Biltmore Bloom Report
May 16, 2024
Biltmore’s Director of Horticulture tells you what’s blooming when (and where!) across the estate.
As spring winds down, we cherish the last of this year’s spring blooms. The Approach Road is a magical drive right now as Mountain Laurel, Kousa Dogwood, Catawba Rhododendron, Mock Orange, and Sweetshrub put on a dazzling show. The white bracts of the Kousa Dogwood contrast beautifully with the green leaves, but you have to look closely for the light green flower at the center of the bracts.
Hydrangeas enter our Bloom Report this week, and as spring blends into summer, their magnificent blooms will take center stage. Now in full bloom, the Rose Garden offers an abundance of color. The roses’ sweet fragrance invites you to step closer to fully enjoy them.
Our gardeners are busy transitioning from spring annuals to summer annuals, which for the next three weeks will share the spotlight. Be sure to visit our Conservatory, where the blooms of Calla Lilies, Kalanchoe, Hydrangeas, and Begonias add pops of color throughout the rooms. Soon to be seen in displays around the Conservatory are the many tropical plants staff members are now bringing out of storage, another hallmark of summer’s imminent arrival.
—Bill Quade, Director of Horticulture
What's Blooming This Week
Each offering lush full blooms, striking colors, and delightful scents, Princess Anne and Summer Romance Roses vie for your attention in Biltmore’s Rose Garden.
Among numerous full-bloom specimens within Biltmore’s Rose Garden, these vibrant Brick House Pink Roses are absolute stunners.
Popping amid the cool greens of surrounding foliage, purple-lavender Rhododendron blooms greet you along the Approach Road.
The showy white flowers of full-bloom Mountain Laurel make your drive along the Approach Road to Biltmore House a magical experience.
Mock Orange blooms beautifully in Biltmore’s Azalea Garden, the delicate flowers of which invite a closer look.
Black Lace blooms in abundance near Biltmore’s four-star Inn, its clusters of tiny pink-white flowers a luminous contrast against dark stems and leaves.
Deep purple Bearded Irises, bright red Roses, and a singular lavender ball-shaped Allium bloom cluster welcome you to Biltmore’s Winery.
Biltmore’s Evolving Landscape
A General Guide to What Blooms When
March Blooms at Biltmore
March usually offers spring’s first pops of color. Witch hazels, with bursts of orange, red, and yellow, are striking against the evergreens. Joining them are early season Daffodils, Lenten rose (Hellebore), Snowdrop, and Hyacinth, which create a splendid lower canopy of color across the estate.
The early blooming shrubs our gardeners have worked so hard to maintain, such as Japanese pieris, Spirea, and Winter jasmine, offer bold statements. The Cornelian cherry dogwood shows off clusters of tiny star-shaped flowers, and the blossoms of white and black pussy willow in the Azalea Garden signal winter’s passing and spring’s imminent arrival. Now brimming with Tulips, Daffodils, and Grape hyacinth, our Conservatory is also home to a stunning collection of Orchids at peak bloom.
April Blooms at Biltmore
Seasonal Tulips and Daffodils steal the show in April, seen in beds at the estate’s entrance, in the Walled Garden, and in Antler Hill Village. The Redbuds, Serviceberry, and Flowering dogwoods show plenty of color throughout the estate, enhancing the drive up the Approach Road and time spent in our gardens.
Each day, new plants bloom in the gardens near Biltmore House; as Forsythia begins to fade, Quince, Viburnum, and Fothergilla step into the spotlight. Azaleas begin to flower in April, and as their blooms continue to intensify, our Azalea Garden becomes a glorious tapestry of hues.
May Blooms at Biltmore
In May, the Mountain laurels, accompanied by the Catawba hybrid rhododendrons, should be in full bloom along the Approach Road and within the gardens, offering a dazzling welcome for Biltmore’s guests. Adding to this lush, colorful display: Kousa dogwood, Sweetshrub, Mock orange, Yellowwood, and Fringe trees.
Peak bloom builds in the Rose Garden with this month’s warm weather, which will push herbaceous perennials toward making bold color statements of their own. Peony, False indigo, and Iris create a rich layer of color throughout the Walled Garden, a lovely complement to the spring annuals and the blooming American wisteria that grows along the east wall. Quite fragrant, these lovely, drooping lilac-to-bluish-purple clusters also adorn the arbor to the Winery and the trellis behind Village Hotel.
June Blooms at Biltmore
Cool mountain mornings make walks through the gardens a truly delightful experience. The annual summer install is complete and tropical plants that spent the winter months inside greenhouses are now outside for everyone to enjoy.
June is a wonderful time to see a variety of Hydrangeas in bloom throughout the gardens, in Antler Hill Village, and at The Inn. Although they offer smaller blossoms than Hydrangea, Abelia is an equally striking plant to see in bloom; it’s such a joy to watch bees dart in and out of the flowers collecting pollen. With June’s warmer days, perennials will undoubtedly add plenty of color within the Walled Garden and smaller beds across the Shrub Garden.
July Blooms at Biltmore
Biltmore is beautiful in July, offering spectacular views for guests to enjoy throughout our gardens and grounds. In Antler Hill Village, wave upon wave of Sunflowers rise skyward and share their cheerful full-bloom faces.
Hydrangeas, Crepe myrtles, Butterfly bush, Vitex, and Sourwood are blooming, adding a variety of vibrant blossoms and a valuable source of nectar for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
While strolling the gardens, be sure to stop at the Conservatory to see the incredible tropical displays our gardeners have created which feature Palms, Banana, Bromeliads, Begonia, Ginger, Plumeria, and Tropical hibiscus.
August Blooms at Biltmore
By August, the summer annuals—meticulously tended since May by the estate’s talented gardeners—are in full bloom.
The Water lily display in the Italian Garden is an absolute delight as you begin a stroll through the gardens.
The blossoms of Hydrangeas and Abelia throughout the Shrub Garden highlight the taller blooming Crepe myrtle, Vitex, and Butterfly bushes.
