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Bellefontaine in Bloom

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough The prairie blazing star, Liatrisspicata, is a densely flowering, native perennial growing to 4’ in bloom.  Spikes of tufted, brilliant magenta flowers appear in mid-summer and...Read More

Bellefontaine in Bloom

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough This week is all about hydrangeas. Hydrangeaarborescens, or smooth hydrangea is a lovely native, colonizing shrub that prefers shaded conditions with average soil moisture.  Typically growing...Read More

Bellefontaine in Bloom

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough   First up is shrubby St. John’s wort, Hypericum prolificum, a shrub-like perennial reaching 3’ in height, with numerous branches, a woody base, and shredded bark. ...Read More

Bellefontaine in Bloom

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough Purple poppy mallow (Callirhoe involucrate), is a creeping, spreading Missouri native perennial.  The brilliant magenta blooms appear beginning in late spring and persist through the summer,...Read More

Bellefontaine in Bloom

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough Veronicastrum, or Culver’s root, is an outstanding summer bloomer, with tall, branching spikes of white-lavender flowers.  The name ‘Culver’s root’ refers to Dr. Culver, who prescribed...Read More

Bellefontaine in Bloom

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough Butterfly-weed, Asclepias tuberosa, is a very hardy, drought tolerant, Missouri native perennial with clustered orange blooms in late spring into mid-summer. As the name suggests, this...Read More

Bellefontaine in Bloom

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough The northern catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) is a large, deciduous tree native to Missouri.  The almost chartreuse-green, heart-shaped leaves give this tree a tropical feel and the...Read More

Bellefontaine in Bloom

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough Irises of Wild Wood Valley Blue flag (Iris versicolor), is a wetland iris growing along shorelines or in a few inches of standing water.  The blue...Read More