Bloom Report

With some warm days and ample rainfall, the spring progression of bloom is moving nicely at The Morton Arboretum. Crocuses are blooming overlooking Lake Marmo on the West Side (Parking Lot 27). Early daffodils are beginning to flower in Daffodil Glade (Parking Lot 22) and in other sites, including the drive to the Thornhill Education Center (Parking Lots 19 to 21) and along the West Side alternate route (Parking Lots 21, 26, and 27). 

When will we see maximum daffodils? That depends on the weather. Leaves and buds of all the Arboretum’s many daffodil varieties are fully up, so a bit more warmth will bring many more into bloom. On average, the Arboretum’s daffodils are at their best from mid-April into early May, so the blooms are right on track this year.

In many places, such as Joy Path (Parking Lot 21), blue flowering squill is now blooming. The first flowers have opened on winter honeysuckle, fragrant viburnum, and early magnolias along the path. Witch-hazel flowers are fading, but in many locations, Cornelian-cherry, Japanese cornel, and forsythia are making a show with their yellow flowers. 

This is a good time to visit the Ground Cover Garden (Parking Lot 1), the Fragrance Garden (Parking Lot 21), and Joy Path, where perennials such as hellebores are starting to come into flower, with many more to come. In containers and planting beds around the Visitor Center (Parking Lot 1), colorful displays of bulbs, annual flowers, and flowering shrubs have been installed. 

In the woodlands, such as the East Woods (Parking Lots 9 through 14), patches of green continue to spread on the forest floor. Early blooms include spring beauty, toothwort, rue-anemone, false rue-anemone, bloodroot, and hepatica. The drive through the China Collection (Parking Lots 16 through 18) is brightening, with forsythia and magnolia blooming on one side and azaleas on the other.

Don’t let damp weather stop you from enjoying walks through the Arboretum’s collections and natural areas, as the bloom season gets into full swing.

The Bloom Report is written by the Arboretum’s Manager of Plant Records, Ed Hedborn. It is typically published on Fridays through spring to give members and guests a chance to plan their weekend visits. The Arboretum also publishes a weekly Color Report in the fall.