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Bloom Report
May 18, 2022 Bloom Report
For a sneak peek at how color is transforming our gardens and grounds, review our Bloom Report.
Bill Quade, Biltmore’s Senior Manager of Horticulture, tells you what’s blooming when (and where!) across our magnificent estate. Plus, see answers to some of our frequently asked garden questions!
The mountain laurels, accompanied by the Catawba hybrid rhododendrons, are now in full bloom along the Approach Road and within the gardens, offering a stunning welcome for Biltmore’s guests. Adding to this lush, colorful display: Kousa dogwood, sweetshrub, mock orange, yellowwood, and fringe trees.
As I strolled the gardens this week, my attention was drawn to the Rose Garden where peak bloom will continue to build this month. The recent warm weather has herbaceous perennials nearly ready to make 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.
As the weeks-long installation of summer annuals across the property continues, guests will soon see large tropical plants in displays as well as different combinations of coleus, sunflowers, impatiens, and lantana in the Walled Garden.
“I must have flowers, always, and always.” ― Claude Monet
—Bill Quade, Senior Manager of Horticulture
Enjoy Recent Photos From the Estate
Rhododendrons along the Approach Road
Blooming mountain laurel on the Approach Road
Roses in the Rose Garden
Blue irises in the Walled Garden
Vine covered arbor in the Walled Garden
Fringe tree in the Shrub Garden
Wisteria at Antler Hill
Bearded iris in the Walled Garden
Blooms in the Rose Garden
Conservatory: Orchids, Begonias, Calla Lily, Hydrangea, Medinilla, Chenille Plant, Angel’s Trumpet, Brunfelsia, Kalanchoe, Flamingo Flower
Shrub Garden: Viburnum, Iris, Buckeye, Sweetshrub, Fringe Tree, Smoke Tree, Spirea, Mountain Laurel, Deutzia, Rose
Spring Garden: Rhododendron, Mountain Laurel, Drooping Leucothoe, Sweetshrub, Spirea, Deutzia, Fringe Tree, Holly
Azalea Garden: Rhododendron, Azaleas, Drooping Leucothoe, Iris, Kousa Dogwood, Lilies of the Valley, Sweetshrub, Mountain Laurel, Fringe Tree, Deutzia
Walled Garden: Ornamental Onion, Dianthus, Pansy, Snapdragon, Stock, Iris, Roses, False Indigo, Peony, Fringe Tree
Entry and Approach Road: Rhododendron, Drooping Leucothoe, Sweetshrub, Mountain Laurel, Kousa Dogwood, Anise, Fringe Tree, Ninebark, Virginia Sweetspire, Mock Orange
Inn on Biltmore Estate: Rhododendron, Drooping Leucothoe, American Wisteria, Climbing Hydrangea, Sweetshrub, Azalea, Kousa Dogwood, False Indigo, Deutzia, Ninebark
Antler Hill Village / Winery: Yellowwood, Rhododendron, American Wisteria, Fringe Tree, Peony, Iris, Azalea, False Indigo, Rose, Kousa Dogwood
Recent Guest Questions
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When is the best time to visit to see spring flowers?
April through May, although Mid-March is when the spring blooms start.
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When can I see azaleas in bloom?
The early-blooming azaleas have already started to bloom. As we continue through April, more will start to show color and be very noticeable starting the second week in April.
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When will the roses bloom?
The roses’ first flush of blooms is generally opening by Mother’s Day through the end of May. After that, we get intermittent summer blooming with a full flush again in September.
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When will the cherry trees bloom?
We expect the cherries to be in bloom the third and last week of March.
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Do you plant your tulips in pots outside?
No. The forced bulbs you see inside the Conservatory are potted up in November and then kept in a walk-in cooler for a specified number of days. They are then brought up to our production house to finish growing before being placed in the Conservatory. The bulbs you see planted at the main gate, entrance beds at Antler Hill Village, and the Walled Garden pattern beds are all planted in November. The supervisors of each area work to select early-, mid-, and late-blooming varieties to have bulbs blooming from March through the middle of April.
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What do you do with your tulips at the end of the season?
We select hybrid tulips that provide the best bloom possible. As a result, blooms will diminish in future years. Each year we dig up all the tulips and compost them. The compost is then used in fields across the estate as a soil amendment.
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When do you start feeding the Koi in the Italian Garden?
As soon as the water temperature reaches 50 degrees or higher. We’ll feed them from approximately early May until mid-October.
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What is the large ball we see blooming at the Front Entrance, Walled Garden, and Village?
This is allium, more commonly referred to as ornamental onion.
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What's the fragrant plant along the steps from the Conservatory down to A Gardener's Place?
Edgeworthia.
