Plants in Bloom
July highlights
Queen-of-the-Prairie
The spectacular fuzzy pink flowers of this native prairie plant rise above surrounding plants. They have a light, lilac-like fragrance.
Photo: Blanca Begert.
Butterfly Weed
Butterfly weed attracts monarchs and other butterflies. Adults feed on nectar from the blossoms, while caterpillars munch on the leaves.
Photo: Blanca Begert.
Blackberry-Lily
The flowers of this short-lived perennial mature to clusters of round seeds, resembling blackberries. The petals of spent flowers twist together, forming a corkscrew shape.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Black-Eyed Susan
This native wildflower blooms from summer into early fall and attracts butterflies and bees of all kinds.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Great Coneflower
This imposing perennial, which belongs to the daisy family, can grow up to around seven feet tall. After its flowers are spent, goldfinches and other birds snack on its seeds.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Wild Bergamot
A member of the Lamiaceae, or mint family, this herbaceous perennial is native to North America. You can find wild bergamot—often covered in bees—blooming in the meadow of the Native Flora Garden.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Crape-Myrtle
Crape-myrtles have long been favorite garden plants in the South, but many cultivars can grow in New York City, too. Their extravagant panicles of crinkly flowers appear in late summer.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Lotus
Lotuses are blooming in the Garden’s Lily Pools. Lotuses can resemble water-lilies, but lotus leaves tend to stretch above the surface (instead of floating). Lotuses also have a large round seedpod inside.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Hardy Water-Lily ‘Colorado’
The striking blooms of water-lilies (Nymphaea spp.) famously inspired hundreds of paintings by Claude Monet. This hardy cultivar boasts peach-hued flowers and a long bloom time.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Forest Sunflower
Native to the eastern and central United States and Canada, these woodland wildflowers bloom from midsummer through fall. Forest sunflowers attract bees and butterflies, and can grow up to five feet tall.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Tiger Lily
The distinctive color pattern and recurved flowers of the tiger lily make it one of the best-known and popular of the true lilies.
Photo: Rebecca Bullene.
Cardinal Flower
This native perennial can often be found in swamps and along streams. Its scarlet flowers attract bees and hummingbirds (but not cardinals!).
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Hardy Hibiscus ‘Lord Baltimore’
This hybrid cultivar of our native hibiscus—also known as swamp mallow or rose-mallow—has large flowers up to ten inches across that only last one day.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Lowbush Blueberry
The lowbush blueberry, native to Eastern North America, is the state fruit of Maine. It’s often grown commercially, and in the wild its tasty fruits are enjoyed by bears, birds, and porcupines.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Dyers’ Tickseed
This annual boasts bright yellow and maroon flowers that bloom alongside wispy, lacelike foliage. A member of the Asteraceae, or daisy family, dyers’ tickseed attracts insect pollinators as well as granivorous birds.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Wild Strawberry
This ground-hugging native plant produces five-petaled white flowers and a sweet edible fruit.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Buttonbush
This native shrub and its strange spherical blossoms attracts over 24 species of birds, as well as butterflies and other insects.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
River Oats ‘River Mist’
This perennial grass is native to the river banks and moist woodland borders of the eastern and midwestern United States. It boasts gently nodding, flat flower spikelets that dangle above the leaves.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Petunia
One of the most popular flowering annuals—and especially loved for their draping habit, well-suited to hanging baskets—petunia species can be found blooming around the Garden.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Hardy Water-Lily ‘Paul Hariot’
This popular water-lily cultivar opens in a lovely apricot-yellow and matures over the next few days to a deeper pink hue.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Cardoon
Native to the Mediterranean, this herbaceous perennial has spiny leaves and thistle-like, bright purple flowers. Also known as artichoke thistle, cardoon has edible stalks.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Clematis ‘Roguchi’
Clematis species are excellent climbers, and popular perennial garden vines. This hybrid cultivar, developed in Japan by plant breeder Kazushige Ozawa, has bell-shaped purple flowers that bloom throughout the summer.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Harlequin Glory-Bower
Native to Eastern China and Japan, this deciduous shrub has fragrant star-shaped flowers in midsummer and dark blue berries in fall. It is sometimes called the “peanut butter tree” in reference to the scent emitted from crushed leaves.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Great Blue Lobelia
Like the cardinal flower, a close relative, this native plant is found in wet areas of the eastern United States. It’s a great addition to rain gardens and woodland gardens.
Photo: Blanca Begert.
Brown-Eyed Susan
Native to the eastern and midwestern prairies of the United States, this short-lived perennial attracts bees, butterflies, and birds. Brown-eyed Susan grows taller than black-eyed Susan, and has distinct three-lobed leaves.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Pale Purple Coneflower
A member of the Asteraceae, or aster family, this native herbaceous perennial attracts butterflies and bees. Its genus name comes from “echinos,” the Greek word for hedgehog, in reference to its prickly seed head.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Prickly-Pear
The prickly-pear is known for its defensive spines and eye-catching flowers—as well as its tasty fruit and pads, or nopales, which have long been an important food for people in Mexico and the Southwest.
Photo: Steven N. Severinghaus.
Bat-Leaf Passionflower
This unusual-looking herbaceous vine is common in the southeastern United States, where it attracts butterflies like the gulf fritillary and the crimson-patch longwing.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Milky Bellflower
Native to western Asia, this summer-blooming herbaceous perennial produces soft clusters of bell-shaped flowers. The specific epithet lactiflora is Latin for “milk-white flowers.”
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Scotch Thistle
This spiny biennial, native to Europe and western Asia, can grow above six feet tall.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Southern Catalpa
The flowers of this native tree look pure white from a distance, but up close, the purple and gold nectar guides can be seen. These markings help draw in bees during the day. At night, months are attracted to the white color and strong fragrance.
Photo: Steven N. Severinghaus.
Floribunda Rose
Large, lush cup-shaped flowers adorn this floribunda shrub rose, which blooms repeatedly from early summer through fall.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Hybrid Lily
This gorgeous and fragrant lily hybrid has memorable yellow and white flowers.
Photo: Alvina Lai.
Japanese Hydrangea Vine ‘Moonlight’
This climbing vine has heart-shaped leaves and white flowers that bloom in early summer.
Photo: Michael Stewart.
Black Stem Bigleaf Hydrangea
The large, showy summer flowers of hydrangeas make them a popular garden plant. The bloom color of some species is influenced by soil pH. More acidic soil will produce bluer flowers, while more alkaline soil will produce pinker ones.
Photo: Blanca Begert.
English Lavender
This fragrant lavender cultivar is actually native to the Mediterranean. It’s a drought-tolerant plant that thrives in the sun.
Photo: Michael Stewart.