"Spectacular!"

I have heard this word used more than ever this year. The snowy winter may have gotten the best of us, but the insulating effect served the plants well. Coupled with an old fashioned cool spring the spring ephemeral plants have been holding their blooms well, and we’re enjoying every minute of the show. With our recent work on managing the canopy layer,  many have responded to the extra sun with the most profuse bloom we’ve seen in years. The woodland is covered with a sea of Erythronium spp, (trout lilies) and Trillium are emerging in new woodland spots.

Our secret gem, The Evelyn Adams Garden has received careful attention from interns over the last few years and is a delightful reward for a few extra steps. Its path begins with a sharp right turn, just as you turn off the Curtis Trail to enter the Idea Garden.

With the overwhelming popularity of the Floating Gardens developed during last year’s Art Goes Wild exhibit, we continue to display them in the Lily Pond this year.  See them covered with Caltha palustris (Marsh marigold). Be sure to “make way for ducklings” at the Lily Pond as the Floating Gardens once again host the next generation of newly-hatched mallards. Look for newly budded lady slippers about to burst into bloom, including the Cypripedium parviflorum var. pubescens (large yellow lady slippers).

Wherever you turn, something will amaze you.