Boyce Tankersley, Director of Plant Documentation, takes us on a tour of the earliest blooming plants in the display gardens. We began in the Sensory Garden where huge patches of Iris histrioides ‘George’ were blooming better than ever. Then we went to the Lakeside Gardens to see large patches of giant snowdrops blooming under deciduous trees. The witch hazel outside the English Walled Garden is very fragrant and quite showy right now. We also like the snowdrops in the English Walled Garden Galanthus nivalis ‘Flore Plenum’ because its petals look like a rose and it’s very fragrant. The Waterfall Garden has a nice display of snowdrops that is worth the climb to the top. The crocuses in the lawn near the Bulb Garden were also very showy. You’ll also find crocus in the lawn on Evening Island.

These are just some blooming highlights, visit www.chicagobotanic.org/inbloom for information on what’s in bloom now.

View the video on YouTube here.