What's in Bloom in October
October is one of the most beautiful times of year in the South, and what better way to enjoy it than with a stroll through the Cheekwood gardens? We’ve highlighted some must-see blooms in the gardens this month, and believe us, it is definitely more than mums!
As you’re touring the gardens, be sure to keep an eye out for the name cards that identify each plant. Take notes for inspiration for your own garden!
Bradford Robertson Color Garden
Mexican Bush Sage
Salvia leucantha ‘Santa Barbara’
Stout and coarse-textured perennial featuring gray-green foliage and contrasting purple flowers.
Drought tolerant and reliable landscape selection.
Martin Boxwood Gardens
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii
Spurge
Herbaceous perennial with blue-green leaves and yellow, bottlebrush-like inflorescences; almost ‘Seussical’ in appearance. Best grown in well-drained soils in full sun.
Howe Garden
Short’s Aster
Symphyotrichum shortii
Familiar fall perennial that airily branches into a billow of tiny leaves and pale lavender-blue flowers.
Carell Dogwood Garden
Flowering Dogwood
Cornus florida ‘Xanthocarpa’
A small deciduous tree that typically grows 15 – 30’ tall and featuring the characteristic showy bracts in spring. ‘Xanthocarpa’ has yellow drupes in the fall instead of the red fruit more typical of the species.
Herb Study Garden
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Native shrub of the southern US with an open habit and producing large clusters of purple berry-like drupes in September and October.
Turner Seasons Garden
American Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana var. lactea
White-fruiting variety of the more common purple-fruiting species.
Burr Terrace Garden
Cherry Dazzle® Dwarf Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica ‘Cherry Dazzle’
Deciduous shrub, 3′ tall 4’ wide, handsome foliage, crepe-papery inflorescences, of cherry-red flowers
Robinson Family Water Garden
Kalimeris pinnatifida ‘Hortensis’
Dainty perennial with white daisy-like flowers borne on a thin, delicate stem. Blooms from early summer to early fall.
Shomu-en, Japanese Garden
Katsuratree
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Medium to large tree with rounded, heart-shaped leaves that turn a brilliant apricot-yellow in fall. Sugars are at peak production as the leaves reach the end of their life cycle, and the tree emits a sweet, sugary smell often described as cotton candy, baked apple pie or brown sugar.
Wills Perennial Garden
Flowering Ginger
Hedychium coronaria
Tall, stately perennial with almost tropical foliage hardy in Zone 7 through 9. Blooms in the fall with a lovely fragrance.
