Highlights: This week, hydrangeas (Hydrangea spp.) and coneflowers (Echinacea spp.) are coming into bloom across the gardens, encompassing a wide array of species and cultivars. Milkweeds (Asclepias spp.) are reaching peak bloom as well, to the delight of our Monarch butterfly caterpillars! Home gardeners interested in exploring beautiful, pollinator-friendly selections should keep an eye out for Hello Yellow butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’) and Ice Ballet swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata ‘Ice Ballet’) – two cultivated varieties of milkweed species native to Maine. The spikey flowers of sea hollies (Eryngium spp.) make interesting, unexpected additions to garden beds with the blue and silver Big Blue sea holly (Eryngium × zabelli ‘Big Blue’) in the Arbor Garden being a fantastic example.
Emory Welcome Gardens
1) Tiny Diamond lily – Lilium ‘Tiny Diamond’
2) McCue’s Blue Boy Japanese iris – Iris ensata ‘McCue’s Blue Boy’
3) Hummelo betony – Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo’
4) Star Cluster tickseed – Coreopsis ‘Star Cluster’
5) Straussenfeder astilbe – Astilbe ‘Straussenfeder’
6) Pink Fascinator purple coneflower – Echinacea purpurea ‘Pink Fascinator’
7) Sunset Boulevard lily – Lilium ‘Sunset Boulevard’
8) Miss Willmott’s ghost – Eryngium giganteum
9) Kobold dense blazing star – Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’
Butterfly House
1) Giles Van Hees speedwell – Veronica ‘Giles van Hees’
2) White Pearl bellflower – Campanula carpatica ‘White Pearl’
3) Common milkweed – Asclepias syriaca
4) Hello Yellow butterfly weed – Asclepias tuberosa ‘Hello Yellow’
5) Great coneflower – Rudbeckia maxima
6) Jacob Cline beebalm – Monarda didyma ‘Jacob Cline’
7) Party Girl prairie mallow – Sidalcea ‘Party Girl’
Pond Garden
1) Burning Hearts false sunflower – Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra ‘Burning Hearts’
2) LI’L BANG™ Enchanted Eve tickseed – Coreopsis ‘Enchanted Eve’
3) Butterfly weed – Asclepias tuberosa
4) Blushing Meadow Mama coneflower – Echinacea ‘Blushing Meadow Mama’
5) Pink Cotton Candy betony – Stachys officinalis ‘Pink Cotton Candy’
6) Sunny Seduction yarrow – Achillea millefolium ‘Sunny Seduction’
7) Daydream smokebush – Cotinus coggygria ‘Daydream’
Café Walk
1) Aphrodite sweetshrub – Calycanthus ‘Aphrodite’
2) Hummelo betony – Stachys officinalis ‘Hummelo’
3) Millenium ornamental onion – Allium × ‘Millenium’
4) Ani Machi hosta – Hosta ‘Ani Machi’
5) Paul’s Glory hosta – Hosta ‘Paul’s Glory’
Great Lawn
1) Purple poppy-mallow – Callirhoe involucrata
2) Queen Alexandra poppy – Papaver orientale ‘Queen Alexandra’
3) Jacob Cline beebalm – Monarda didyma ‘Jacob Cline’
4) Great coneflower – Rudbeckia maxima
5) Ice Ballet swamp milkweed – Asclepias incarnata ‘Ice Ballet’
6) Venusta queen of the prairie – Filipendula rubra ‘Venusta’
7) Sapphire Indigo clematis – Clematis ‘Cleminov 51’
Lerner Garden of the Five Senses
1) Danielle garden phlox – Phlox paniculata ‘Danielle’
2) Becky shasta daisy – Leucanthemum ×superbum ‘Becky’
3) WILD SWAN™ anemone – Anemone ‘MACANE001’
4) Borrello lily – Lilium ‘Borrello’
5) Black snakeroot – Actaea racemosa
6) SUGAR BUZZ® Bubblegum Blast beebalm – Monarda ‘Bubblegum Blast’
Slater Forest Pond
1) Assorted water lily cultivars – Nymphaea spp.
2) Star of Beauty great masterwort – Astrantia major ‘Star of Beauty’
3) Star of Fire masterwort – Astrantia ‘Star of Fire’
4) The Rocket ligularia – Ligularia ‘The Rocket’
Cleaver Lawn
1) Heart Throb kousa dogwood – Cornus kousa ‘Schmred’
2) Silver Carpet lamb’s-ears – Stachys byzantina ‘Silver Carpet’
3) White Swan coneflower – Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’
4) Meadow rue – Thalictrum rochebruneanum
5) Danielle garden phlox – Phlox paniculata ‘Danielle’
6) Star of Billion masterwort – Astrantia ‘Star of Billion’
Reiser Woodland Garden
1) Firefly coral bells – Heuchera ‘Leuchtkafer’
2) Vanilla Gorilla great masterwort – Astrantia major ‘Vanilla Gorilla’
3) Shredded umbrella plant – Syneilesis aconitifolia
4) Lakeside Shore Master hosta – Hosta ‘Lakeside Shore Master’
5) Korean bellflower – Campanula takesimana
6) Munchkin oakleaf hydrangea – Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Munchkin’
Arbor Garden
1) Sundrops – Oenothera tetragona
2) Deutschland astilbe – Astilbe ‘Deutschland’
3) Lucifer crocosmia – Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’
4) Superba trumpet honeysuckle – Lonicera sempervirens ‘Superba’
5) Jasmina large-flowered climbing rose – Rosa ‘KORcentex’
6) Big Blue sea holly – Eryngium × zabelli ‘Big Blue’
7) Kobold dense blazing star – Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’
8) Eastern pricklypear – Opuntia humifusa
Haney Hillside Garden
1) Yellow corydalis – Corydalis lutea
2) Elizabeth bellflower – Campanula takesimana ‘Elizabeth’
3) Long-sepal beard-tongue – Penstemon calycosus
4) False goat’s beard – Astilbe biternata
5) Tasteless stonecrop – Sedum sexangulare
6) New Jersey-tea – Ceanothus americanus
Vayo Meditation Garden
1) Dancing crane cobra lily – Arisaema heterophyllum
2) Ghost Japanese painted fern – Athyrium ‘Ghost’
3) Aureola Japanese forest grass – Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’
4) Himalayan maidenhair fern – Adiantum venustum
5) Stonecrop – Sedum stefco
Giles Rhododendron and Perennial Garden
1) Empress Wu hosta – Hosta ‘Empress Wu’
2) Sensation Japanese iris – Iris ensata ‘Sensation’
3) Avalanche astilbe – Astilbe ‘Avalanche’
4) Hennie Graafland astilbe – Astilbe simplicifolia ‘Hennie Graafland’
5) Blue Cross cross gentian – Gentiana cruciata ‘Blue Cross’
6) Annabelle smooth hydrangea – Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’
7) Yellow meadow rue – Thalictrum speciosissimum
8) Weston’s Sparkler azalea – Rhododendron ‘Weston’s Sparkler’
Bibby and Harold Alfond Children’s Garden
1) Gold Medal water lily – Nymphaea ‘Gold Medal’
2) Weston’s Sparkler azalea – Rhododendron ‘Weston’s Sparkler’
3) New Vintage™ Violet yarrow – Achillea millefolium ‘Balvinolet’
4) Rooguchi clematis – Clematis ‘Rooguchi’
5) Wega mullein – Verbascum × hybridum ‘Wega’
6) Lilac Squirrel burnet – Sanguisorba hakusanensis ‘Lilac Squirrel’
7) Tangerine Tango alstroemeria – Alstroemeria ‘Tangerine Tango’
8) Invincibelle Spirit smooth hydrangea – Hydrangea arborescens ‘NCHA1’
9) Little Henry Virginia sweetspire – Itea virginica ‘Sprich’
Burpee Kitchen Garden
1) California poppy – Eschscholzia californica subsp. californica
2) Peaches and Cream astilbe – Astilbe ‘Peaches and Cream’
3) Regal lily – Lilium regale
4) Various yarrow cultivars – Achillea millefolium
5) Annabelle smooth hydrangea – Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’
6) Citron daylily – Hemerocallis citrina
7) Dill – Anethum graveolens
Education Center Gardens
1) Carolina rose – Rosa carolina
2) Rattlesnake-master – Eryngium yuccifolium
3) Bressingham Doubloon false sunflower – Heliopsis ‘Bressingham Doubloon’
4) Butterfly™ Rainbow Marcella coneflower – Echinacea ‘Rainb299’
5) Northern maidenhair fern – Adiantum pedatum