1. What’s in Bloom? : July
Heritage Museums and Gardens
James Bowe
So far this summer season has brought little rain. But, thanks to the tropical storm we
experienced on Independence Day, our gardens have been rejuvenated with a heavy dose of
rain.
Up front by admissions, the Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet) is in full swing, boasting its large
yellow flowers. The Nepeta (Catmint) lining the white fence to the ticket booth is in bloom with
lovely purple flowers, as it has been for several weeks. Rising above the Catmint, you may even
catch the brilliant flowering of the several Canna phisea. Surrounding the fountain, an array of
Salmon Petunias and white Hydrangea macrophylls are blooming which offer a beautiful sight
as you enter the grounds.
All throughout the gardens, flowers are blooming at every turn. Most notable, is the vast
collection of Day Lilies, totaling more than 500 cultivars that are spread all over Heritage. You
can’t miss the golden, fragrant blooms of Hemerocallis ‘Stella de Oro’ that line the promenade.
Make your way down to the flume and you will notice hundreds of other cultivars, including the
vibrant color combinations of ‘Rudy Spider’, ‘Take Charge’, ‘Golden Gleam’, ‘Silver Veil’ and
‘French Porcelain’. But, it’s not all about the Day Lilies. A variety of Hostas are flowering, such
as the white-pink tones of ‘Gold Drop’. Also, the make sure to catch some of the Hydrangea
macrophylla, as they have recently begun to unleash their luscious blooms ranging from red to
deep purple. All of these are a truly magnificent sight.
To view some other Hydrangeas in flower, be sure to walk by the Hydrangea Society Garden,
where Hydrangea arborescens (Smooth Hydrangea) mark the entrance with gigantic blooms of
white.
There is a bounty of things happening by the Parade Field. First, the magnificent Big Bugs loom
over your head, defining a remarkable experience for young and old alike. On the far side of the
parade field is the Wicked Plants Garden, which showcases a variety of the plants introduced at
the Wicked Plants Exhibit in the Special Events Gallery. Within this garden, you come across
attractive flowering plants like the lovely Digitalis purpurea (Fox Glove), Lantana Camara ‘Bright
Orange’ and Datura stramonium (Jimsom Weed). They may be aesthetically pleasing, but the
signage will inform you on how ‘wicked’ each of these plants can really be.

2. Last, but not least, the Windmill Garden is displaying some of the most elaborate blooms
Heritage has to offer. The exuberant flowers shown off by the Monarda didyma (Bee Balm) are
purely amazing, like red-hot lava shooting up and away from the stem. If you’re lucky, you may
even see a few Hummingbirds. Close by are the colorful Gaillardia aristata ‘Blue Sky Sundown’
and the tall Echinacea (Coneflower), which both bear large petals of deep red, orange, and
yellow. Other remarkable flowers of red include the Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower),
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker), Salvia elegens ‘Salsa Scarlet Bird’ (Pineapple Sage), and the Astilbe x
arendsii ‘Visions in Red’ (Astilbe). Heliopsis Helianthoides ‘Summer Sun’ (False Sunflower) is one
of the most pertinent flowering plants in the garden, since they tower over of a majority of the
plant life, and produce a myriad of bright yellow flowers. Among the White Border garden, the
Campanula rotundifolia ‘White Gem’ (Harebell), Platycodon grandifloras ‘Alba’ (Balloon
Flower), and the focal plant of Parthenium Integrifolium (Wild Quinine) all bring a refreshing
bold white among the surrounding gardens of color.