Plants of the Week: July 14

Consolida ambigua ‘Sublime Pink’

Our larkspur is finally blooming! It took a while for it to show much promise this year, but now some of them are starting to do their thing. Flowering along the racemes of this cultivar are fine, rosey-pink flowers with wavy petals and dark green veins. The inflorescence juts above the stalk, which is feathered with deeply dissected leaves that are filamentous in appearance.  A member of the Ranunculaceae family, the species, though once part of the genus Delphinium, has recently has been changed. Now that it is flowering, it is a nice addition to the color palate of the Scott Entrance Garden. photo credit: J. Bickel

Bletilla striata:

Commonly called the Chinese ground orchid, this Eastern Asian native is a real treat up-close and personal.  Beautiful, showy flowers excite the eye with shades from rich purples to whites. The bottom lip of the orchid is lined with interesting wavy, parallel folds that are white, dappled with dark-purple dots and stripes; I find it somewhat reminiscent of a Victorian ballgown. Often seen blooming May into Early June in the Terry Shane Teaching Garden. photo credit: J. Bickel

Calycanthus raulstonii ‘Hartlage Wine’:

Sometimes called Eastern sweetshrub or Raulston’s allspice. It presents large, showy, fragrant flowers of deep maroon with hints of white at the tips. Leaves are glossy and larger than the species sweetshrub; some would say the flowers have a more pleasant scent, vaguely reminiscent of pineapples. Generally 5’- 10’, this cultivar can be a nice variation from the commonly seen Calycanthus floridus. Can be seen blooming in the Terry Shane Teaching Garden. photo credit: J. Bickel