Fleeting Blooms and Hosta Peak at RBG

This week at Fleeting Blooms and Hosta Peak at RBG, we have two stories unfolding side by side. Some of our blooms are here for just a moment before they're gone, while others, like our hostas, are settling into their full glory.

Fleeting Blooms and Hosta Peak at RBG: The Quick Goodbyes

A lot of plants are wrapping up their season this week, and a few are putting on a show that won't last long. Our yucca plants are blooming in the Meadow and Gazebo Gardens right now. We have a fair number of yucca on the grounds, but only a handful send up a flower stalk each year, and when they do, the bloom doesn't stick around. Yucca are tough plants, built for harsh, dry conditions, yet they're winter hardy here in Wisconsin and keep their colored leaves all winter long. In summer, they send up a spike three to four feet tall topped with a striking bloom.

You'll also want to keep an eye out for poppy, angel trumpet, balloon flower, and tropical hibiscus. These are the definition of fleeting: blooming one day and gone the next. But don't worry if you miss them. Give it a little time and they'll be back, cycling through blooms again and again all summer.

We're also saying goodbye to lonicera, clematis, and several of our flowering trees for now. The good news is that hydrangea are stepping in to take their place, just beginning to open up across the gardens.

Fleeting Blooms and Hosta Peak at RBG: Hosta at Its Best

The second story this week is happening in the Japanese Garden, where our hostas have reached peak bloom. Hosta Hollow is home to over 125 unique cultivars, and the Japanese Garden alone holds more than 300 hosta plants. If you love seeing the range of color, leaf shape, and bloom variety hosta can offer, now is the time to visit.

Where to Find What's Blooming

Peak bloom: Hosta (Japanese Garden), Balloon Flower (English Cottage Garden), Stachys/Betony (everywhere), Cranesbill Geranium (everywhere), Sea Holly (Entrance Gardens/Terrace), Indian Pink (Japanese Garden), Beardstongue (everywhere), Spotted Bellflower (Alpine Garden), Sweet Kate Spiderwort (Shade Garden), Ferns (Japanese Garden), Japanese Spirea (everywhere), Ligularia (Japanese Garden/Woodland Walk), Hydrangea (everywhere)

Almost there: Rose (Rose Garden), Water Lily (Koi Pond/Japanese Garden), Astilbe (Sunken Garden/Woodland Glen), Dahlia 'Mystic Illusion' (Terrace/North Point), Yarrow (everywhere), Butterfly Weed (everywhere)

Just getting started: False Sunflower (Italian Formal Garden/Wellness Garden), Coneflower (everywhere), Daylily (everywhere)

Last look: Dianthus 'Carthusian Pink' (Entrance Gardens), Stewartia (Japanese Garden), Monarda/Bee Balm (Meadow Garden), Clematis/Lonicera (English Cottage Garden), Calycanthus (English Cottage Garden/All Woodland Areas)

A huge thank you to Melissa Lauer and her horticulture team for the hard work and dedication that keeps these gardens blooming all season, and to Melissa for the beautiful photos that bring it all to life.