June at Arnold Arboretum

Photos taken at the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, MA, on June 7, 2008.

From the entrance gate, I headed to the rosaceous plants section, where there were a lot of big spireas in bloom, like this one.

Here's a close-up of the spirea blossoms.

The tag on this bush identified it as a swamp rose. There were a lot of bees buzzing about the flowers here.

This one with the distinctive purple-tinted leaves was identified as a red-leaf rose, Rosa glauca.

Rosa scabriscula, according to the tag.

I couldn't find a name tag on this ruffly rose.

This one is a scraggle rose. These were among the larger roses. 3 or 4 inches across, and very showy with blossoms all along the canes.

Your typical garden variety hybrid tea-type rose. The arboretum has a few clumps of these, but their focus is clearly on the different species instead of the kind bred for show.

These umbrella-shaped clusters of little flowers seem like something in the rose family, too (note the 5 petals), but darned if I know what they are.

I'm guessing this is probably a potentilla of some sort. This was in a large spreading clump growing a foot or two high. The individual flowers are very small.

Moving on towards the visitor center, the path bypasses a wetland area and crosses this small stream. The trees are redwoods.

A showy yellow iris growing in the damp ground near the stream.

While I was taking photos of the iris, I heard some blue jays squawking and making a big fuss nearby. I investigated and found that the object of their displeasure was this opossum.

This is an enkianthus, one of the ericaceae -- the same family as rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurels, and blueberries.

These big flowering trees are black locusts, loaded with big clusters of sweet-smelling blossoms. I felt very nostalgic on seeing (and smelling!) these, as we used to have them around our house where I grew up in Michigan.

As you can see from this closeup of the flowers and leaves, the locust trees are essentially overgrown peas! When the flowers are gone, they develop long bean-like seed pods.

The clump of smaller, shrubby locusts nearby had pink flowers rather than white ones.

More locust flowers.

These flowers belong to a yellowwood tree, also in the legume family.

This shrub is a white fringetree (chionanthus) -- in the olive family.

Closeup of the fringetree flowers.

The arboretum is known for its collection of lilacs, but they were already past their peak by the time of my visit. Here's one bunch I spotted that were still blooming nicely.

Nearby there was a weigela, another traditional garden favorite.

These flowers belong to a beautybush, a member of the honeysuckle family.

Many of the paths in the arboretum are lined with mass plantings of azaleas and rhododendrons in a variety of colors.

Some of the azaleas had the flowers growing packed in tight spherical clumps....

....and others had them bunched more loosely.

OK, last azalea, I promise!

My favorites of the ericaceae are actually the mountain laurels (kalmia). On the day I visited the arboretum, the buds were just starting to open up.

The mountain laurels on this sunny slope just below the summit of Bussey Hill were a tad farther along in blooming than those in shadier parts of the garden. Besides the classic white ones like in the previous photo, here there were a riot of colored ones.

Bright pink outside, red speckles inside.

Lighter pink outside, more red inside.

Deep red outside, light pink inside.

These flowers with the very long stamens were growing on a shrub just below the mountain laurel patch; it didn't have a name tag and I'm clueless!

No name tag on this one, either. It looks like a pieris/andromeda, but I'm suspicious because they normally bloom much earlier in the spring. Perhaps it is some related species instead?

Coming down off the hill, here is a Chinese peony.

This is a Solomon's plume -- leaves like the Solomon's seal, but feathery flowers on a stalk instead of bell-shaped ones growing under the leaves. It's a New England native wildflower, in the lily family. I found this patch in a shady area under some other shrubs.

I think this is another weigela. It's certainly one of the brightest-colored plants I saw in the arboretum -- both leaves and flowers!

This is a fontanesia -- like the fringetree, it is a member of the olive family.

Wow, here's a massive honeysuckle. It's at least 15 feet tall.

As the name indicates, honeysuckle is a favorite with bees.

Pretty honeysuckle flowers.

The honeysuckle flowers are white when they first open, and then turn yellow. That's why the same plant seems to have both white and yellow flowers.

This looks like a blackberry bramble. It was growing right next to the honeysuckle.

Heading back towards the entrance gate, I noticed a patch of vibrant blue flowers growing on a shady slope. Best as I can figure, these are some kind of lobelia.

Back to the main photography page.

	From the entrance gate, I headed to the rosaceous plants section, where there were a lot of big spireas in bloom, like this one.
	Here's a close-up of the spirea blossoms.
	The tag on this bush identified it as a swamp rose. There were a lot of bees buzzing about the flowers here.
	This one with the distinctive purple-tinted leaves was identified as a red-leaf rose, Rosa glauca.
	Rosa scabriscula, according to the tag.
	I couldn't find a name tag on this ruffly rose.
	This one is a scraggle rose. These were among the larger roses. 3 or 4 inches across, and very showy with blossoms all along the canes.
	Your typical garden variety hybrid tea-type rose. The arboretum has a few clumps of these, but their focus is clearly on the different species instead of the kind bred for show.
	These umbrella-shaped clusters of little flowers seem like something in the rose family, too (note the 5 petals), but darned if I know what they are.
	I'm guessing this is probably a potentilla of some sort. This was in a large spreading clump growing a foot or two high. The individual flowers are very small.
	Moving on towards the visitor center, the path bypasses a wetland area and crosses this small stream. The trees are redwoods.
	A showy yellow iris growing in the damp ground near the stream.
	While I was taking photos of the iris, I heard some blue jays squawking and making a big fuss nearby. I investigated and found that the object of their displeasure was this opossum.
	This is an enkianthus, one of the ericaceae -- the same family as rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurels, and blueberries.
	These big flowering trees are black locusts, loaded with big clusters of sweet-smelling blossoms. I felt very nostalgic on seeing (and smelling!) these, as we used to have them around our house where I grew up in Michigan.
	As you can see from this closeup of the flowers and leaves, the locust trees are essentially overgrown peas! When the flowers are gone, they develop long bean-like seed pods.
	The clump of smaller, shrubby locusts nearby had pink flowers rather than white ones.
	More locust flowers.
	These flowers belong to a yellowwood tree, also in the legume family.
	This shrub is a white fringetree (chionanthus) -- in the olive family.
	Closeup of the fringetree flowers.
	The arboretum is known for its collection of lilacs, but they were already past their peak by the time of my visit. Here's one bunch I spotted that were still blooming nicely.
	Nearby there was a weigela, another traditional garden favorite.
	These flowers belong to a beautybush, a member of the honeysuckle family.
	Many of the paths in the arboretum are lined with mass plantings of azaleas and rhododendrons in a variety of colors.

	Some of the azaleas had the flowers growing packed in tight spherical clumps....
	....and others had them bunched more loosely.


	OK, last azalea, I promise!
	My favorites of the ericaceae are actually the mountain laurels (kalmia). On the day I visited the arboretum, the buds were just starting to open up.
	The mountain laurels on this sunny slope just below the summit of Bussey Hill were a tad farther along in blooming than those in shadier parts of the garden. Besides the classic white ones like in the previous photo, here there were a riot of colored ones.
	Bright pink outside, red speckles inside.
	Lighter pink outside, more red inside.
	Deep red outside, light pink inside.
	These flowers with the very long stamens were growing on a shrub just below the mountain laurel patch; it didn't have a name tag and I'm clueless!
	No name tag on this one, either. It looks like a pieris/andromeda, but I'm suspicious because they normally bloom much earlier in the spring. Perhaps it is some related species instead?
	Coming down off the hill, here is a Chinese peony.
	This is a Solomon's plume -- leaves like the Solomon's seal, but feathery flowers on a stalk instead of bell-shaped ones growing under the leaves. It's a New England native wildflower, in the lily family. I found this patch in a shady area under some other shrubs.
	I think this is another weigela. It's certainly one of the brightest-colored plants I saw in the arboretum -- both leaves and flowers!
	This is a fontanesia -- like the fringetree, it is a member of the olive family.
	Wow, here's a massive honeysuckle. It's at least 15 feet tall.
	As the name indicates, honeysuckle is a favorite with bees.
	Pretty honeysuckle flowers.
	The honeysuckle flowers are white when they first open, and then turn yellow. That's why the same plant seems to have both white and yellow flowers.
	This looks like a blackberry bramble. It was growing right next to the honeysuckle.
	Heading back towards the entrance gate, I noticed a patch of vibrant blue flowers growing on a shady slope. Best as I can figure, these are some kind of lobelia.