I love April- there’s just something magical about this time of year! The gardens are bursting with blooms, the bad weather is breaking, the bees are buzzing and tulips are blooming all over! While this colder weather hasn’t been my favorite, it has done a hit the pause button on many blooms meaning we get almost twice as many things this month as we normally would! We’re on week five of tulips and I will never say I don’t enjoy getting a couple more weeks of those lovely blooms. Our greenhouse is busting at the seams- which is great news for both our gardens and our Spring Plant Sale!
Speaking of- 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 13 and Saturday April 14 from 9am- 5pm. We’ve got lots of locally grown perennials, herbs, annuals, trees and shrubs. If you aren’t sure what to buy, take a walk through our gardens during Garden Lovers Weekend April 13-15 and come see us! Remember to come early as stock is limited!
At the end of April, we’re looking forward to changing our garden scenery for colorful zinnias, pollinator- attracting pentas, bright salvias, and cheery gazanias! 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!
We’ve got plenty of work to do in the gardens and we always love more help. Our volunteers are the absolute reason that we are able to accomplish as much as we do. If you’d like to come and work in the garden with us, please contact me at Hadley.cheris@ncdcr.gov or 252-639-3560!
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, pink, purple
- Catchfly (Silene carolinianum) pink
- Dusty Miller ‘Silver Dust’
- Dianthus- Super Parfait Raspberry, Zing Rose
- Johnny-jump-up (Viola tricolor) purple
- Ornamental Kale- Bor Scarlet, purple leaves
- Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) various mixes
- Sweet William (Dianthus) Telstar Mix
- Violas: Sorbet: Black Jump Up, Honeybee, Phantom; Penny: Mix Jump Up, Purple Picotee
- Pansies: Delta Mixes: Apple Cider, White Blotch; Matrix Mixes: Orange, Solar Flare, Blue Frost; Frizzle Sizzle Mix; Panolo Jewels n Jazz
Bulbs, Corms and Rhizomes
- Algerian Iris (Iris ungularia) blue
- Cemetery Iris (Iris schreekuppe) white
- Daffodils, Jonquils and Paperwhites (Narcissus sp) yellows, white
- Daffodil Poeticus Actaea, Double Flower Drift, Double Sir Winston Churchill
- 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-flower Purple Dream, Double Peony Mix, Double Lilac, White Parrot, Apricot Parrot, Single Late Mixture
- 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
- Bearsfoot 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 (Bellis perennis) white, pink
- Lenten Rose (Helleborus X orientalis) pink, white
- Lungwort (Pulmonaria saccharata) blue
- Mazus (Mazus reptans ‘alba’) white
- Mountain pinks (Phlox subulata) pink, lavender
- Pinks (Dianthus chinensis) pink
- Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) pink
- Soapwort (Saponaria ocymoides) pink
- Sweet Box (Sarcocca confusa) – white fragrant
- 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
- Blackhaw or Walter Viburnum (Viburum obovatum)
- 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 BEES**
- Carolina Silverbell (Halesia caroliniana) creamy white
- Chinese Snowball (Viburnum macrocephalum ‘Sterile’) greenish white
- Crabapple (Malus sieboldii) pink
- Dogwood (Cornus florida) white
- Flowering Almond (Prunus glandulosa) pink, fuzzy
- Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) apricot pink, red, white
- Himalayan Sweetbox (Sarcococca hookerana) white, black drupe
- Hollies (Ilex sp.) variety
- Judd’s Viburnum (Viburnum judii) pink, fragrant
- Kerria (Kerria japonica pleniflora) Double yellow
- Kerria (Kerria japonica) single yellow
- Kurume Azalea (Rhododendron obtusum ‘Delaware Valley White’)
- Lady Banks Rose (Rosa banksia) yellow
- Lantaphyllum (Viburnum X rhytidophylloides ‘Alleghany’) white
- Leatherleaf Viburnum (Viburnum rhytophyllum) white
- Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) pink to white: STINK
- 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
Kitchen Garden:
- Apple, Pear & Peach Trees: pink to white blooms
- Cover crops- crimson clover, mustard, rye, white clover, oats, vetch
- Asparagus, beets, carrots, celery, lettuce, mustard, kale, parsley, Swiss chard, spinach, arugula, peas