Plants in Bloom

Willow flowers, called catkins, aren’t your typical flower. They have no petals—that color you see is all pollen. Salix discolor supports an array of native wildlife, including around 18 species of butterflies and moths. 

Salix discolor (pussy willow) in the Discovery Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

In early spring, clusters of fragrant, light pink blossoms open from dark pink buds along the bare branches of this deciduous shrub.

Viburnum × bodnantense ‘Dawn’ (dawn arrowwood) in the Plant Family Collection. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Hellebores bloom in winter and early spring, when few other plants do. Helle- comes from the Greek helein: “to injure”; -bore comes from the Greek word for food. In other words: Don’t eat it! All parts of this plant are toxic if ingested.

Helleborus sp. (hellebore) in the Osborne Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

This small tree is native to Europe and Western Asia. It flowers in early spring, followed by bright red fruits in early summer. 

Cornus mas (cornelian-cherry) in the Fragrance Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

In a practice dating back to 16th-century Japan, the bark of this deciduous shrub has been cultivated to make specialty, high-quality paper. Umbels of fragrant, tightly packed tubular flowers create a lantern-like effect in early spring.

Edgeworthia chrysantha (paperbush) in the Fragrance Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

Crocuses begin popping up in small numbers at at first and soon start to blanket large stretches of lawns and beds all over the Garden. They’re a welcome sign of spring and also a source of nectar and pollen for hungry bees and other pollinators.

Crocus (crocus) in the Plant Family Collection. Photo: Michael Stewart.

A true harbinger of spring, this perennial bulb holds significant meaning and symbolism in both Eastern and Western cultures. Daffodils are also a popular choice among plant breeders, with over 32,000 registered varieties globally.

Narcissus cultivars (daffodils) on Daffodil Hill. Photo: Blanca Begert.

One of the shorter plants in the Scilla genus, this Iranian native has relatively large, fragrant flowers. They grow along Celebrity Path, on the Overlook, and in large swaths along Belle’s Brook.

Scilla mischtschenkoana (Misczenko squill) in the Water Garden. Photo: Michael Stewart.

The Japanese apricot is one of the first flowering trees of the genus Prunus (which includes the famous cherries) to bloom each year. These delicate blossoms are a sign of more to come.

Prunus mume ‘Bonita’ (Japanese apricot) in the Washington Avenue Border. Photo: Michael Stewart.

The stinking hellebore does, indeed, stink—but only if you crush its leaves. Look closely, and you‘ll notice a delicate line of purple along the edges of its pale green flowers.

Helleborus foetidus (stinking hellebore) in the Perennial Border. Photo: Elizabeth Peters.

Snowdrops are usually the first bulbs to bloom and a sign of more to come. As the snow melts, these white blossoms appear, blanketing the Garden and other parks and gardens around Brooklyn.

Galanthus nivalis (snowdrop) in the Plant Family Collection. Photo: Michael Stewart.

This witch-hazel cultivar has fragrant, multicolored flowers ranging from orange to dark copper, and a beautiful natural vase-shaped form. It blooms from January to March.

Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Jelena’ (witch-hazel) in the Rock Garden. Photo: Michael Stewart.

This iconic garden flower, also known as the common daisy, originally hails from Europe and prefers cool temperatures. It’s become a troublesome weed in parts of the U.S.; cultivars can be less aggressive.

Bellis perennis (English daisy) in the Shakespeare Garden. Photo: Lee Patrick.

Native to Taiwan and Japan, this deciduous shrub offers clusters of fragrant, pastel yellow flowers in early spring. 

Corylopsis pauciflora (buttercup winter-hazel) in the Plant Family Collection. Photo: Blanca Begert.

Prunus × subhirtella (higan cherry) in the Bonsai Museum. Photo: Blanca Begert.

Camellias bloom throughout the Japanese Garden in fall, winter, and into spring. This lovely pink-blossomed cultivar is one of the later ones to bloom in spring.

Camellia japonica ‘April Remembered’ (camellia) in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

This plant, in bloom in the Warm Temperate Pavilion, was grown at BBG from seed provided by Kirstenbosch National Botanic Garden in Cape Town, South Africa. The cultivar is prized for its distinctive yellow sepals and was named for Nelson Mandela.

Strelitzia reginae ‘Mandela’s Gold’ (bird-of-paradise cultivar) in the Warm Temperate Pavilion. Photo: Sarah Schmidt.

The small, delicate cups of Eranthis hyemalis are one of the earliest blooms of the year. Native to Europe, this perennial tuber is often planted near the base of a deciduous tree.

Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite) in the Shakespeare Garden. Photo: Sarah Schmidt.

The star magnolia is one of the first magnolias to bloom. Each blossom has a dozen or more thin, ribbonlike tepals.

Magnolia stellata (star magnolia) on Magnolia Plaza. Photo: Michael Stewart.

The yulan magnolia has been cultivated in its native China for more than 1,000 years. Like many early-blooming magnolias, it’s “precocious,” which means its flowers appear before the leaves.

Magnolia denudata (yulan magnolia) on Magnolia Plaza. Photo: Blanca Begert.

The stunning early-blooming saucer magnolia blooms in varying shades of white, pink, and purple, and flowers reach up to eight inches across. 

Magnolia × soulangeana (saucer magnolia) on Magnolia Plaza. Photo: Blanca Begert.

This perennial cactus is covered in spines and features small, delicate pink flowers.

Mammillaria magnimamma (Mexican pincushion) in the Desert Pavilion. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Spring heath is one of the first alpine shrubs to bloom in the Rock Garden. Its tiny, bell-shaped flowers blossom just before the azaleas.

Erica carnea ‘Springwood Pink’ (spring heath) in the Rock Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

This flowering Japanese quince shows off colorful blooms in mid- to late-winter. Though a different species than the common quince, it also produces a fragrant, but smaller, fruit in the fall.

Chaenomeles speciosa ‘Texas Scarlet’ (Japanese quince) in the Osborne Garden. Photo: Romi Ige.

This cultivar of Salix gracilistyla, native to China, Japan, and Korea, is most striking in early spring when glossy, deep black catkins shed their pointy bud scales. 

Salix gracilistyla ‘Melanostachys’ (black pussy willow) in the Plant Family Collection. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Witch-hazel blooms in winter, usually during a warm spell, but the flowers persist after the temperature drops back down. The ribbonlike petals curl up temporarily, and as soon as the temperature rises, they unfurl again.

Hamamelis mollis ‘Wisley Supreme’ (witch-hazel) in the Plant Family Collection. Photo: Michael Stewart.

A lovely weeping cherry, ‘Pendula’ is usually one of the earliest to bloom. Its delicate blossoms range from nearly white to pink in color.

Prunus pendula ‘Pendula Rosea’ (weeping higan cherry) in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

Native to the mountains of western China, this rare species is one of the first cherry trees to bloom. Subtly fragrant flowers emerge in early spring, followed by fiery red foliage in fall.

Prunus hirtipes (early flowering cherry) in the Plant Family Collection. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Belonging to the same genus as cherries, apricots also produce beautiful spring blooms. This tree is located along the Shakespeare Garden and blooms just before most of the early-blooming cherries.

Prunus armeniaca (flowering apricot) in the Shakespeare Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

The delicate early-spring blooms of Japanese pieris resemble blueberry flowers, and the plants are indeed related. They’re members of the heath family. A number of pieris cultivars can be found in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and the Rock Garden.

Pieris japonica (Japanese pieris) in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

‘Jugatsu-zakura’ begins blooming around October, continues sporadically into December, and finishes in the spring with a last burst coinciding with new foliage. 

Prunus × subhirtella ‘Jugatsu-zakura’ (flowering cherry) in the Cherry Cultivars Area. Photo: Elizabeth Peters.

Declared the official flower of Brooklyn in 1940, forsythia’s radiant yellow flowers are a common sight in early spring. Though sometimes confused with witch-hazel, forsythias have tubular, four-petaled flowers and belong to the Oleaceae, or olive family.

Forsythia viridissima (greenstem forsythia) in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

Native to parts of South America, including French Guiana, Brazil, and Peru, this evergreen shrub blooms throughout the year in the Tropical Pavilion. 

Pachystachys coccinea (cardinal’s guard) in the Tropical Pavilion. Photo: Blanca Begert.

One of the earliest rhododendrons to bloom at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Korean rhododendron's bright purplish-pink flowers appear before its leaves. 

Rhododendron mucronulatum (Korean rhododendron) in the Rock Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

Ozark witch-hazel appears along streams and at the bases of rocky hillsides in the Ozark highlands of Missouri, as well as in parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Hamamelis vernalis (Ozark witch-hazel) in the Discovery Garden. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Capers—the immature green buds of this Mediterranean shrub—are a delicious culinary staple. Left unharvested, the buds transform into blooms that hold a cluster of long purple stamens.

Capparis spinosa var. inermis (caper bush) in the Warm Temperate Pavilion. Photo: Michael Stewart.

Witch-hazel blooms in winter, usually during a warm spell, but the flowers persist after the temperature drops back down. The ribbonlike petals curl up temporarily, and as soon as the temperature rises, they unfurl again.

Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Diane’ (witch-hazel ‘Diane’) in the Rock Garden. Photo: Michael Stewart.

The heart-leaved pelargonium, a perennial with lightly-scented pink flowers, is native to a highly biodiverse shrubland region of South Africa.

Pelargonium cordifolium (heart-leaved pelargonium) in the Warm Temperate Pavilion. Photo: Uli Lorimer.

Peaches are closely related to cherries, and many cultivars have similar ornamental blossoms. The ‘Halehaven’ peach tree in the Herb Garden produces gorgeous spring blossoms which also yield tasty summer fruits.

Prunus persica ‘Halehaven’ (Halehaven peach) in the Herb Garden. Photo: Blanca Begert.

‘Okamé’ is one of the first cherry cultivars to bloom and marks the unofficial start of cherry blossom season. Its deep carmine-rose buds open to lighter-tinted flowers before leaves appear.

Prunus × incam ‘Okamé’ (Cherry ‘Okamé’) in the Cherry Walk & Cultivar Collection. Photo: Blanca Begert.

Whitfieldia elongata (white candle) in the Tropical Pavilion. Photo: Blanca Begert.

Native to the Western United States, the oregon-grape is known for producing blue-ish berries that look a bit like grapes. But its bright yellow flowers are pretty exciting, too. 

Mahonia × media ‘Underway’ (Oregon-grape) in the Washington Avenue Border. Photo: Rebecca Bullene.