News

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough The passionflower is a fascinating genus containing a number of vining species, each displaying a spectacular flower with an interesting history.  In the 15th century, Spanish missionaries traveling to the Americas encountered different species of Passiflora, and upon describing the plant, they adopted the unique characteristics of the leaves, stems, and...

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough One of the more curious plants at Bellefontaine is the Franklin tree (Franklinia alatamaha).  With a storied history, the Franklin tree has confounded the botanical world since its discovery in the late 18th century.  John and William Bartram, father-and-son botanists, first described Franklinia during their travels through the southeastern United States. ...

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough The recently established meadow in Bellefontaine Cemetery’s Evergreen Meadow was seeded this past February with a mixture of native grasses and perennials.  Also included are a few annual and biennial species, such as the black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). These short-lived plants provide quick color, to distinguish the meadow as a work-in-progress,...

Horticulture Supervisor, Kyle Cheesborough For the cutting garden in Bellefontaine Cemetery’s Garden of Angels, a consistent supply of blooming plants is necessary.  The summer beauty onion, Allium ‘Summer Beauty’, is a reliable summer blooming bulb, producing numerous globe-shaped flower clusters sitting about eight inches above the rosette of narrow foliage.  As the name suggests, the...