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What’s Blooming Now, April 9, 2009
After the Freeze? What Freeze?
Some locations in Indiana had temperatures below freezing this week, but White River Gardens did not. Daffodils and tulips are healthy and looking great.
 Bulb Report
The daffodils are close to peak, with the earliest beginning to fade and the last just opening, but most are in full bloom. Many of the tulips are beginning to open. ‘Apricot Impression’, which is planted in the Knot Gardens, is almost fully open. It is reputed to be a long bloomer. Some of the other tulips scattered around the Gardens are also in bloom. The tulips around the Clowes Water Gardens are still in bud. My guestimate is that they are a week behind the ones in the Knot Gardens. Remember, weather can greatly influence flowering. Cold slows things down, warmth speeds things up, rain and wind tear things apart.
Other bulbs that still look great are Greek anemone, grape hyacinth, and squill. The large, fragrant hyacinths are on their way out. They were badly beaten down by the heavy rain on April 5.
.jpg) Other Plants in Flower
 This is the beginning of woodland wildflower season. You’ll see toothwort, Virginia bluebells, hepatica (right), and celandine poppy beginning to bloom. Redbuds are flowering. The serviceberry flowers are almost open but you have to be quick. They typically last only about a week. On the non-native side, Lenten rose is spectacular. Lungwort (Pulmonaria) (left) and Siberian bugloss (Brunnera) are beginning to flower, both in an attractive blue.
Of Special Interest
New this year in the symmetry garden is corn leaf iris, Iris bucharica. It is a  small iris that grows from a bulb, not a rhizome like the tall bearded iris of summer. This plant has yellow and white flowers. Some have opened, but there are some still in buds, so this plant should be in flower for at least another week. A native of the Russia-Afghanistan border region, it needs well drained, fairly dry soil in summer so is best suited to a rock garden. Zones 5-9.
Perhaps the most unusual bulbs are the fritillaries. One of the largest is Persian fritillary (Fritillaria persica), two feet in height with unusual plum-colored flowers and bluish leaves. A stately presence, you’ll find it around the bench at the east end of the Clowes Water Gardens.
Mary Welch-Keesey
Consumer Horticulture Specialist
Purdue University
Dick Crum Resource Center at White River Gardens
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