HAPPY 60th ANNIVERSARY- to us that is! Tryon Palace reopened to the public 60 years ago on April 8, 1959. If you’re a Kellenberger Garden fan- make sure you stop by soon as this lovely garden reopens APRIL 5, after over a year of being closed due to maintenance projects! We’re super excited for the garden renovation and looking forward to watching the newly designed garden blossom into its full promise! For more information on that and other 60th anniversary events visit https://www.tryonpalace.org/60thAnniversary.
It’s a perfect time to come celebrate with us- the weather is absolutely beautiful, and spring has sprung! Everyday there are new blooms in the gardens- I’ve been taking almost hourly walks just to see what new things I can find! The highlight reel of super special things just opening up features paw paws and buckeyes, as well as iris, tulips and daffodils galore! Our viburnums and pearl bushes are bursting forth in beautiful snow-like white clusters. Our greenhouse is bursting with plants that seem to grow an inch every time I turn around! There’s lots of amazing colors, smells and textures to explore through our gardens as we dive into spring. If you haven’t made it to see our gardens yet this spring, we’ve got some great upcoming opportunities!
Also coming this month, we’ll have our Behind the Scenes Tours in the garden, where you can join one of our gardeners for a walk around the Palace blooms! The tours are April 2nd and 30th, beginning at 2pm at the Waystation.
Speaking of plants and garden tours- if you haven’t heard of this little event we have (cue sarcasm!) our Spring Plant Sale is only TWO weeks away! We’ll be out on the Daves House lawn Friday April 12 and Saturday April 13 from 9am- 5pm. 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 12-14 and come see us! We’re also a stop on Spring Historic Homes Tour and the Pottery Festival is going on Saturday at the North Carolina History Center so make a weekend of it! Remember to come early as stock is limited!
At the end of April, we’re looking forward to changing our garden scenery for gorgeous gazanias, colorful celosia, pollinator- attracting pentas, and an ornamental corn variety appropriately named “Field of Dreams”! We’ve got some awesome new color combinations that we hope you’ll come visit throughout the season! The kitchen garden will soon be turned in and prepped for my very favorite season of vegetables- SUMMER! Be sure to come out and see what new (to us) and weird heirloom varieties we’ll plant!
If you’re interested in a long term “behind the scenes” venture, we are looking for volunteers for pruning, planting, raking, mulching, watering, weeding. It’s a great way to learn some gardening tips and tricks, especially for our area! If you’re interested in volunteering with us, please contact me at (252) 639-3560 or hadley.cheris@ncdcr.gov.
We hope to see you soon! Happy Gardening,
Hadley Cheris, Tryon Palace Gardens and Greenhouse Manager
Annuals
- Annual Phlox (Phlox drummondii) mix
- Batchelor’s Buttons (Centaurea cyanus) blue
- Catchfly (Silene carolinianum) pink
- Dusty Miller ‘Silver Dust’
- Dianthus- Super Parfait Raspberry, Zing Rose
- Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor) purple
- Ornamental Kale- Bor Scarlet, Songbird mix
- Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) various mixes
- Sweet William (Dianthus) Telstar Mix
- Violas: Sorbet: Phantom, Fire, Blueberry Sundae, Ocean Breeze; Penny: White Jump Up, Peach Jump Up, White Blotch, Beaconsfield
- Pansies: Delta Mixes: Apple Cider, Buttered Popcorn; Cool Wave Sunshine and Wine Spreading Mix; Frizzle Sizzle Mix; Fizzy Lemonberry
Bulbs, Corms and Rhizomes
- Algerian Iris (Iris ungularia) blue
- Allium azureum, blue
- Allium ostrowkianum Dark Pink
- 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
- Dutch Iris (Iridaceae x hollandica)
- Gladiolus specie byzantinus
- Grape Hyacinth (Muscari armeniacum) blue
- Ground Iris (Bletilla striata) purple; white
- Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis) pink, white, purple
- Iris (Iris germanica) white, purple, yellow
- Lady Jane Tulip- white and pink (Tulipa clusiana)
- Marjoletti Tulip- yellow and orange
- 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: Lily-flowered: Maytime, Ballade, White Triumphator; Fringed Blue Heron, Apricot Parrot, Single Late Mixture, Fosteriana Orange Emperor
- Wood Hyacinth (Scilla campanulata) blue; white
- Windflower (Anemone coronaria) blue, magenta, white
Perennials
- Barrenwort (Epimedium grandiflorum) yellow
- Basket of Gold (Arunia saxatilis) yellow
- Bath’s Pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) pink
- Bears foot Hellebore (Helleborus foetidus) yellowish
- Bugleweed (Ajuga reptans) blue
- Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens) white
- Cape Leadwort (Plumbago capensis) blue
- Carnation (Dianthus sp.) various
- Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) red/yellow
- Columbine (Aquilegia vulgare) rose, purple, white spurs
- Creeping Veronica (Veronica umbrosa) blue
- English daisy ‘Bellissiama Mix’ pink, white (Bellis)
- Lenten Rose (Helleborus X orientalis) pink, white
- Lungwort (Pulmonaria saccharata) blue
- Mazus (Mazus reptans ‘alba’) white
- Mountain pinks/ Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) pink, lavender, white
- Pinks (Dianthus chinensis) pink
- Poet’s Laurel (Danae racemes) orange berries
- Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) pink
- Soapwort (Saponaria ocymoides) pink
- Wallflowers (Cheiranthus allionii) orange
- Wild Geranium (Geranium pratense) magenta
- Vinca (Vinca minor) blue
Trees and Shrubs
- Akebia vine (Akebia quinata) cream color blooms, smells like chocolate
- Anise Tree (Illicium floridanum) reddish
- Azaleas (Rhododendron sp.) Variety sizes and colors
- Bridal Wreath (Spirea prunifolia) white
- Camellia (Camellia japonica) cultivars:
‘Pink Perfection’ pink, double
‘Prof. 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**
- Carolina Silverbell (Halesia caroliniana) creamy white
- Crabapple (Malus sieboldii) pink
- Dogwood (Cornus florida) white
- Flowering Almond (Prunus glandulosa) pink, fuzzy
- Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) apricot pink, red, white
- Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenia) fuzzy white
- Fragrant Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) yellow
- Himalayan Sweetbox (Sarcococca hookerana) white, black drupe
- Hollies (Ilex sp.) variety
- Kerria (Kerria japonica pleniflora) Double yellow
- Kerria (Kerria japonica) single yellow
- Lady Banks Rose (Rosa banksia) yellow
- Leatherleaf Viburnum (Viburnum rhytophyllum) white
- Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) pink to white: STINK
- 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
- Old Blush Rose (Rosa chinensis) pink
- Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)
- Pearlbush (Exochorda racemosa) white
- Redbud (Cercis canadensis) fuchsia
- Red Buckeye (Aesculus pavia)
- Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) small white
- Sassafras (Sassafras officinale) chartreuse
- Wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) white, purple
Wildflowers/ Bee Food
- Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) lavender
- Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) yellow
Berries and seeds: Bird Food
- Hollies (Ilex sp.):
- Nandina (Nandina domestica) red, yellow
- Japanese Fatsia (Fatsia japonica) green to black
- Poet’s Laurel (Danae racemosa) orange-red
Kitchen Garden:
- Apple, Pear & Peach Trees: pink to white blooms
- Cover crops- crimson clover, mustard, rye, white clover, oats
- Beets, carrots, lettuce, mustards, kale, parsley, Swiss chard, spinach, arugula