What's in Bloom: May

May at the Morris

common sweetshrub
Calycanthus floridus
Widener Woods; Pennock Garden
Striking burgundy flowers adorn these large shrubs. Native to the southeastern United States, Calycanthus floridus gets its common name from its flowers’ sweet, fruity fragrance.

white fringetree
Chionanthus virginicus
Parking Lot
Native to central and eastern United States, these medium-sized trees display showy, fragrant flowers with long, white, ribbon-like petals. In full bloom, the flowers give this tree a fluffy, cloud-like appearance.

common pawpaw
Asimina triloba
Sculpture Garden
Before producing leaves, this tree blooms with deep maroon flowers that attract its primary pollinators, flies and beetles. Native to the eastern United States, pawpaws are members of the custard-apple family, Annonaceae, which comprises of mostly tropical genera and species.

American yellow-wood
Cladrastis kentukea
Log Cabin
Long, wisteria-like flower clusters hang delicately off wide-spreading branches. A member of the pea family, Fabaceae, the individual flowers share similarities with those of eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) and honeylocust (Gleditsia tricanthos).

American columbine
Aquilegia canadensis
Native Azalea Collection; Key Fountain
This charismatic native wildflower with its bright red and yellow flowers is a colorful addition to the garden. The long, tubular spurs at the end of each flower hold sweet nectar, attracting hummingbirds, their primary pollinator.

Florida azalea
Rhododendron austrinum
Native Azalea Collection
Native to the southeastern United States, these shrubs produce clusters of tubular, fragrant orange flowers prior to leafing out in late spring
Peggy Martin rose
Rosa ‘Peggy Martin’
Rose Garden
This climbing rose is named after Peggy Martin, a prolific Louisiana gardener, and survived two weeks under 20 feet of saltwater after Hurricane Katrina. In full bloom, Peggy Martin rose is covered in clusters of small pink flowers.