What’s in Bloom

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allium, Boston, gardening, horticulture, rose kennedy greenway, Urban park

All About Allium

Every year around this time our Horticulturists encounter one question above all others: “What is THAT?” Of our most perennially popular plants, the genus Allium stands out as a public favorite in the Fort Point Channel Parks. We currently have nine unique varieties of these marvelous bulbs, all varying in size, shape, or color. After a hugely successful bulb planting last fall, we have been quite pleased to see some of these varieties in the parks for the first time, along with a number of other new bulb additions. You may notice a familiar savory smell if you happen past one of the broken stalks of these plants, commonly known as ‘Ornamental Onions’.

Within the genus Allium are not only the globe-shaped flowers that we have come to adore, but also many staples of our culinary tastes: onions, garlic, chives, leeks, scallions, and shallots. Most of our Allium bulbs have an inflorescence (or cluster of flowers) called an ‘umbel’, which is defined by a number of flower stalks of equal length emerging from a fixed point, which in this case is at the top of the stem or ‘scape’. This form gives these bulbs a dramatic architecture that is extremely unique in the landscape. Not only have we observed the value of our Allium varieties in terms of aesthetics, but they also have proved to be excellent attractors of pollinators! Here is a guide to our many Allium, see how many you can spot in the parks!

The Star of Persia (Allium christophii) has an open umbel, with many flower stalks comprising a very large and loosely-formed globe. These flowers are muted purple with a silvery sheen.

The Star of Persia (Allium christophii)

Allium ‘Firmament’ produces a dark silvery-purple flower with an almost flat bottom. This half-globe is about the size of a baseball atop a two foot tall scape.

Allium ‘Firmament’

Allium giganteum is one of the tallest ornamental onions, and has a similarly dense purple umbel as ‘Globemaster’ but is only half as large.

Allium giganteum

Allium ‘Globemaster’ is one of the most popular hybrids in cultivation. These don’t grow as tall as other Allium, but produce large dense lilac-purple flowers up to 10 inches in diameter.

Allium ‘Globemaster’

Black Garlic (Allium nigrum) produces a somewhat flat umbel of dense white flowers, and grows up to two and a half feet tall. This unique species not only attracts plant enthusiasts, but it also seems to be popular with Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies!

Black Garlic (Allium nigrum)

Allium schubertii is one of the most unique ornamental onions, with huge fireworks of flowers sitting on very short scapes. This bulb’s rosy star-shaped flowers are attached to stalks of unequal length, giving it a loose form with a very large diameter.

Allium schubertii

The Three-cornered Leek (Allium triquetrum) is our earliest blooming Allium, and a bit different from the rest of its showy globe-flowered relatives. This understated bulb has drooping white flowers that sit atop a single scape.

The Three-cornered Leek (Allium triquetrum)

Allium ‘White Giant’ grows up to five feet tall and has white flowers in a globe approximately 6 inches in diameter. This stunning variety blooms in late spring and is unfortunately finished this season, so if you didn’t get a chance to catch it this year make sure to mark your calendars for next year.

Allium ‘White Giant’

The last ornamental onion of the bunch is the Drumstick Allium (Allium sphaerocephalon), which won’t bloom for another couple of weeks. This Allium has a small egg-shaped flower head that starts off green and changes to wine-red over time. We just observed its first bud break today!

Drumstick Allium (Allium sphaerocephalon)

What’s in Bloom

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Boston, gardening, horticulture, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, urban gardening, What's in bloom?

Spring has officially arrived on our calendars, as well as in our landscape. Our earliest blooming plants, the hybrid Witch-hazels and Snowdrops, are at the end of their flowering cycle for the season, but our spring-bloomers are eagerly beginning. The next few weeks will bring a profusion of brightly colored bulbs, and some of our daffodils have already started to bloom through the Wharf District Parks Promenade. 

Daffodil (Narcissus ‘Tete-a-tete’)
Narcissus ‘tete-a-tete’ is a very early-blooming miniature daffodil with buttery-yellow flowers.

Daffodil

Red Maple Tree (Acer rubrum)
Red Maple trees are often praised for their gorgeous fall color, but their delicate, bright red flowers are equally valuable in the landscape. From the North End Parks through Fort Point Channel, our Red Maple cultivars have come into spring bursting with vibrant blooms.

Red Maple Tree

Golden Glory (Cornus mas)
Our Cornelian Cherries are full of tiny, star-shaped yellow flowers in the Fort Point Channel Parks. This selection is called ‘Golden Glory’, and is said to be the best flowering cultivar.

Golden Glory

Okame Cherry Tree (Prunus ‘Okame’)
One of the most beloved spring-flowering trees is the Cherry, and we have a few outstanding specimens that are not-to-be-missed this spring. Our Okame Cherry trees (Prunus ‘Okame’) are fully in bloom in the Urban Arboretum. These rosy pink flowers were attracting a swarm of pollinators earlier this week, and we hope that you’ll take a moment to enjoy them, too!

Okame Cherry Tree

Okame Cherry Tree

 

What’s in Bloom

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gardening, horticulture, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Urban park, What's in bloom?

Our spring cleanups have begun and we already have to tread lightly over the fragile bulb foliage coming up under foot. Our whole staff is looking forward to the display this spring, with ten different varieties of alliums, drifts of daffodils and crocus, and a number of other bulbs planted in our parks.

Our Snowdrops are still blooming throughout the Fort Point Channel Parks and the Wharf District Promenade. In addition to the Giant Snowdrops (Galanthus elwesii), we have Common Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) as well as a lovely cultivar called ‘Flore Pleno’. We spotted this demure double-flowered cultivar standing no more than 3 inches tall in the promenade, which just goes to show what you can miss if you don’t take the time to look!

‘Flore Pleno’ Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis ‘Flore Pleno’)

‘Flore Pleno’ Snowdrop

Some of our favorite early spring bloomers are the Witch Hazels, which began blooming in February. While some of them are nearing the end of their flowering, the ‘Arnold Promise’ cultivar is still covered in sweetly fragrant yellow flowers in the Fort Point Channel Parks. Each bright yellow flower has four narrow petals which meet at a reddish cup-shaped calyx, which is the outer-most whorl of parts that form the flower. The Arnold Arboretum in nearby Jamaica Plain introduced the ‘Arnold Promise’ cultivar, which is still considered to be one of the best selections of the Chinese and Japanese witch hazel hybrids. This cultivar was chosen out of a handful of seedlings hybridized in 1928 by William Judd, the propagator at the time.

‘Arnold Promise’ Witch Hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Arnold Promise’)

‘Arnold Promise’ Witch Hazel

The Japanese Cornel (Cornus officinalis) is another woody plant flowering this week. This species of Cornus appears to be similar to the better-known Cornus mas, or Cornelian Cherry, but flowers earlier and is used as a medicinal plant in its native China, Japan, and Korea. While walking through the Urban Arboretum we could not help but notice the bright yellow flowers covering the plant, and upon closer inspection we were delighted to find that the bees were enjoying them as well!

Japanese Cornel (Cornus officinalis)

Japanese Cornel

To see other horticultural highlights check out our Flickr photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rose_fitzgerald_kennedy_greenway/sets/72157628536832535/

What’s in Bloom

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gardening, horticulture, rose kennedy greenway, urban gardening, Urban park, What's in bloom?, winter

We have enjoyed an unseasonably warm fall as we continue our work out in the parks, but the winter chill has begun to descend upon us. As the very last autumn leaves fall the evergreen trees and shrubs are becoming the focal point. We have recently dressed up our containers with beautiful specimens of trees and cut greens just in time for the holidays, and the evergreens in the parks have cones, needles, and beautiful bark to display. Along with mass plantings of Yews, Hollies, and other shrubs in the park, we have some outstanding evergreen specimens that stand alone as ornamental landscape plants.

Lacebark Pine (Pinus bungeana)
The Chinatown Park is home to one of our larger ornamental evergreens, the Lacebark Pine (Pinus bungeana). This particular tree was recently rehabilitated after being damaged during the previous winter, and we are very pleased to see it looking healthier and stronger. The Lacebark Pine is a multi-stemmed tree with a broad and open form and medium length green needles. It produces ovular cones between 2 and 3 inches long with broad, spiky scales. Perhaps the most notable feature of the Lacebark Pine is its multi-colored exfoliating bark, from which the name is derived.

Lacebark Pine

Lacebark

The Tanyosho Pine (Pinus densiflora ‘Umbraculifera’)
The Tanyosho Pine  is a dwarf cultivar and another multi-stemmed Pine that has found a home on the Greenway. Dotted throughout the Fort Point Channel Parks, the Tanyosho Pine has a distinctive broad and rounded habit, with all of its stems forming an umbrella-like canopy at the top. These trees bear clusters of small seed cones prolifically, and also have attractive reddish bark that can be easily seen under their dark green canopies.

Tanyosho Pine

Tanyosho Pine Cones

‘Grey Owl’ Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana ‘Grey Owl’)
The Wharf District Parks are home to a particularly lovely native evergreen shrub, the ‘Grey Owl’ Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana ‘Grey Owl’). This Juniper rarely grows more than 3 feet in height, but expands outward in a spreading habit. The needles of the ‘Grey Owl’ Eastern Red Cedar are silvery-grey and filled with showy blue seed cones that resemble berries.

Juniper

What’s in Bloom

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Boston, gardening, greenway, horticulture, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, rose kennedy greenway, urban gardening, Urban park, What's in bloom?, winter

As the last full month of fall draws to a close, our deciduous trees are almost completely bare and we are working to prepare the garden beds for winter by cutting back perennials and cleaning up the fallen leaves. Take advantage of these beautiful days by getting outside to admire the changing landscape.

Ginkgo Biloba
The Ginkgo trees in Chinatown are putting on one of the final, spectacular shows of fall color over the coming days. Ginkgo biloba, also known as the Maidenhair Tree, is a deciduous tree native to Eastern China. The Ginkgo’s leaves are fan-shaped and bright green in the spring and summer, finally turning to a brilliant gold before they drop. Ginkgo biloba is well-known for its medicinal uses in memory enhancement, but among horticulturists and botanists it may be more famous for its interesting reproductive habits and odorous female fruit.

Gingko Biloba

‘Henry’s Garnet’ Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’)
In the Fort Point Channel Parks there is still life and color springing forth out of the gardens. Many of our roses and hydrangeas are continuing to bloom for just a bit longer, and there are still splashes of fall color. The foliage of the ‘Henry’s Garnet’ Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’) has turned a deep shade of burgundy. This cultivar of Virginia Sweetspire bears especially long cascades of raceme-flowers, adapts well to sunny and partially-shaded environments, and holds onto its beautiful fall foliage for an unusually long time.

‘Henry’s Garnet’ Virginia Sweetspire

‘Red Sprite’ Winterberry (Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’)
Our Winterberry Hollies began to fruit weeks ago, but now that they are shedding their leaves the bright red berries may be more noticeable clinging to the bare branches. ‘Red Sprite’ Winterberry (Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’) is a native cultivar that is compact and rounded, with large berries in the fall and winter months. The ‘Red Sprite’ winterberries can be seen fruiting throughout our Wharf District Parks

‘Red Sprite’ Winterberry

What’s in Bloom

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Boston, fall color, gardening, greenway, horticulture, organic gardening, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, rose kennedy greenway, urban gardening, Urban park, What's in bloom?

The Greenway is still ablaze with vibrant fall colors, so don’t delay in coming to take an autumn stroll through the parks.

Honeylocust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis)  & Thread Leaf Blue Stars (Amsonia hubrichtii)

The Fort Point Channel Parks are golden this week with bright Honeylocust trees (Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis) and Thread Leaf Blue Stars (Amsonia hubrichtii). The Thread Leaf Blue Star is an herbaceous perennial that produces delicate star-shaped flowers in the spring. The Blue Star’s foliage is long and very fine, and takes on a beautiful shade of yellow in the fall. Amsonia hubrichtii was named the Perennial Plant Association’s 2011 Plant of the Year, and it has certainly proved to be of interest in multiple seasons here on the Greenway!

Honeylocust Tree

Thread Leaf Blue Stars

Sweetgum trees (Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Moraine’)

The Wharf District has a number of trees and shrubs that are showing fall color, including Maples, Ironwoods, Black Gums, and Sweetgums. The Sweetgum trees (Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Moraine’) are native trees with star-shaped leaves that look similar to maple leaves, and turn red before they drop.

Sweetgum Tree

Cranberrybush Viburnums (Viburnum trilobum ‘Spring Green Compact’)

Also in color in the Wharf District are the Cranberrybush Viburnums (Viburnum trilobum ‘Spring Green Compact’), which are gradually turning a bright cranberry red. We have a variety of Viburnums throughout the Greenway which produce clusters of red berries, and take on shades of red for the fall before they drop their leaves. They can be seen from the North End to the Fort Point Channel Parks.

Cranberrybush Viburnums

Preparing for Winter

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Boston, gardening, Green and Grow, greenway, horticulture, organic gardening, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, sustainability, urban gardening, Urban park, winter

As winter approaches the Greenway’s Horticulture and Maintenance staff have been busily preparing for the coming months of cold weather and snow. There is a large amount of behind the scenes planning and work that goes into putting the Greenway’s lawns and garden beds to rest for the winter and the Green & Grow Apprentices are learning all about it.  For the past month, the apprentices have been hard at work weeding, planting bulbs, and pruning shrubs.

The Greenway is managed organically and we never use chemicals to get rid of unwanted weeds. Demonstrating their commitment to sustainable landscape practices, the horticulture staff and the apprentices managed to remove all of the plantains and dandelions from the lawns this fall by hand!  Removing these plants ensures that they won’t be back in the spring and that our lawns will be even healthier and happier next year!

Diana and Asha removing broad-leaf weeds from the lawns in the Fort Point Channel Parks

The Green & Grow apprentices have also taken on the fall task of pruning and are fast to mastering the methods used by our own horticulturalists.  One Apprentice, Noelia, reflected on the task: “When we got to Chinatown it was clear that the plants were getting in people’s way.  When we were finished, I felt as though people will walk by and say, ‘Wow, what a really nice job they did.’  I feel good about the work we did today, it looks so much better!”

Hughes employing the skills he learned in the classroom to the garden beds in Chinatown

Thanks to the apprentices, there will be another huge splash of color on the Greenway this spring! The Apprentices planted over 700 crocus bulbs in the lawns of Fort Point Channel that will be ready to pop up and show their colors in approximately 110 days!

Planting bulbs in Fort Point Channel Parks

What’s in Bloom

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Boston, fall color, gardening, greenway, horticulture, new england, Rose F. Kennedy Greenway, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, rose kennedy greenway, urban gardening, Urban park, What's in bloom?

As winter approaches many people dreading the dreary upcoming months may dismiss the idea of a beautiful winter landscape. We still have a few weeks left of fall color, but as our trees and shrubs lose their leaves and the perennials are cut down or covered with a blanket of snow, beautiful aspects of plants that may have previously been hidden will be revealed.

Chinese Elm (Ulmus parvifolia ‘Dynasty’)

Chinatown is rich with autumnal colors, but there are more subtle botanical features to be enjoyed as well. Our Chinese Elms (Ulmus parvifolia ‘Dynasty’) along Kingston Street have recently put out their delicate, pink to reddish-tinged fruit. Elms produce a fibrous, papery fruit called a samara. The seed is held in the center of what appear to be papery wings, which effectively carry the fruit far away from its parent tree. As the Chinese Elms lose their fruit and leaves, the nude branches and revealed trunk display one of the tree’s most beautiful qualities- its bark! Ulmus parvofoliaare also known as Lacebark Elms due to their exfoliating, piecey bark, which takes on shades of gray, brown, green, and orange.

Chinese Elm

Lowbush Blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium ‘Putte’) 

The Fort Point Channel Parks have been transformed by the colors of Fall, with red and orange-tinged Maple leaves, fiery-foliaged Amelanchiers, and plump red Winterberry Holly and Cranberrybush Viburnum fruit. Also in color for the fall are a few of our smaller woody plants. The Lowbush Blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium ‘Putte’) have turned a deep red for the fall, and the ‘Henry Garnet’ Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica‘Henry’s Garnet’) are turning a rich shade of burgundy.

Lowbush Blueberries

Red Sunset Maple(Acer Rubrum ‘Franksred’) 

Enjoy a stroll through the Greenway soon and enjoy one of the most classic New England fall sightings: a fiery red Maple tree. The Red Sunset Maple (Acer Rubrum‘Franksred’) is one of the most popular cultivars of Red Maples due to its vigorous growth, disease and pest resistance, and most notably its vibrant fall color. We have several Red Sunset Maples throughout the Fort Point Channel, Wharf District, and North End Parks.

Red Sunset Maple

 

What’s in Bloom

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Boston, Fall, gardening, greenway, horticulture, Rose F. Kennedy Greenway, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, rose kennedy greenway, urban gardening, Urban park, What's in bloom?

Lady in Black Aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum ‘Lady in Black’)

The Lady in Black Aster typically grows up to three feet tall in a mounded form with dusky purple foliage.  This Aster bears many tiny white flowers with rosy eyes, and does well in most soil conditions with an average amount of sunlight. It is recommended to pinch back these plants in the early summer to promote better branching and flowering. See our Ladies in Black in bloom in the Fort Point Channel Parks just south of Pearl Street.

Lady in Black Aster

Cockspur Hawthorn (Crataegus crus-galli var. inermis)

Cockspur Hawthorns are bearing clusters of fleshy red fruit in the Wharf District Parks. The Cockspur Hawthorn is a medium-sized deciduous tree that produces small white flowers in the spring and red pome fruit in the fall. Crataegus crus-galli var. inermis is a variety of Cockspur Hawthorne similar to the straight species with bright red fruit but without thorns.

Cockspur Hawthorn

Purple-stemmed Aster (Symphyotrichum puniceum)

The Purple-stemmed Aster is another native Aster that can be seen blooming throughout the Wharf District Parks. It typically (but not always) has reddish or purplish hairy branching stems. The word ‘Aster’ comes from the Greek language, meaning ‘a star’, to describe Symphyotrichum’s disc flowers. Purple-stemmed Asters bear clusters of disc flowers which are light purple to blue with a yellow center.

Purple-stemmed Aster

What’s in Bloom

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Boston, gardening, greenway, horticulture, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, rose kennedy greenway, urban gardening, Urban park, What's in bloom?

As the mercury drops the Greenway continues to bloom. Bundle up and take a stroll to check out these fall flowers.

Goldenrod (Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’)

Our native Solidago rugosa ‘Fireworks’ are flowering explosively throughout the Fort Point Channel and Wharf District Parks. This cultivar of Goldenrod has draping plumes of dense, tiny yellow flowers, and grows more compactly than the straight species. Solidago rugosaare easily grown in full sun and moist, well-drained soil, and ‘Fireworks’ can tolerate moister soils than the other Goldenrods. These fall-flowering perennials are very attractive to pollinators looking to build up their winter stores or fuel up for their migration to warmer climates.

Goldenrod

Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata)

The Japanese Yew is a very popular evergreen that can grow as a spreading multi-stemmed shrub and is typically found in New England gardens as a hedge. If a yew grows as a single-trunked tree, it can reach up to 40 feet in height with beautifully scaled reddish-brown bark. The Greenway is home to three different varieties of Taxus cuspidata, all of which are currently bearing subtle but attractive fleshy red fruit. Taxus cuspidata‘Emerald Spreader’ can be seen in the North End. This variety of Japanese yew only grows to three feet in height, but has spreading growth habits (as its name suggests) to ten feet in width.

Japanese Yew

Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clematis ternifolia)

The Sweet Autumn Clematis continues to bloom on the North End pergolas. This vine becomes filled with fragrant white flowers in the early fall, each with four petal-like sepals. If grown without the structural support of a post of some sort, Sweet Autumn Clematis will grow along the ground as vigorous ground-cover. Clematis ternifolia can be grown in well-drained soil and full sun to partial shade, but unlike other Clematis it will bloom well in shady conditions.

Sweet Autumn Clematis