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May Blooms at Tryon Palace

Happy May! It's been a glorious spring so far with long blooming early spring things and new things popping up daily! The iris, peonies and buckeyes are bursting forth into bloom! If you haven’t made it to see our gardens yet this spring, we’ve got some great upcoming opportunities!

You can also book a private tour with a few of your friends and fellow gardeners by contacting 252-639-3524 or reservations@tryonpalace.org.

Get ready for our May Garden Lecture Series, May 14th, featuring Victoria and Taij Cotten, farmers at Perry-winkle Farm, a cut flower and vegetable farm in Chatham County, North Carolina. This garden lecture will focus on their journey becoming farmers, their partnership with their “farm-ily”, and tips and tricks of growing and harvesting flowers.

If you’re looking for an outside hobby and way to give back to your community, consider joining us as a garden volunteer! We are looking for Master Gardeners, Horticulturists, Garden Enthusiasts, General Yard Workers, and Carpenters. Some background in gardening is great but none is necessary, just a willingness to learn. We are looking for volunteers for pruning, planting, raking, mulching, watering, weeding, fence and trellis repair. If that sounds like your cup of tea, please contact me at hadley.cheris@ncdcr.gov.

We hope to see you soon! Happy Gardening,

Hadley Cheris, Tryon Palace Gardens and Greenhouse Manager

Annuals

The Carraway Garden has switched to pentas, vincas and marigolds for the summer with banana centers!
  • Annual Phlox (Phlox drummondii) mix
  • Artemisia Sea Salt
  • Banana ‘Musa’
  • Basil, multiple varieties- lavender, white, dark purple
  • Cardinal Basil- massive purple flower heads
  • Batchelor’s Buttons (Centaurea cyanus) blue
  • Begonias Tophat White with Green Leaf’
  • California Poppy (Escholzia californica) yellow, white, orange
  • Celosia ‘Century Mix’
  • Cuphea ignea ‘Hummingbird's Lunch’ yellow and pink trumpets
  • Dianthus- Super Parfait Raspberry, Zing Rose
  • Dusty Miller ‘Silver Dust’
  • Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana sp) various
  • Gazania ‘Tiger Mix’, ‘Pink Shades’, ‘Colorado’, ‘Sunny Side Up’, ‘New Magic’, ‘New Day Yellow’, ‘Enorma Mix’
  • Gerbera ‘Revolution Mix Select’, ‘Floriline Maxi Mix’
  • Hibiscus ‘Mahogany Splendor’
  • Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor) purple and yellow
  • Marigolds- Endurance Orange; assorted yellows, reds, oranges
  • Pennisetum Fireworks- purple blades
  • Pentas- Butterfly Mix, Graffiti 2020 White
  • Portulaca- ColorBlast: Double Guava, Double Magenta,Watermelon Punch
  • Rhoeo Tricolor
  • Salvia farinacea ‘Evolution Violet Blue’
  • Torenia ‘Kauai Rose’
  • Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) various
  • Sweet Potato Vine (Ipomea) ‘Flora Mia Cameo’
  • Sweet William (Dianthus) Jolt Pink Magic; Telstar Mix; red, white, pink
  • Vinca- Cora: ‘XDR Mix’, ‘XDR White’, ‘XDR Hotgenta’, ‘XDR Magenta Halo’, ‘XDR Polka Dot’
  • Zinnias- multiple varieties

Perennials

False Indigo or Baptisia has beautiful small leguminous flowers and leaves with a multitude of colors!
False Indigo or Baptisia has beautiful small leguminous flowers and leaves with a multitude of colors!
  • Amsonia (Amsonia tabernaemontana and A. hubrichtii) blue, lavender
  • Bachelor’s Button (Centaurea montana)
  • Baptisia ‘Carolina Moonlight’ (Baptisia sphae rocarpa x alba ‘Carolina Moonlight’) yellow
  • Barrenwort (Epimedium grandiflorum) yellow
  • Bath’s Pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) pink
  • Bearsfoot Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) yellowish
  • Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) blue
  • Cape Leadwort (Plumbago capensis) blue
  • Carolina Lupine (Thermopsis villosa) yellow
  • Catchfly (Silene carolinianum) pink
  • Carnation (Dianthus sp.) various
  • Catmint (Nepeta faassenii) blue
  • Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) red/yellow & (Aquilegia vulgare) rose, purple, white spurs
  • Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) blue
  • Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) various
  • Coral Bells (Heuchera sp.) variety of leaf colors, blooms white or pink
  • Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia numularia) yellow foliage
  • Creeping Veronica (Veronica umbrosa) blue
  • Daisy, Ox-Eye (Leucanthemum vulgare); Shasta (Chrysanthemum X superbum) white (Lithodrora diffusa) blue
  • False Indigo, Blue Wild (Baptisia australis) blue & White Wild (Baptisia alba) white
  • Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri ‘Whirling Butterflies’ & ‘Sparkle White’) pink, white
  • Lantana ‘Dallas Red’, ‘Evita Orange’, ‘Evita Rose’
  • Lenten Rose (Helleborus X orientalis) pink, white
  • Lungwort (Pulmonaria saccharata) blue
  • Mazus (Mazus reptans ‘alba’) white
  • Mountain pinks (Phlox subulata) pink, lavender, white
  • Pinks (Dianthus chinensis) pink
  • Poet’s Laurel (Danae racemes) orange berries
  • Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) pink
  • Rue (Ruta graveolens) chartreuse
  • Salvia (Salvia microphylla ‘Hot Lips’) red & white & (Salvia greggii) red, pink
  • Soapwort (Saponaria ocymoides) pink
  • Spotted Dead Nettle (Lanium macultum) variegated foliage
  • Stokes’ Aster (Stokesia laevis) blue
  • Sweet Box (Sarcocca confusa) – white fragrant
  • Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) red, white, pink
  • Valerian (Centranthus ruber) red
  • Vinca (Vinca minor) blue
  • Virginia Spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana) blue, purple, pink
  • Wallflowers (Cheiranthus allionii) orange
  • Wild Geranium (Geranium pratense) magenta
  • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) white, pastels

Bulbs, Corms, Rhizomes

Peonies steal the show with big fluffy blooms in a myriad of colors! The Itoh series are new to us but offer wonderful yellows, peachs and pinks!
Peonies steal the show with big fluffy blooms in a myriad of colors! The Itoh series are new to us but offer wonderful yellows, peachs and pinks!
  • Asiatic Lilies (Lilium sp.) reds, yellows, orange, pink
  • Daylilies (Hemerocallis sp.) variety
  • Elephant Ear (Colocasia) ‘Black Coral’, ‘Hawaiian Punch’
  • Gladiolus specie byzantinus
  • Ground Orchid (Bletilla striata) purple or white
  • Iris:

• Bearded Iris (Iris germanica) variety

• Bearded Iris “Immortality” white, reblooming

• Cemetery Iris (Iris schreekuppe) white

• Japanese Iris (Iris ensata) white

• Japanese roof iris (Iris tectorum) white, purple

• Louisiana Iris (Iris hexagona) purple, pink, black

• Siberian Iris (Iris siberica) purple, mix

• Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus) yellow

  • Itoh Peony (Paeonia x): Canary Brillants (peachy yellow), Garden Treasure (double yellow), Julia Rose (dark pink), Bartzella (yellow w/ red center), First Arrival (light pink), Cora Louise (white w/ pink center)
  • Peony (Paeonia hybrids)- pinks, whites, reds
  • Poppy Anemone (Anemone coronaria De Caen) various
  • Ranunculus Tecelote- orange, yellow, red, white
  • Peony (Paeonia sp) variety - white, pink, fuchsia, fragrant
  • Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum or P. multiflorum) variegated foliage, white blooms
  • Variegated Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet)
  • Windflower (Anemone coronaria) blue, magenta, white

Vines

Confederate Jasmine makes this the best smelling doorway in the month of May!
  • Clematis (Clematis sp.) purple, white, lavendar
  • Confederate Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) white, fragrant
  • Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sumpervirens) native, red and yellow
  • Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) orange

Roses

  • Drift Roses (Rosa 'Meigalpio')
  • Knock out Roses (Rosa ‘RADrazz’)
  • Old Blush Rose (Rosa chinensis) pink
  • Heirloom Roses: ‘Safrano’ – yellow; ‘Marie Van Houtte’ – white; ‘Duchess de Brabant’ – pink; ‘Perles des Jardin’ – yellow; ‘Crème la Cerumois Superior’ – red; ‘Souvenir de la Mal Maison’ – light pink; ‘Champney’s Pink Cluster’ – light pink; ‘Dark Lady’ – deep red; David Austin

Trees and Shrubs

Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonica) is a beautiful small tree covered with small white bell blooms
  • Anise Tree (Illicium floridanum) reddish
  • Arrowwood Viburnum (Viburnum dentatum) white
  • Blackhaw or Walter Viburnum (Viburum obovatum)
  • Carolina Silverbell (Halesia caroliniana) creamy white
  • Chinese Snowball (Viburnum macrocephalum ‘Sterile’) green to white
  • Deutzia (Deutzia sp.) white
  • Dogwood (Cornus florida) white
  • Elderberry (Sambucus sp.) white
  • False Indigo Bush (Amorpha fruticosa)
  • Fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus) white, native
  • Fragrant Osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans) yellow **Smells AMAZING**
  • Henry Anise Tree (Illicium henryii) pink
  • Hollies (Ilex sp.) cream
  • Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonicas) white
  • Japanese Snowball Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum)
  • Kerria (Kerria japonica) single yellow & (Kerria japonica pleniflora) Double yellow
  • Lantaphyllum (Viburnum X rhytidophylloides ‘Alleghany’) white
  • Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) pink to white: STINK
  • Leatherleaf Viburnum (Viburnum rhytophyllum) white
  • Mockorange (Philadelphus coronaries) white
  • Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) white, white to pink to red
  • Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
  • Pineapple Guava (Feijoa sellowiana) pink with red
  • Pomegranate (Punica granata) coral
  • Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia) red, yellow, native
  • Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) small white
  • Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) white, fragrant
  • Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia virginiana) white, fragrant
  • Sweet Betsy or Sweet Shrub (Calycanthus florida) rusty red
  • Weiglia (Weiglia florida) pink and white

Kitchen Garden

Fun fact- Artichokes are actually flower buds!
  • Apple, Pear & Peach Trees: pink to white.
  • Beets, carrots, lettuce, kale, parsley, Swiss chard, spinach, arugula, artichoke, cardoon, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, collards, strawberries, leeks, onions, mints, oregano, thyme, salad burnet, yarrow, chamomile, basil, peas, heliotrope
  • Transitioning to summer crops
Created By
Hadley Cheris
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