May Blooms
Spring is our most popular time to visit the Garden. Enjoy thousands, and thousands of bulbs in our spring bulb display, spring ephemeral, daffodils, and the beautiful profusion of flowers in the Cochrane Rose Garden! A Million Blooms await you.
Rose 'Cherry Parfait'
With nearly 2,000 blooms in our 9,000-square-foot Rose Garden, you will feel like you are in a fairyland. We feature 80 varieties in nearly every color, each chosen for its ability to flourish in this region. Rosa ‘Cherry Parfait’ is a showstopper with white petals dipped in luscious pink at the tips. It’s one of our most prolific bloomers too!
Rosa 'Mary Rose'
‘Mary Rose’ is one of those roses that seems filled of perfect blooms nearly every time you walk by. The loosely-formed pale pink buds feature a divine fragrance and are known for reblooming. You’ll find it in the Cochrane Rose Garden.
Hybrid Tea Rose 'Traviata'
Rosa ‘Traviata’ and its friend will sing to you with their brilliant fragrance and brilliant color. Did you know that the center of the Cochrane Rose Garden is planted in white and cream with pinks, purples, and reds graduating in intensity on one side and yellows, apricots, and oranges graduating in intensity on the opposite?
Lady Banks Rose ‘Lutea’
Banksia rose, or Rosa banksiae ‘Lutea’ is a large climbing rose featuring, small double yellow roses, and thornless stems. You’ll find the Lady Banks rose making a big impression in Grace Arents Garden, climbing both the lattice by historic Bloemendaal House and the gazebo. It has a light fragrance, and creates a romantic setting. You’ll also find it in the Four Seasons Garden portion of the Central Garden.
Peony 'Bu-Te’
Peony, or Paeonia lactiflora ‘Bu-Te’ is a tall plant, with large, single white flowers highlighting clusters of prolific yellow stamens. You’ll find waves of them it in the Asian Valley.
Peony ‘Yellow Dream’
Peony, Paeonia ‘Yellow Dream’ is one of a handful of yellow peonies here at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. This one has large, double, yellow flowers. You’ll find it in the Asian Valley.
'Gay Paree' Peony
One of most striking peonies in Grace Arents Garden is the Paeonia lactiflora ‘Gay Paree’. It’s a prolific bloomer with deep pink circles surrounding a light pink center, that really catch your eye. In May, you’ll find several stands of them blooming throughout.
'Yellow Emperor' Peony
Paeonia × ‘Yellow Emperor’ is an Itoh or intersectional peony — a hybrid between a tree peony and an herbaceous peony. ‘Yellow Emperor’ has brilliant yellow petals and a flare of red in the center. You’ll find it in the Asian Valley. Read more about our peony collection on our blog.
Peony 'Requiem'
Paeonia × ‘Requiem’ makes a splash with its golden yellow stamens and it delicate white-to-pink petals. The dark green foliage offers a nice contrast to the bloom. You’ll find this beauty in several spots at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. Look for it in Grace Arents Garden and in Flagler Garden.
Hybrid Azalea 'Gables's Pink Conewago'
The freckled pink blossoms of Rhododendron × ‘Gables’s Pink Conewago’ charm humans and pollinators alike. We like this azalea so much we planted it in two areas — you’ll find it along the Van Arnum Memorial Walk and also in the Rhododendron area to the right of Bloemendaal House.
Azalea ‘Sunrise’
Rhododendron ‘Sunrise’ features trumpets of yellow-orange flowers in clusters. The shrub itself can be quite tall, making many of the blooms right at eye-level. You’ll find it in Flagler Garden.
'Macrantha Orange' Azalea
Some would say that Rhododendron ‘Macrantha Orange’ seems more of a red, rather than an orange color, but we like that as soon as you say orange, you can see it, if you look closely.
Azalea ‘Koromo Shikibu’
Rhododendron ‘Koromo Shikibu’ is a large shrub with spider-type lavender flowers. You’ll find it in the Asian Valley.
Fringe Tree
Chionanthus virginicus is small tree native to this area. In May, you’ll see fragrant, pale white-to-green clusters of fringe-like flowers all over the tree. You’ll find fringe tree thoughout the Garden, but it’s most prominent in the West Island Garden and along the Cherry Tree Walk.
Manglietia
Manglietia fordiana var. fordiana is a sweet-smelling type of magnolia with small white blooms and leathery leaves. It is native to China. You’ll find it behind Flagler Garden on the back road near the gate.
Spanish Bluebells
Hyacinthoides hispanica ‘Excelsior,’ also called Spanish Bluebell, feature blue hyacinth-like stalks with buds opening to bell shaped flowers. You’ll find them in Flagler Garden and Grace Arents Garden.
Geranium 'Biokovo'
Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’ has a delicate little bloom in white and pink. You’ll find it along the allée of crape myrtle in Grace Arents Garden.
Variegated Solomon’s Seal
Polygonatum odoratum var. pluriflorum ‘Variegatum’ is a spreading ground cover growing two to three feet tall. It has green foliage with white margins for a variegated effect. Look for teardrop-shaped flowers like pearl-like blooms under the foliage. You’ll find it in throughout Garden, in the Central Garden and Flagler Garden in particular.
Pitcher Plants 'Yellow Trumpet’
Did you know that Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has one of the best collections of pitcher plants on the East Coast? We have approximately 20 species here! This one, Sarracenia flava ‘Yellow Trumpet,’ features a yellow-to-green tube with red highlights. Pitcher plants are interesting because they can survive in nutrient-poor soil by getting nutrients from insects. Yes, they are carnivorous! You can learn more about pitcher plants on our blog.
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum plicatum f. tomentosum ‘Summer Snowflake,’ also known as an Arrowwood Viburnum, has a vertical growing habit, and is filled with many white flat blooms. You find it in Flagler Garden.