Biltmore Bloom Report
May 9, 2024
Biltmore’s Director of Horticulture tells you what’s blooming when (and where!) across the estate.
“I should like to give myself up to this place.”
—Frederick Law Olmsted
This time of year, it’s easy see why America’s foremost landscape architect felt this way about his extraordinary creation: Biltmore’s gardens and grounds. Olmsted could already envision what spring on the estate would look and feel like for George Vanderbilt, his family, and friends. More than 130 years later, Biltmore’s guests get to experience that same feeling.
Thanks to our native Mountain Laurel and Rhododendrons, as well as the Flame and Pinxster Azaleas, the Approach Road is now lined with blooms. The gardens near the house continue to progress through their yearly show. More Roses open each day, signaling peak bloom’s imminent arrival. Peonies provide pops of color throughout the Walled Garden, offering a beautiful complement to White Wisteria, False Indigo, and spring annuals. One of many garden must-sees is the Itoh Peony, a stunning cross between the common Herbaceous Peony and the Tree Peony. Another is the Spring Garden’s Dove Tree, the creamy white bracts of which resemble fluttering doves or pinched handkerchiefs when ruffled by the breeze.
—Bill Quade, Director of Horticulture
What's Blooming This Week
In front of Biltmore’s Conservatory, the Walled Garden’s pattern beds brim with such colorful, full-bloom beauties as Lupine, Snapdragon, Pansy, and Dianthus.
A leisurely stroll through Biltmore’s Azalea Garden offers an abundance of showy lavender Rhododendron blooms and newly leafed-out trees in varying shades of green.
Find the Bass Pond Boathouse in the Azalea Garden to enjoy this stunning view of the rustic structure amid vivid pink Azalea blooms and the surrounding trees’ reflections upon the water.
Within the Hot Room in Biltmore’s Conservatory, bright red Begonias and flame-colored Asiatic Lilies invite closer inspection.
A Chinese Fringe Tree in Biltmore’s Italian Garden lives up to its name—flush with fragrant, fringe-like blooms, it’s a delight for the senses.
Meander along the Shrub Garden paths to take in this view of full-bloom red Roses and a glimpse of Biltmore House’s eastern façade.
Weigela, laden with crimson blooms, welcome the gentle embrace offered by a Blue Weeping Cedar’s downward-reaching branches. See it in Biltmore’s Shrub Garden.
Red Roses, Peonies is varying shades of pink, and white Lupine blooms pop among spring-fresh green foliage in Biltmore’s Walled Garden.
Biltmore’s Evolving Landscape
A General Guide to What Blooms When
March Blooms at Biltmore
March usually offers spring’s first pops of color. Witch hazels, with bursts of orange, red, and yellow, are striking against the evergreens. Joining them are early season Daffodils, Lenten rose (Hellebore), Snowdrop, and Hyacinth, which create a splendid lower canopy of color across the estate.
The early blooming shrubs our gardeners have worked so hard to maintain, such as Japanese pieris, Spirea, and Winter jasmine, offer bold statements. The Cornelian cherry dogwood shows off clusters of tiny star-shaped flowers, and the blossoms of white and black pussy willow in the Azalea Garden signal winter’s passing and spring’s imminent arrival. Now brimming with Tulips, Daffodils, and Grape hyacinth, our Conservatory is also home to a stunning collection of Orchids at peak bloom.
April Blooms at Biltmore
Seasonal Tulips and Daffodils steal the show in April, seen in beds at the estate’s entrance, in the Walled Garden, and in Antler Hill Village. The Redbuds, Serviceberry, and Flowering dogwoods show plenty of color throughout the estate, enhancing the drive up the Approach Road and time spent in our gardens.
Each day, new plants bloom in the gardens near Biltmore House; as Forsythia begins to fade, Quince, Viburnum, and Fothergilla step into the spotlight. Azaleas begin to flower in April, and as their blooms continue to intensify, our Azalea Garden becomes a glorious tapestry of hues.
May Blooms at Biltmore
In May, the Mountain laurels, accompanied by the Catawba hybrid rhododendrons, should be in full bloom along the Approach Road and within the gardens, offering a dazzling welcome for Biltmore’s guests. Adding to this lush, colorful display: Kousa dogwood, Sweetshrub, Mock orange, Yellowwood, and Fringe trees.
Peak bloom builds in the Rose Garden with this month’s warm weather, which will push herbaceous perennials toward making bold color statements of their own. Peony, False indigo, and Iris create a rich layer of color throughout the Walled Garden, a lovely complement to the spring annuals and the blooming American wisteria that grows along the east wall. Quite fragrant, these lovely, drooping lilac-to-bluish-purple clusters also adorn the arbor to the Winery and the trellis behind Village Hotel.
June Blooms at Biltmore
Cool mountain mornings make walks through the gardens a truly delightful experience. The annual summer install is complete and tropical plants that spent the winter months inside greenhouses are now outside for everyone to enjoy.
June is a wonderful time to see a variety of Hydrangeas in bloom throughout the gardens, in Antler Hill Village, and at The Inn. Although they offer smaller blossoms than Hydrangea, Abelia is an equally striking plant to see in bloom; it’s such a joy to watch bees dart in and out of the flowers collecting pollen. With June’s warmer days, perennials will undoubtedly add plenty of color within the Walled Garden and smaller beds across the Shrub Garden.
July Blooms at Biltmore
Biltmore is beautiful in July, offering spectacular views for guests to enjoy throughout our gardens and grounds. In Antler Hill Village, wave upon wave of Sunflowers rise skyward and share their cheerful full-bloom faces.
Hydrangeas, Crepe myrtles, Butterfly bush, Vitex, and Sourwood are blooming, adding a variety of vibrant blossoms and a valuable source of nectar for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
While strolling the gardens, be sure to stop at the Conservatory to see the incredible tropical displays our gardeners have created which feature Palms, Banana, Bromeliads, Begonia, Ginger, Plumeria, and Tropical hibiscus.
August Blooms at Biltmore
By August, the summer annuals—meticulously tended since May by the estate’s talented gardeners—are in full bloom.
The Water lily display in the Italian Garden is an absolute delight as you begin a stroll through the gardens.
The blossoms of Hydrangeas and Abelia throughout the Shrub Garden highlight the taller blooming Crepe myrtle, Vitex, and Butterfly bushes.
