Bloom Report

“While the warm, wet weather of early January had a few cherry blossoms open and we’ve seen buds swelling on other early blooming plants, we expect normal winter weather the rest of the season. This means our plants and trees will be subjected to the colder temperatures they need to bloom their best this spring.

I enjoy walking the gardens in winter as our gardeners complete projects from planting. From dividing perennials and pruning to mulching to improve paths and restoring stonework along garden streams, this kind of intensive work ensures that Biltmore’s outdoor gardens have something in bloom every month of the year. In early winter, those blooms may be small and hard to find, but walking the garden paths on a nice winter day will brighten most anyone’s spirits. Even in January, a guest might smell the fragrance of a Wintersweet plant in our Shrub and Azalea Gardens. The blooms of Wintersweet are not conspicuous but their fragrance fills the air on warm days. By mid to late winter, Witch Hazels, Cornelian Cherries (actually a type of Dogwood), and Winter Jasmine add color along garden paths. Other shrubs start early as well, including Japanese Pieris, Spirea, Forsythia. The earliest Azaleas start to bloom with the first warm days of March and we’ll have large shrubs in bloom throughout the gardens the entire spring season. The bulb parade begins with Snowdrops in late February, early Daffodils and Crocus not far behind in March, and the saturated colors of Tulips in early to mid-April, which will bring our spring displays to their peak.“

—Parker Andes, Director of Horticulture