Spring bloom as of Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Cool and sometimes cold weather has slowed the advance of the spring bloom season at The Morton Arboretum. Freezing temperatures in the last week have affected some early-blooming white magnolias, causing their petals to turn shades of tan and brown, but many more magnolias and other flowers are still to come. A few daffodils are blooming now, and many have sprouted and have flower buds ready as the weather warms in the coming weeks.

The main flowers to be seen in the Arboretum’s gardens are hellebores, winter honeysuckle, fragrant viburnum, periwinkle, forsythia, and Siberian squill.

Drive through the Arboretum’s grounds and enjoy blooms as they appear with the changing weather.

On the East Side

Elm Collection and Meadow Lake (parking lots 1 and 2):  Forsythia (yellow), white-forsythia (white), Loebner’s Ballerina magnolia (white), elms (green to red, with small wind-pollinated flowers)

Northern Illinois and Midwest collections (Parking Lot 2):  Leatherwood (yellow flowers), pussy willow and blue-leaved willow (silvery gray furry catkins), daffodils near bloom

Frost Hill (Parking Lot 3): White-flowering magnolias along the gravel path, early cherry trees with white to pink flowers

Crabapple Lake (Parking Lot 5): White-flowering magnolias are in full bloom, though some have been discolored by cold temperatures. Daffodils around the lake and along the road are near to flowering.

Crowley Marsh and Bur Reed Marsh (parking lots 5 and 6): Chorus frogs are singing!

Buckeye and Linden collections (Parking Lot 6): Buckeyes are beginning to leaf out.

Oak Collection (Parking Lot 7): Anise and Northern Japanese magnolias (white) are blooming, though some petals have been discolored by frost.

East Woods (parking lots 8 to 16):  Hepatica (white to lavender) is blooming near Parking Lot 11, and other spring ephemeral wildflowers are beginning to sprout and green up the woodland floor. Virginia bluebells have leaves and are about 8 inches tall, with buds formed for a spectacular flower display before too long.

Beech Collection (Parking Lot 14): Siberian squill (dark blue)

Eastern North American Collection (Parking Lot 16): Brackenhurst daffodils (yellow) just beginning to bloom, alder catkins elongated

Temperate Asia Collection (parking lots 17 and 18): Korean rhododendron (lavender), fragrant viburnum (white and pink), Biondi’s magnolia (white, though some petals are discolored)

On the West Side

Ornamental Flowering Trees Collection (Parking Lot 19): Early white-flowering magnolias are discolored by cold, but dark-lavender magnolia blooms are just emerging.

Founder’s Grove (Parking Lot 20): Early daffodils (yellow), Siberian squill (dark blue)

Thornhill Education Center, Fragrance Garden, Joy Path (Parking Lot 21): Siberian squill (dark blue), winter honeysuckle (white), periwinkle (blue), hellebores (various colors), white-forsythia (white), hyacinth (dark blue)

Daffodil Glade (Parking Lot 22): Scattered early daffodils (yellow), Siberian squill (dark blue)

Sargent’s Glade (Parking Lot 26): Siberian squill (dark blue), scattered early daffodils (yellow), crocus (white, lavender, purple) in full bloom overlooking Lake Marmo

Lake Marmo (Parking 28): Skunk-cabbage (dark maroon) with leaves starting to emerge

The bloom season is moving slowly because of the recent chill, but there is much more color to come. Each visit through our gardens, collections, and woodlands will reveal something new as the season progresses.

Spring bloom as of Wednesday, April 2, 2025

April is here, and with it the start of magnolia and daffodil blooms at The Morton Arboretum. Magnolia trees have begun flowering on the Arboretum’s East and West Sides. Most of these early bloomers have white flowers. A few early yellow daffodils are in bloom, with many more sprouted and ready to bloom soon.

In the Arboretum’s gardens, early blooming perennials and shrubs include hellebores (Helleborus sp.), winter honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima), fragrant viburnum (Viburnum farreri), periwinkle (Vinca minor), forsythia (Forsythia species and cultivars), and Siberian squill (Scilla siberica).

A drive through our grounds will reveal grass turning green and many plants beginning to flower.

On the East Side

Elm Collection and Meadow Lake (Parking Lot 2): Cornelian-cherry dogwood (yellow), forsythia (yellow), white-forsythia (white), Ballerina Loebner’s magnolia (white), elms (green to red, with small wind-pollinated flowers)

Northern Illinois and Midwest collections (Parking Lot 2): Leatherwood (yellow), pussy willow (silvery gray)

Frost Hill (Parking Lot 3): White-flowering magnolias along the gravel path

Crabapple Lake (Parking Lot 5): White-flowering magnolias in full bloom; daffodils around the lake and along the road on the brink of bloom

Crowley Marsh (Parking Lot 5): Chorus frogs singing!

Oak Collection (Parking Lot 7): Anise magnolia and Northern Japanese magnolia, both white

East Woods (parking lots 8 to 16): American elm, hepatica (near Parking Lot 11), spring ephemeral wildflower stems and leaves beginning to poke up and bring green to the woodland floor

Beech Collection (Parking Lot 14): Siberian squill (dark blue)

Eastern United States Collection (Parking Lot 16): Brackenhurst daffodils (yellow) just beginning to bloom, alder catkins elongated

Temperate Asia Collection (parking lots 17 and 18): Korean rhododendron (lavender), Japanese cornelian-cherry (yellow), fragrant viburnum (white), Biondi’s magnolia (white)

On the West Side

Ornamental Flowering Trees Collection (Parking Lot 19): Magnolia trees (white and dark lavender)

Founder’s Grove (Parking Lot 20): Early daffodil blooms (yellow)

Thornhill Education Center, Fragrance Garden, and Joy Path (Parking Lot 21): Siberian squill (dark blue), winter honeysuckle (white), Cornelian-cherry dogwood (yellow), periwinkle (blue), hellebore (pink, white, yellow, green, and purple), white-forsythia (white)

Daffodil Glade (Parking Lot 22): The first scattered yellow daffodils

Sargent’s Glade (Parking Lot 26): Siberian squill (dark blue), scattered early yellow daffodil flowers, crocus (white, lavender, and purple) in full bloom overlooking Lake Marmo

Lake Marmo (Parking Lot 28): Skunk-cabbage (dark maroon) with leaves starting to emerge

As the temperature warms, the bloom season will move quickly as the landscape greens up and blooms after the long winter’s sleep. Visit the Arboretum often and stroll through the gardens, tree collections, and woodlands so you don’t miss any of the beauty and wonder of springtime.

Spring bloom as of Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Early spring bloom at The Morton Arboretum is developing slowly due to cool temperatures, but the first flowers have appeared.

Yellow blooms can be seen on Cornelian-cherry and Japanese Cornel dogwoods bordering The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden, in the Ground Cover Garden, and around Meadow Lake (Parking Lot 1); in the landscape around the Thornhill Education Center (Parking Lot 21); and in various locations on the Arboretum’s East Side.

Hellebores (Christmas- and Lenten-roses) are in full bloom in the Ground Cover Garden and around the Visitor Center (Parking Lot 1) and in the Four Seasons Garden just outside the entrance to the Thornhill Education Center (Parking Lot 21). Witch-hazels, Siberian squill, and Judd’s viburnum also are starting to bloom in the Ground Cover Garden.

Skunk-cabbage is in flower west of Lake Marmo and along Willoway Brook south of the Lake Marmo dam (Parking Lot 28). On the hill above the lake, patches of crocuses are in colorful full bloom.

Look up for flowers making a haze of color in wind-pollinated red, silver, and Freeman maples and in Eurasian and American elms in the tree collections and woodlands. Soft, furry willow catkins have developed on willow trees and shrubs in the Midwest Collection (Parking Lot 2), the Willow Family Collection (Parking Lot 31), the Europe Collection (Parking Lot 19), and the Temperate Asia Collection (Parking Lot 17). Silvery pollen catkins also are growing longer on Turkish, Farges’, and native American hazelnuts.

Look for yellow blooms of forsythias starting to open in Parking Lot 1 at the Visitor Center; in the Temperate Asia Collection; in Godshalk Meadow (Parking Lot 31); and near the Thornhill Education Center. Blooms on white forsythia are just starting to open along the Entrance Drive near the gatehouse; in the landscape surrounding the Visitor Center; in the Fragrance Garden near Thornhill; and in the Dwarf Woody Plant Collection just east of the Firefly Pavilion (Parking Lot 1).

The yellow blooms of daffodils are soon to come, with foliage and flower buds well out of the ground.

The sounds as well as sights of spring have arrived at the Arboretum. Listen for the spring symphony of chorus frogs, redwing blackbirds, robins, and cardinals. Shake off the winter blues and start breathing in the springtime air with regular walks through the Arboretum’s changing landscapes.

Spring bloom as of Wednesday, March 19, 2025

The very first flowers are beginning to appear at The Morton Arboretum, with many more to come over the next few weeks. The exact timing will depend on the weather; cool weather tends to slow down the blooming and warm spells to speed it up.

Snowdrops are in bloom in front of the Thornhill Education Center (Parking Lot 21) and the yellow flowers of winter aconite are blooming north of the nearby Fragrance Garden. More snowdrops are in bloom along the West Side Alternate Route just north of Lake Marmo (parking lots 26 and 27). Skunk-cabbage is in flower west of Lake Marmo and south of the Lake Marmo dam along Willoway Brook (Parking Lot 28).

In front of the Visitor Center (Parking Lot 1) and in the nearby Ground Cover Garden, the first flowers of hellebores (Christmas-roses and Lenten-roses) are beginning to open. Look for the blooms of small, 4-inch-tall Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ at the west end of The Gerard T. Donnelly Grand Garden south of the Visitor Center.

Trees and shrubs are also starting to bloom in many locations in the Arboretum’s tree collections, gardens, and landscapes. Spring-blooming witch-hazels are putting on a great show in Witch-Hazel Dell (Parking Lot 27), Arbor Court, and the Ground Cover Garden (Parking Lot 1).

Look up to see the subtle colors of small flowers on trees such as red, silver, and Freeman maples, American elms, and quaking and big-toothed aspens. Cornelian-cherry and Japanese Cornel dogwoods are showing yellow flower buds in our collections and will soon have yellow blooms. You will need to look closely to see the female flowers in full bloom on our American hazelnuts.

No matter how much spring weather varies, there is always something lovely to see along a walk at The Morton Arboretum.