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Bloom Report
August 2023 Bloom Report
For a sneak peek at how color is transforming our gardens and grounds, review our Bloom Report.
Bill Quade, Biltmore’s Director of Horticulture, tells you what’s blooming when (and where!) across our magnificent estate.
An August visit to the estate is incomplete without a stop in the Walled Garden and Conservatory. With borders brimming with various perennials and pattern beds filled with tall brightly-hued Mexican Sunflowers, Celosia, Cannas, and Lantana, the Walled Garden is a kaleidoscope of color.
Grapes continue to ripen on the grape arbor—which Olmsted dubbed the “Vine-Clad Arbor”—that divides this glorious garden in half. Find a shady spot to sit and drink in the beauty that surrounds you. For another treat for the senses, follow your moment of repose with a stroll inside the Conservatory, where our talented horticulture staff has created a tropical oasis alive with color and texture.
Elsewhere on the estate, summer-blooming shrubs Abelia, Chaste Tree, Butterfly Bush, and Clethra burst with fragrant, vigorous blooms; it’s a joy to watch pollinators dance in, out, and among them. Also contributing their own splendid estate-wide show of color are the bold and plentiful blooms of our various Hydrangeas. Join us soon for a dazzling and truly delightful experience.
—Bill Quade, Director of Horticulture
Explore Biltmore’s Historic Gardens
An abundance of colorful flowers and shrubs invite you into the Conservatory.
A lovely selfie opportunity awaits you in front of this lush, towering tropical display within Biltmore’s soaring glass-roofed Conservatory.
This view of Biltmore House’s South Terrace is yours as you stroll among the Italian Garden’s pools.
The flowers of the Trumpet Vine attract a wide variety of pollinators, from busy bees to high-flying hummingbirds. Find it on Biltmore House’s Library Terrace.
Here in the Shrub Garden, the pink blooms of Hydrangea and Abelia bushes stand out against the soft, soothing greens of surrounding foliage.
Featuring Coleus, Hibiscus, and more, this tropical planter welcomes you to Biltmore House.
Stroll the Walled Garden paths to take in eye-catching Coneflowers, tall grasses, Bananas, Daylilies, and more.
Lover of full-sun, hot summer temperatures, and afternoon shade, lush lavender spills gently over this section of the Walled Garden.
Biltmore’s Conservatory beckons behind this blend of soft Feather Grass, blazing red Celosia, and tall orange-yellow Mexican Sunflowers.
Also known as Coppertips and Falling Stars, Crocosmia’s colorful blooms offer up a subtle scent that attracts hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
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.
