The Blooms of March

After all the ice and snow of the past couple weeks, just think spring. With warmer days ahead the honey bees will begin venturing out for cleansing flights and looking for a snack. Look for them in the lawn areas on the Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), which has lavender blooms, and the Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) with its yellow bloom. Daylight Savings Time is only a week away!

With the time change Tryon Palace Gardens are also now on spring hours, closing at 6 p.m. every day. Don’t forget about the Spring Heritage Plant Sale and Garden Lover’s Weekend coming up the weekend of April 10-12. 

Berries and Seeds/Bird Food

• Hollies (Ilex) still displaying berries:
  • Yaupon (I. vomitoria), red, yellow
  • Winterberry (I. verticillata), red
  • Dahoon (I. cassine), red
• Nandina  (Nandina domestica), red, yellow
• Japanese Fatsia (Fatsia japonica), green to black
• Poet’s laurel (Danae racemosa), orange-red

Annual Flowers

• Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus), various
• Annual Phlox (Phlox drummondii), mix
• Stock (Matthiola incana), fragrant mix
• Viola varieties:
  • Penny Denim Jump Up
  • Penny Peach Jump Up
  • Admire maxi mix
  • Penny Primrose picotee
  • Penny mix winter
  • Penny azure dawn
  • Penny white blotch
• Pansy varieties:
  • Delta premium mix blotch
  • Delta yellow blotch
  • Delta white blotch
  • Delta watercolors mix
  • Frizzle sizzle mix

Kitchen Garden Crops

Beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, collards, fennel, kohlrabi, leeks, mustard, kale, onions, parsley, peas, and Swiss chard

Perennials

• Algerian Iris (Iris ungularia), blue
• Bearsfoot hellebore (Helleborus foetidus), yellowish
• Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens), white
• Cemetery Iris (Iris schreekuppe), white
• Creeping Veronica (Veronica umbrosa), blue
• Crocus (Crocus sp.), yellow, white, purple
• Daffodils, jonquils, paperwhites (Narcissus sp.), yellow, white
• English daisy (Bellis perennial), white or pink
• Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum), blue
• Hellebore (Helleborus X orientalis), pink, white
• Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis), pink
• Mountain pinks (Phlox subulata), pink, lavender
• Poppy anemone (Anemone coronaria de caen), various
• Snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum), white
• Starflower (Ipheion uniflorum), blue-white
• Windflower (Anemone blanda), blue or white
• Wood hyacinth (Scilla campanulata), blue, white

Flowering Trees and Shrubs

• Bridal Wreath (Spirea prunifolia), white
• Camellia (Camellia japonica) cultivars:
  • Pink Perfection, pink, double
  • Prof. Sargent, deep rose, double
  • Debutante, clear, light pink
  • Lady Clare, carmine rose, semi-double
  • Alba plena, white with pink cast
  • Lovely Surprise, pink
  • Dr. Tinsley, pink, semi-double

Miscellaneous Blooms

• Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), yellow
• First Breath of Spring or Winter Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima), white
• Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa), apricot pink, red
• Fragrant wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), yellow
• Himalayan sweetbox (Sarcococca hookerana), white, black drupe
• Kerria (Kerria japonica pleniflora), double yellow
• Kerria (Kerria japonica), single yellow
• Leatherleaf viburnum (Viburnum rhytophyllum), white
• Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus), pink to white
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), purple
• Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis), white/yellow blooms
• Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorium), yellow
• Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), yellow to reddish brown