Don’t miss these summer stunners! Our garden team has hand selected their top plant picks for August from 7 of our distinct gardens. Use this as your guide as you explore the grounds.
Fothergilla (Fothergilla ‘Blue Shadow’)
Bloom Time: April – May
Sun Requirement: Full sun – part shade
Water Requirement: Medium
Wildlife:Bees
Tolerates: Wet soils & drought
Native to North America: Yes
Other: Striking powder blue foliage
Zones: 5 – 8
Location: Herb Study Garden
Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
Bloom Time: June – October
Sun Requirement: Full sun – part shade
Water Requirement: Dry – medium
Wildlife: Bees
Tolerates: Heat & drought
Native to North America: No
Other: Fragrant and showy blooms
Zones: 5 – 9
Location: Literary Garden
Crocosmia (Crocosmia)
Bloom Time: June – August
Sun Requirement: Full sun
Water Requirement: Medium
Wildlife: Hummingbirds
Tolerates: Some shade
Native to North America: No
Other: Good cut flower
Zones: 5 – 9
Location: Wills Perennial Garden
Angel Wings (Caladium hortulanum ‘Lemon Blush’)
Sun Requirement: Full sun – part shade
Water Requirement: Medium
Tolerates: Heat & humidity
Native to North America: No
Other: Can be used as a houseplant, slugs can present a threat to foliage
Zones: 10 – 11
Location: Color Garden
Black-eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata ‘African Sunset’)
Bloom Time: June – October
Sun Requirement: Full sun – part shade
Water Requirement: Medium
Wildlife: Bees
Tolerates: Heat
Native to North America: No
Other: Perfect twining vine!
Zones: 10 – 11
Location: Burr Garden
Lacebark Pine (Pinus bungeana)
Sun Requirement: Full sun – part shade
Water Requirement: Medium
Tolerates: Deer
Native to North America: No
Other: Excellent landscape specimen
Zones: 4 – 8
Location: Turner Seasons Garden
Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
Bloom Time: June – September
Sun Requirement: Full sun
Water Requirement: Dry – medium
Wildlife: Butterflies & bees
Tolerates: Drought
Native to North America: Yes
Other: Seeds and leaves are edible
Zones: 5 – 9
Location: Howe Garden
Pickerel Weed (Ponterderia cordata)
Bloom Time: June – October
Sun Requirement: Full sun
Water Requirement: Wet
Wildlife: Fish, Dragonflies & Butterflies
Tolerates: Part sun and low fertility
Native to North America: Yes
Other: Seeds and leaves are edible
Zones: 3 – 8
Location: Boxwood Gardens (Grotto)
Reflecting Pool
Pontederia cordata / Pickerel Weed
Pickerel weed is native to eastern North America and the Caribbean. It has soft blue blooms, resembling hyacinth, punctuated with yellow spots on each petal. A freshwater-aquatic plant, it will thrive in your rain garden or backyard pond, and, much like horsetail plant (Equisetum), it can spread rapidly. With its dense root system, it does an amazing job of controlling erosion by keeping sediment it place. Grow in containers, either out of water or in, if spread is a concern.
The leaves of Pontederiaare shaped like arrowheads and, when young, can be used in salads. Its seeds are also edible, and tastes best when roasted, though waterfowl will eat them raw. Butterflies are big fans of this perennial; dragonflies and damselflies commonly lay their eggs on plant stems near the water’s surface. Fish, reptiles, and other water creatures seek shelter in the clumps of these plants. It is often seen in the same habitats as the pickerel fish, hence the common name.
Hyacinth ‘Delt Blue’
Sun Requirement: Full sun – part shade
Tolerates: Deer and rabbits
Other: Extremely fragrant, award-winning cultivar. An heirloom type (since 1944) true blue flowers, does well in the ground and also containers.
Location: Mansion front lawn (upper stream)
Pussy Willow (Salix caprea)
Bloom Time: March – April
Sun Requirement: Full sun
Water Requirement: Medium – wet
Wildlife: Bees
Tolerates: Deer
Native to North America: No
Other: Male plants showcase the attractive, yellow late winter catkins
Location: Lower Stream/Weaver Walk