Winterthur Bloom Report 26

Hydrangeas

To the left you are viewing Hydrangea Macrophylla “Tokyo Delight”

Hydrangeas – with both mophead/hortensia and lacecap flowers, including bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla), smooth (Hydrangea arborescens), oakleaf (Hydrangea quercifolia) and mountain (Hydrangea serrata).

The Garden is filled with a rich variety of blooming Hydrangeas; the greatest variety of species can be found in Enchanted Woods.

Are you a Hydrangea enthusiast? Check out the American Hydrangea Society website to learn more about these incredible plants! https://americanhydrangeasociety.org/

Butterfly weed is an herbaceous perennial that is easy to care for and also beloved for its ability to attract a variety of helpful and beautiful insects to the garden. Butterfly weed can be found growing as a native wildflower in many untamed environments, such as meadows, prairies, and forest clearings. Gardeners will plant butterfly weed, hoping to draw the namesake winged insects into their garden. This clump-forming perennial grows from tuberous roots to a height of one to two feet tall and is characterized by glossy-green, lance-shaped leaves and clusters of bright orange-to-yellow blooms that are rich with nectar and pollen.

Butterfly weed is generally planted in the warm soil of late spring and is fairly slow to become established. It does not bloom the first year and may even take as long as three years to bloom. Flowers bloom as clusters of bright orange-yellow and will display from late spring until late summer for about two months. Butterfly weed does not have caustic milky sap like other milkweeds, but it does produce the characteristic seed pods that release silky-tailed seeds. 

You can find Butterfly Weed growing at the Lagoons near Clenny Run and in the meadows. Just follow the butterflies in flight or you may search the Winterthur Garden map to find the areas where Butterfly weed is blooming.