The weather seems to have finally broken this week and you can tell in our gardens. Magnolias, fragrant viburnum, tulips and wildflowers abound at both campuses, and new plants are poppin’ every day.

Holden Arboretum

At the arboretum, native spring wildflowers are stealing the show—especially marsh marigold. These sunny golden flowers are a sure sign of warmer spring days to come. Look for them on the western side of the wildflower garden and along streams throughout the arboretum. While you’re there, keep an eye out for toadshade trillium and large-flowered bellwort too.

If you’re looking for flowering trees, you’ll notice the delicate white flowers of serviceberries both planted in the gardens and flowering in the woods, and there are still plenty of magnolias to check out. Finally, the earliest crabapples are starting to bloom—Malus ‘Chilko’ in the crabapple collection behind the butterfly garden was humming with bees when I visited on a sunny warm afternoon this week.

Cleveland Botanical Garden

So many flowers have opened at the gardens over the past week that anywhere you look, you will find something to admire. First, the fragrant viburnums are at their peak, and as you walk through the gardens, you are sure to catch their scent in the air. Find them in the Restorative Garden, along with Magnolia ‘Ricki’ whose magenta petals contrast dramatically with the newly emerged leaves of the neighboring katsura tree.

Like at the arboretum, crabapples are in bloom as well, and redbud trees light up the garden with their tiny, hot pink flowers.

Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for… the tulips are at peak bloom! The mass planting in the allee is simply magical right now, and varieties of all colors can be found elsewhere throughout the gardens as well.

Make sure to stop by this weekend to take in all the amazing spring blooms!