What's in Bloom: April

Mertensia virginica
Widener Woods

These charming native wildflowers are a welcome sign of spring in the garden. Flower buds emerge a bright pink color and turn blue as they bloom, adding brightness to shady areas of the garden.

Cercis canadensis
Log Cabin

Clusters of pink flower buds cover leafless twigs and branches on this native tree. Redbud flowers are characteristic of the pea family, Fabaceae, with three upturned petals called the wings and banner and a lower cup-like petal known as the keel. In addition to the pink-flowering straight species, there are also several white-flowering varieties, such as Cercis canadensis var. alba and Cercis canadensis ‘Royal White’, on display in the garden.

Rhododendron canescens
Native Azalea Collection, across Key Fountain

The showy pink flowers of this native shrub display long stamens and emit a strong, pleasant fragrance that wafts through the garden. In their native range of the southeastern United States, Piedmont azaleas can be found in acidic soils and bogs.

Davidia involucrata var. vilmoriana 
Mercury Loggia

Dovetrees get their common name from the white, dangling bracts that resemble doves perched in the canopy.

Enkianthus perulatus
Pennock Garden

Clusters of small bell-shaped flowers cover these large shrubs in the spring. Plants in the genus Enkianthus are in the Heath family, Ericaceae, which also includes Rhododendron and Pieris.

Cornus florida
Seven Arches

These popular native trees are known for their large, creamy white inflorescences. What appear to be white petals are actually bracts surrounding a cluster of pale-yellow flowers.

Halesia tetraptera
Stumpery, between Fernery and Rose Garden

Native to the southeastern United States, these small trees are adorned with delicate, cream-colored flowers that hang off of their branches. The specific epithet means “four-winged” in reference to the winged seed pods that provide interest in the fall and winter.