Happy March! After a weird past weather month, we’ve been enjoying the warmer days and the blooms they bring! Our gardens are full of incredible blossoms that warrant a closeup smell and second look- the gardeners are also making some new fun changes and additions that we’re thrilled to share! March kicks off the beginning of our crazy spring season and the changes in the gardens are almost daily! If you haven’t made it to see our gardens yet this spring, we’ve got some great upcoming opportunities! The daffodils, paperwhites and hyacinths are currently stealing the show around site but the first tulips have opened as well and more will be soon to follow! With our warmer overall temps, we’ve even seen some things opening early like sassafras and pawpaws in the Wilderness!
We’re adding thousands of baby plants to the greenhouse this month, both in seed and plug form, and are so excited by some of these new varieties! These plants will be for sale at our Spring Plant Sale, April 14& 15 from 9am- 5pm on the Daves House lawn. We’ve got lots of locally grown perennials, herbs, annuals, veggies, trees and shrubs. If you aren’t sure what to buy, take a walk through our gardens during FREE Garden Lovers Weekend April 14-16 and come see us! Remember to come early as stock is limited!
Our March garden lecture series, Saturday, March 11th, focuses on “Garden Planning- A Plant Sale Sneak Peak and Plants in Practice”, led by Hadley Cheris, Tryon Palace Gardens and Greenhouse Manager. This garden lecture will focus on plants best adapted to face the weather challenges of Eastern North Carolina with a sneak peek of the plants available at the Tryon Palace Spring Plant Sale, and how they can be used in your home landscape! This lecture begins at 10:30 a.m. in Cullman Performance Hall at the North Carolina History Center. Suggested donation $3.
If you’re interested in a long term “behind the scenes” venture, we are looking for volunteers for raking, mulching, weeding, fence and trellis repair and MORE! It’s a great way to learn some gardening tips and tricks, especially for our area! 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
- Artemisia Sea Salt
- Batchelor’s Buttons (Centaurea cyanus) blue, black, purple
- Dianthus- Super Parfait Raspberry, Zing Rose; Jolt Pink Magic; Jolt Cherry
- Dusty Miller ‘Silver Dust’
- Flowering Kale “Redbor” “Crane Red” “Black Magic"
- Gazania ‘Tiger Mix’, ‘Pink Shades’, ‘Colorado’, ‘Sunny Side Up’, ‘New Magic’, ‘New Day Yellow’, ‘Enorma Mix’
- Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor) purple and yellow
- Mustard “Japanese Giant Red” (Brassica juncea)
- Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) Snaptastic Mix- various; Opus™ III Early Bronze- orange
- Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus): Telstar Mix; Sweet White, Sweet Black Cherry
- Swiss Chard ‘Bright Lights’
- Violas: Frizzle Sizzle Mini Mix; Sorbet XP Spring Select
Perennials
- Bachelor’s Button (Centaurea montana)
- Barrenwort (Epimedium grandiflorum) yellow
- Bath’s Pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) pink
- Bears foot Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) yellowish
- Bleeding Heart (Dicentra eximia) pink/white
- Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) blue
- Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) white
- Cape Leadwort (Plumbago capensis) blue
- Carnation (Dianthus sp.) various
- Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia numularia) yellow foliage
- Creeping Veronica (Veronica umbrosa) blue
- Lenten Rose (Helleborus X orientalis) pink, white, purple
- 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
- Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) red, white, pink
- Wallflowers (Cheiranthus allionii) orange
- Wild Geranium (Geranium pratense) magenta
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) white, pastels
- Vinca (Vinca minor) blue
Bulbs, Corms and Rhizomes
- Algerian Iris (Iris ungularia) blue
- Arum italicum spotted foliage
- Bearded Iris “Immortality” white, reblooming
- Cemetery Iris (Iris schreekuppe) white
- Crocus (Crocus vernus) various
- Daffodils, Jonquils and Paperwhites (Narcissus sp) yellows, white
- Daffodil Poeticus Actaea, Double Flower Drift, Double Sir Winston Churchill
- Dwarf Iris: Mixed, “J S Dijt”, danfordiae
- Gladiolus specie byzantinus
- Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) blue
- Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) Jan Bos, Marie, Pink Pearl, Blue Jacket- pink, white, purple
- Lady Jane Tulip- white and pink (Tulipa clusiana)
- Marjoletti Tulip- yellow and orange
- Paperwhite Narcissus (Narcissus papyraceus) white
- Poppy Anemone (Anemone coronaria De Caen) various
- Ranunculus Tecelote- orange, yellow, red, white
- Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) white, green
- Snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum) white
- Starflower (Ipheion uniflorum) blue-white (Stinky)
- Tulips: Single Lates: Queen of the Night, Maureen, Blushing Beauty, Maureen, Renown
- Tulip batalinii Bright Gem (yellow), Lilac Wonder (pink)
- Wood Hyacinth (Scilla campanulata) blue; white
- Windflower (Anemone coronaria) blue, magenta, white
Trees and Shrubs
- Akebia vine (Akebia quinata) cream color blooms, smells like chocolate
- Azaleas (Rhododendron sp.) Variety sizes and colors
- Bridal Wreath (Spirea prunifolia) white
- Camellia (Camellia japonica) cultivars:
‘Pink Perfection’ pink, double
‘Professor Sargent’ deep rose, double
‘Debutante’ clear, light pink
‘Lady Clare’ carmine rose, semi-double
‘Alba plena’ white with pink cast
‘Lovely Surprise’ pink
‘Dr. Tinsley’ pink, semi-double
- Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) yellow *TOXIC TO HONEY BEES*
- Chinese Mahonia (Mahonia fortunei) yellow blooms, blue berries
- Coral Honeysuckle Vine (Lonicera sempvirens)- red blooms, NATIVE attractant for hummingbirds
- Cornelian Cherry (Cornus mas) yellow
- Crabapple (Malus sieboldii) pink
- Dogwood (Cornus florida) white
- First Breath of Spring or Winter Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) white
- Flowering Almond (Prunus glandulosa) pink, fuzzy
- Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) apricot pink, red
- Fragrant Osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans) yellow **Smells AMAZING**
- Himalayan Sweetbox (Sarcococca hookerana) white, black drupe
- Hollies (Ilex sp.): white/ cream blooms; Yaupon (I. vomitoria) red, yellow berries; Winterberry (I. verticillata) red berries; Dahoon (I. cassine) red; Lusterleaf (I. latifolia) red; Dwarf Burford Holly (Ilex cornuta) red berries
- Japanese Fatsia (Fatsia japonica) green to black berries
- Kerria (Kerria japonica pleniflora) Double yellow
- Kerria (Kerria japonica) single yellow
- Lady Banks Rose (Rosa banksia) yellow
- Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) pink to white: STINK
- Leatherleaf Viburnum (Viburnum rhytophyllum) white
- Chinese Snowball (Viburnum macrocephalum ‘Sterile’) greenish white
- Blackhaw or Walter Viburnum (Viburum obovatum)
- Judd’s Viburnum (Viburnum judii) pink, fragrant
- Lantaphyllum (Viburnum X rhytidophylloides ‘Alleghany’) white
- Pearlbush (Exochorda racemosa) white
- Japanese Pieris (Pieris japonica) white
- Redbud (Cercis canadensis) fuchsia
- Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) small white
- Red Maple (Acer rubrum) tiny red blooms (find by the sound of honeybees!)
- Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) purple
- Sassafras (Sassafras officinale) chartreuse
- Tea plant (Camellia sinenses) white/yellow
- Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorium) yellow
- Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) yellow to reddish brown
Wildflowers/ Bee Food
- Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) lavender
- Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) yellow
Kitchen Garden:
- Apple, Pear, Cherry & Peach Trees: pink to white.
- Beets, carrots, lettuce, mustards, kale, parsley, Swiss chard, spinach, arugula, fava beans, artichoke, cardoon, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, collards
- Cover crops: white and crimson clover, oats, rye, vetch, peas