hold up to 25 lilies; however, this particular one currently displays four facing each cardinal direction with a fifth bud eager to join the rest. These lilies are predicted to be in bloom at least until mid-July. The White Trumpet Lily is native to the Sichuan Province in southwestern China but was introduced in England in 1903 and eventually made its way to us!                                                                                                      

Care information: The white trumpet lily favors neutral soils that are well-drained and rich in organic matter. It also prefers full sun or partial shade, so it is best to plant bulbs in the fall or the spring. Once weekly watering should be enough for these guys, given that they are a very drought-tolerant species, though they won‘t mind more frequent watering as well. This plant survives well in zones 4 – 8. Regarding fertilizer, a balanced or high potassium liquid fertilizer should be used every two weeks, starting from when they are planted to 6 weeks after the first bloom. As a flower finishes blooming, remove it from the plant so that the lily will put its energy into surviving blooms. After all blooms have concluded and the stem has turned yellow, cut the plant to the ground.

For more information, check out its Gardens Explorer page.

Improved Jackman’s Clematis (Clematis' Jackmanii Superba’)

This improved Jackman’s clematis houses hundreds of purple flowers and can be found climbing a trellis in our Rose Garden. It is a perennial vine that can bloom until early September. These flowers tend to fade from a deep purple to a lighter violet color as the blooms get older as can be seen towards the center in this photo. The reason for the ‘Improved‘ and ‘Superba‘ in the plant’s name comes from the fact that it is a newer version of Jackman‘s clematis that has a more prolific bloom and broader flowers.                                                                                                                                              

Care information: Jackman’s clematis prefers to be grown in well-drained soils with full sun or partial shade, with the vining areas in the sun and rooted areas in the shade. The roots of this plant are very sensitive to heat, so it is usually a good idea to plant it deep in the soil and/or add a generous layer of mulch around its crown. This plant can survive in zones 4 – 8 typically. This clematis does not enjoy soil that has dried fully, so it is a good idea to water it at least twice a week or more during periods with little precipitation. It should be fertilized with a complete fertilizer once during the spring and then once monthly during the growing season (May – October).

For more information, check out its Gardens Explorer page. 

Rocket Larkspur (Delphinium ajacis) (Delphinium ambiguum)

   

These alluring blue blooms can be found on the Rocket Larkspur on the eastern border of our Rock Garden. Though there has been much debate about the naming of this species, there is no debate about how remarkable they are. These bright clusters of flower spikes certainly stand out against the sea of green created by the larkspur’s petiolate leaves.                                                                                                                           

Care information: Delphinium ajacis requires well-drained soil. Though this plant can not tolerate prolonged periods of flooding, it does like frequent irrigation, at least once a week during hotter months. Depending on the climate of an area, it can tolerate both direct sun and partial shade. It grows best in zones 3 – 7. As with many of these other plants, a balanced fertilizer should be applied in the spring for maximum plant health.

For more information, check out its Gardens Explorer page.

Tree Cholla (Cylindropuntia imbricata)

 

These vibrant pink flowers, surrounded by bundles of glochids, can be found adorning the tree cholla atop the hill and near the pergola of our Undaunted Garden. Though it is pretty to the eye, I can assure you it is much less pretty to the touch. These flowers are very popular with pollinators and can be frequently seen with various bee visitors as shown below. Its stems have been used to treat skin conditions while the fruits can be used in antioxidant syrups and jellies. It has shallow but wide-reaching roots that allow the cactus to absorb water from a larger area than many of its counterparts. Despite it being such a pretty addition to our Undaunted Garden, it has actually been declared as a noxious weed in many other places such as New South Wales and Southern Australia.                                           

Care information: Cylindropuntia imbricata is similar to many other cacti given the fact that it enjoys full sun and is drought tolerant. It only needs to be watered during the summer whenever its soil has fully dried. The tree cholla thrives in well-drained soils of any pH (within reason of course), and given the right conditions, can grow up to 8 ft tall. It is typically hardy in zones 5 – 11. It is very easily propagated through stem division since its stem segments tend to root reliably.                                                                                                                                                                                  

For more information, check out its Gardens Explorer page. 

White Wand Penstemon (Penstemon tubaeflorus)

In the stream bed of our Prairie Garden, you can find these wonderful white wand penstemons with their trumpet-shaped flowers and hints of pink. They typically bloom from May to June, so make sure to visit soon if you want to catch them in their prime! Penstemons commonly attract pollinators such as butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees, so you have a chance to see our wonderful pollinator population as well! This specific type of penstemon is native to Missouri and can commonly be found in open woods or along railroad tracks. You may also hear it being called a ’beard tongue’ because it has a sterile stamen (male reproductive organ of the flower) with tufts of hair that many think look like a fuzzy tongue sticking out of the flower.

Care information: Penstemon tubaeflorus is a plant that prefers full sun and drier soils allowing it to survive in zones 4 – 8. It is not tolerant to soils that are incredibly wet or poorly drained, so it is important not to overwater it. One perk of these flowers is that they are salt tolerant, so they can be planted near bodies of salt water such as oceans and not be as adversely affected. Given the proper care, the white wand penstemon can grow up to 3' tall and 1.5' wide.                                                                                    

For more information, check out its Gardens Explorer page. 

Hidcote English Lavender / Munstead English Lavender (Lavendula angustifolia ‘Munstead’/’Hidcote’)

Large clumps of this infamous flower can be found around the borders of our Potager and Herb Gardens. We display a mix of both Hidcote and Munstead English lavender. Mary Miller, the horticulturist who manages these gardens, visited Hidcote Manor in England years ago, where Hidcote Lavender was cultivated in the early 20th century. She then decided to plant it here at The Gardens. Though we don’t have any direct connections to Munstead lavender, it is renowned for its strong scent and brightly colored blooms. These lavender bushes are predicted to be in bloom until August.                                

Care information: Both types of lavender should receive relatively similar care. They should be planted in well-drained soil in an area with full sun. They are hardy in zones 5 – 9 and can withstand a decent amount of frost; however, they will die out permanently if temperatures go ~20 degrees or more into the negatives. They can grow to be up to 2' tall and wide if conditions are ideal. It does not require fertilization or mulching but does prefer soils with rocks so that air circulation can occur.                                                                             

For more information, check out its Gardens Explorer page. 

Crossandra (Crossandra infundibuliformis)

Our crossandra is currently an undeniable attention grabber right as you enter into the Butterfly House. With its bright orange blooms and full foliage, it is hard to miss. Due to these remarkable blooms, it is commonly called a ”Firecracker Flower." Since our Butterfly House is kept warm all year, these plants have the possibility of blooming all year long. Plants like these can be referred to as ”everblooming." As one would likely expect due to its location, butterflies love this plant and its blooms. Make sure to check for butterflies on these blooms during your next visit!

Care information: Since this tropical plant is native to India and Sri Lanka, it obviously requires quite different conditions than can be found typically in Colorado. They are usually very slow-growing plants and cannot tolerate cold weather. Because of this, they are zone 10 and 11 plants. They prefer partial shade but can tolerate full sun and be grown under artificial lights. Regarding soil, they favor well-drained, mineral-rich soils that are light and airy with medium moisture. Given that they are tropical plants, they thrive in areas with high humidity which we are able to provide in our Butterfly House. It is very unlikely that Crossandra infundibuliformis could be grown outdoors in Colorado for extended periods of time, but it can be grown as a houseplant with proper maintenance.

For more information, check out its Gardens Explorer page. 

Grace Willis is a 2024 summer horticulture intern at The Gardens on Spring Creek. She currently attends Oregon State, where she majors in Natural Resources with a specialization in Ecological Restoration.