Plants in Bloom

Lovely anemones first bloom in late summer and continue through fall, attracting pollinators when many sources of pollen and nectar have gone to seed.

Anemone hupehensis spp. (Japanese anemone) in the Rock Garden. Photo: Lee Patrick.

This late-summer bloomer with dangling clusters of delicately fragrant pink flowers is a perennial species that survives Brooklyn winters. See an expansive understory carpet blossoming in Bluebell Wood in late September.

Begonia grandis (hardy begonia) in Bluebell Wood. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Symphyotrichum novi-belgii ‘Wood’s Pink’ (New York aster) in the Shakespeare Garden. Photo: Alvina Lai.

This lovely shrub rose hybrid blooms repeatedly starting in late spring through fall.

Rosa ‘Surf Rider’ (shrub rose) in the Rose Garden. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Acer palmatum (Japanese maple) in the Bonsai Museum. Photo: Sarah Schmidt.

Chrysanthemums, also known as “mums”, are native to Asia and parts of Europe and bloom through autumn.

Chrysanthemum ‘Hillside Sheffield Pink’ (chrysanthemum ‘Hillside Sheffield Pink’) in the Rose Arc Pool. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Loropetalum chinense (Chinese fringe flower) in the Bonsai Museum. Photo: Michael Stewart.

A native tree found in wooded wetland areas, the black tupelo can tolerate a wide range of conditions, from standing water to dry, drought-ridden soils. Its brilliant red autumn foliage can be seen in the Water Garden, the Plant Family Collection, and at the Visitor Center.

Nyssa sylvatica (black tupelo) in the Water Garden. Photo: Sarah Schmidt.

One of the several maple cultivars in the Japanese Garden, Acer palmatum ‘Lutescens’ displays dazzling yellow color in fall. In Japan, such leaf colors inspire the tradition of momijigari, or autumn leaf viewing, in which foliage fans travel to gardens, parks, and into the mountains to admire the show.

Acer palmatum ‘Lutescens’ (Japanese maple cultivar) in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Who doesn't love cosmos? These flowering annuals, native to Mexico and the southwestern U.S., are bright, delicate, and easy to grow from seed.

Cosmos species (cosmos) in the Discovery Garden. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Not all conifers are evergreen. This tree, native to China, is deciduous. The needles take on a striking gold color in the fall before dropping off in the winter.

Pseudolarix amabilis (golden larch) in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

Quercus ilicifolia is a shrub, not a tree. Like other oaks, it provides food and habitat for an astounding array of wildlife, including bears.

Quercus ilicifolia (bear oak) in the Native Flora Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

Planted in 1916, this tree is one of the Garden’s most remarkable. It has multiple trunks and sprawls to 75 feet in diameter. To preserve this century-old tree as long as possible, cables have been installed to support some of the sprawling limbs. It still flowers every few years and displays wonderful fall color.

Cladrastis kentukea (Kentucky yellowwood) in the Plant Family Collection. Photo: Sarah Schmidt.

One of the several maple cultivars in the Japanese Garden, Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ displays stunning fall color.

Acer palmatum ‘Dissectum’ (Japanese maple) in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Photo: Brian Funk.

Native to the eastern two-thirds of the United States, this grass was especially common in the prairies that thrived in the central region of North America prior to European colonization. It can grow as tall as eight feet, and its spikelets change from green to purple as it matures in the fall.

Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) in the Native Flora Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

Sumacs are among the first trees to change colors in fall. Staghorn sumac is a native species, and its vivid foliage can be seen lighting up roadsides and forest edges this time of year.

Rhus typhina (staghorn sumac) in the Discovery Garden. Photo: Alvina Lai.

Native to South Africa, this evergreen shrub blooms in gently rounded clusters.

Plumbago auriculata (cape leadwort) in the Warm Temperate Pavilion. Photo: Michael Stewart.

This native North American tree has fall foliage that may vary from yellow to orange to red, sometimes on the same tree—or even the same leaf!

Acer rubrum (red maple) in the Native Flora Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

This white-flowered aster grows well in the shade. Aster disc florets fade from yellow to red as they age. Bees visit the yellow-centered blooms, which contain more pollen, but the darker florets still help draw pollinators from afar.

Eurybia divaricata (white wood aster) in the Native Flora Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

This deciduous conifer is found at pond edges. Related to the bald cypress, it is narrower with shorter, overlapping needles. This cultivar, ‘Nutans’, has slightly weeping branches.

Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium ‘Nutans’ (nodding pond cypress) in the Rock Garden. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides is a mat-forming perennial groundcover with vivid blue flowers. Like many groundcovers, it spreads by sending out rhizomes, or horizontal underground stems.

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (hardy blue-flowered leadwort) in the Osborne Garden. Photo: Michael Stewart.

In fall, the oak-shaped leaves of Hydrangea quercifolia produce vivid shades of purple, red, and gold.

Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snow Queen’ (oak-leaved hydrangea) on Magnolia Plaza. Photo: Michael Stewart.

This native tree is known for its custard-like fruit and unusual brownish flowers. Its large leaves turn a lovely yellow in fall.

Asimina triloba (pawpaw) in the Plant Family Collection. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Lobularia maritima (sweet alyssum) in the Fragrance Garden. Photo: Alvina Lai.