South African Spring

Most spring bulbs may be weeks from blooming outdoors in the Northern Hemisphere, but their South African counterparts are in all their glory in the Warm Temperate Pavilion. Like tulips, daffodils, and other familiar spring-blooming bulbs, South African bulbs and other geophytes are dormant in summer, an adaptation that allows them to conserve resources during the dry, hot stretches in their native habitat. But in South Africa, bulbs’ foliage continues to gather energy through their milder falls and winters, and they’re able to bloom in late winter or early spring. Here in Brooklyn, curator Karla Chandler simulates South African winters in the greenhouse by providing higher temperatures and more light than what’s outside. As their time approaches, she brings them into the pavilion so they will bloom for all to enjoy. Don’t miss them!