So long! Farewell! Auf Wiedersehen goodnight, Spring Blooms! It seems fitting to sing that to you right before Mother’s Day. The Sound of Music was my Mom’s favorite movie. I was even dragged to a sing-along performance (like a wholesome Rocky Horror) at our local theater as a pre-teen. I secretly loved it…

I debated just skipping this last update of the season. The storms kept me from getting out into The Garden with my camera. You don’t really need convincing to get out there and enjoy this beautiful week. Our Learning Innovation team is gearing up for First Thursday and Mother’s Day weekend with all kinds of fun activities. The chill that settled in last week has kept the plants in a state of suspended animation. Most of my highlights still apply.

It didn’t quite feel right leaving you without saying goodbye, though, as we shift away from the thrills of spring towards the balmy tropics of an Indiana summer. In the upcoming weeks, The Garden will continue to be filled with fresh, lush plants hurtling towards their summer looks.

Perennials, shrubs, and ornamental onions will be carrying us through as the Horticulture team diligently works to unload trucks of plants and swap out their displays, painting with a new palette of plants for you to enjoy through the first frost this autumn.

The Richard D. Wood Formal Garden is paying homage to its historic Olmsted Brothers firm design, sporting roses (Rosa ‘William Baffin’, right) in all their glory. I don’t identify as a rose girl myself, but even I can’t help smiling as the prickly gals scrambling over the arbors share their delightful blossoms. Roses are well-known for their powerful scents produced by oils released on lower petal surfaces. That legendary fragrance is often forgone in modern breeding, favoring disease resistance and flower size. Stop and see if you can smell our roses!

Peonies are blousy, loud, and everywhere. Enjoy these fleeting moments of softball-sized flowers (Paeonia ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ in the R. D. Wood Formal Garden).

With that, in the spirit of that other beloved Dame Julie Andrews nanny, I’ll open my umbrella and go off with the wind. It’s time to drift towards the next season’s great adventures. I’ll miss our weekly chats, and look forward to seeing you in The Garden!

Jaime Frye