University of Maryland Arboretum and Botanical Garden

06/01/2026

06/01/2026

Kniphofia 'Bee's Sunset' from Digging Dog Nursery was planted in the spring of 2021 in Hummingbird Alley on the south side of the Architecture Building. It is on the large size for a Kniphofia and I couldn't be happier. No rebloom from this one, but it still will always have a place in our garden. It is low care and big enough to hold its own against most weeds. It just gets bigger and better every year. We started with 3 plants in a triangular spacing. They make a nice texture addition to the bed even when it is not in bloom; however, at the moment it is stunning in my opinion.

photos by Sam Bahr, horticulturist

05/31/2026

See you this summer! 🥕🥬🥒🍅

05/24/2026

This photo shows how the Virginia Cup Plant (Silphium connatum) got its name.

photo and post by Sam Bahr, horticulturist

05/24/2026

One of our toughest roses to full sun and heat has proven to be 'Belinda's Dream' Shrub Rose. It can also thrive in part shade on the north side of a building without additional shade from trees or other structures. The flowers are extremely large, wonderfully fragrant and do not flop downwards like so many of the David Austin Roses. The David Austin roses have proven to be very disease prone in our hot, humid summer climate; however, 'Belinda's Dream' Rose is very disease tolerant and returns with a big splash of color every spring as well as in the fall.

'Belinda's Dream' Rose has an all-American heritage as it was bred by Dr. Robert E. Basye, a Texas A&M Mathematics professor. It has won an Earth Kind Rose award for its disease resistance and good performance. We let these 'Belinda's Dream' Rose grow several years before cutting them back in late spring after they already had leaves on it. I am not recommending pruning that late; however, the 'Belinda's Dream' Rose and the adjacent 'Ducher' Roses both quickly bounced back with relatively heavy bloom.

photos and post by Sam Bahr

05/24/2026

This narrow leaved plant is Willow Leaved Sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius). It is located in the Knight Hall Pollinator Garden. There are no cultivars of Helianthus salicifolius to my knowledge. However, there are many Swamp Sunflower cultivars incorrectly labeled as Willow Leaved Sunflowers. One example is 'Low Down' Swamp Sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius 'Low Down') which is often sold incorrectly labeled as 'Low Down' Willow Leaved Sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius 'Low Down').

Willow Leaved Sunflower often gets around 8 feet tall, unless in the absolute poorest of soils that will keep it from getting so tall. They have always flopped over, sometimes blocking sidewalks for us starting in August and September. While gorgeous and sometimes used in fine gardens in northern Europe, it does not make a good garden plant because of the flopping.

This plant can take extreme heat as well as drought and should not be grown in an irrigated area or high rainfall area as they will be much more susceptible to flopping.

photo and post by Sam Bahr, horticulturist

05/24/2026

videos and post by Sam Bahr, horticulturist

05/20/2026

El Nino Chitalpa (x Chitalpa tashkentensis 'NCXC1') is starting to bloom on Tawes Plaza. Two multi-stemmed trees or large shrubs were planted this last fall on Tawes Plaza and another was planted at the same time northwest of the Benjamin Building within the brick fenced area.

This is an intergeneric hybrid bred by Dr. Tom Ranney's North Carolina State University Mountain Crop Improvement Laboratory. It is deer resistant and sterile. Parents are Chilopsis linearis x (Catalpa x galleana).

https://airtable.com/appB4n7zHGsCnHcFS/shrNWmrnB1vsmWK4M?detail=eyJwYWdlSWQiOiJwYWc2am9tTlBUN0dqcXFjQiIsInJvd0lkIjoicmVjTEFGbUtsU0JnSmVSakoiLCJzaG93Q29tbWVudHMiOmZhbHNlLCJxdWVyeU9yaWdpbkhpbnQiOnsidHlwZSI6InBhZ2VFbGVtZW50IiwiZWxlbWVudElkIjoicGVsV0tzTlRsOTZia0lTYXEiLCJxdWVyeUNvbnRhaW5lcklkIjoicGVsaTN6R1JiOWt1U1BoRUMiLCJzYXZlZEZpbHRlclNldElkIjoic2ZzZ1RIMEpnOERpN3ZIZHMifX0

photos and post by Sam Bahr

05/20/2026

We are thrilled to continue supporting our birds here on campus with our recent renewal. Read more here:

https://marylandbirds.org/featured-news/2026/5/17/umd-arboretum-bird-campus-renewal

05/18/2026

The orange flowers and flower buds of 'Kazake' Pomegranate (Punica granatum 'Kazake') brighten up a bench in the Research Greenhouse. 'Kazake' Pomegranate originated in the Sherabad region of Uzbekistan and is one of the most cold hardy pomegranates available. Initial cold hardiness is thought to be around 1.4 F. As the plants get older, it is thought that their cold hardiness may increase to -4 F.

Horticulture Limbach has a great description of 'Kazake' Pomegranate. https://shop.zahradnictvolimbach.sk/en/pomegranate/pomegranate-punica-granatum-kazake?search=Kazake

Here is a link to the incredible story of Dr. Gregory Levin who collected 'Kazake' Pomegranate and 1,116 other varieties of Pomegranates at the Garrygala Research station near the Kopet Dag mountains in Turkmenistan. Often, plants from this collection are referred to as Hardy Russian Pomegranates. Many thanks to Dr. Levin for sharing some of his incredible collection with the world. https://shop.zahradnictvolimbach.sk/blog/the-man-who-saved-the-soul-of-the-pomegranate-the-incredible-story-of-dr-levin

We already have two cultivars from Dr. Levin's collection and one cultivar from Ukraine growing near the southwest corner of the west wing of Preinkert Hall. They have now survived 3 winters without dieback. Hopefully we will be able to find locations for 'Kazake' Pomegranate and other hardy Pomegranates around campus.

Photo and post by Sam Bahr, horticulturist