February Thaw-Winter Flower Show

The Marjorie McNeely Horticulture Staff has just finished installing our latest Winter themed Sunken Garden Show. The plants you can expect to see in the 2010 show include azaleas, cyclamen, cineraria, freesia, oriental lilies, and pansies. We are also featuring some very fragrant shrub camellias.

One plant that we get asked quite a few questions about is Veltheimia. This plant is in the bulb category, and is native to the Eastern part of South Africa. A common name for this plant is Forest Lily. The leaves can be one foot long, are glossy, and bright to dark green. They produce a rosette of a dozen or more leaves, and have wavy margins. The flowers are on 1-2’ stalks, and resemble a spike on a red hot poker plant. They come in shades of pink, mottled pink or a green-yellow color. It is one plant that adds a sculptural element to the show.

The Winter Show runs from January 30 to March 21, 2010. The color scheme of pinks, reds, and purples would make a perfect backdrop for a picture of your Valentine sweetheart.