What's in Bloom: November
November at Morris
common witchhazel
Hamamelis virginiana
Log Cabin, Mercury Loggia, Widener Woods
An eastern North American native notable for it’s unique ribbon-like petaled flowers that begin to emerge in late fall, identifiable by their clean, bright fragrance and vibrant yellows, oranges, maroons, and reds as most deciduous plants are dropping their leaves. The genus name consists of the Greek words hama meaning “at the same time” and melon meaning “fruit”, which refers to this plant’s unusual ability to have flowers and fruit at the same time.
maidenhair-tree
Ginkgo biloba
Parking Lot, Mercury Loggia, Overlook Garden
This large deciduous tree is considered a “living fossil” as the last living species of the order Ginkgoales, first appearing on Earth nearly 290 million years ago. Ginkgos, which are more closely related to cycads than flowering plants, present unique fan-shaped leaves that turn vibrant golden yellow in the fall and offer a stunning display even after they’ve fallen.
climbing-aster
Ampelaster carolinianus
Pennock Flower Walk
A sprawling herbaceous perennial native to the Southeast U.S. can be seen climbing on anything it can reach, covered with a profusion of lavender pink daisy-like flowers with golden yellow centers and a lovely fragrance. Blooms are adored by pollinators.
common camellia
Camellia japonica
Hillcrest Pavillion, Orange Balustrade
These evergreen shrubs native to Asia offer a lovely pop of color during the winter lull in the garden. You can enjoy Morris Arboretum introductions such as ‘Balustrade’ with large, scarlet red peony-like flowers with yellow centers or ‘Bloomfield’ with deep red double flowers. Search for these unique varieties in the Garden Explorer Map to find in the gardens!
common winterberry
Ilex verticillata
Spring House, Oak Allee, Morris Pond, Pennock Flower Walk
A member of the holly family, this North American native shrub exhibits signature bright berries in late fall through winter that offer bright pop of color in the “dormant” garden and are beloved by wildlife. Notable varieties include ‘Goldfinch’ with golden berries, ‘Sunset’ with vibrant orange berries and ‘Scarlet O’Hara’ with the classic rich-red berry. Search “ilex verticillata” or “common winterberry” in the Garden Explorer Map to see all the varieties and locations within the garden!
trident maple
Acer buergerianum
Overlook Garden
A beautiful, large specimen of this deciduous tree native to Asia can be found at the base of the Overlook Garden, where it’s twisted roots intermingle with the surrounding stones. Exhibits vibrant fall colors of reds, yellows, and oranges in it’s three-lobed, trident shaped leaves. Along with beautiful fall color, this tree can be admired for it’s exfoliating bark that reveals warm coppery colored inner bark.
Japanese stewartia
Stewartia pseudocamellia
Bark Park, Morris Pond
While presenting beautiful large white flowers in the summer months, Japanese stewartia continues to shine late fall and winter by showing off it’s ornate flaking bark – displaying a beautiful mosaic of oranges, reddish-browns, greys and whites.
longleaf pine
Pinus palustris
Garden Railway, Magnolia Slope
This southern U.S. native evergreen is notable for it’s extremely long needles and for producing the largest cones of any pine in eastern North America. In it’s juvenile stages, the plant grows in a “grass-like” stage with only the long needles visible.