Set on twenty-five acres adjacent to Rock Creek Park, Hillwood’s gardens feature a diverse and fascinating array of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, offering something to see in every season. 

Plants to note in the gardens:

• Though the gardens are transitioning to their summer look with over ten thousand warm season annual and tropical plants, there is still a touch of spring lingering. Late season azaleas and rhododendrons are still opening along some of the paths. Azaleas can often be distinguished from traditional rhododendrons by their small leaves and funnel shaped flowers. Marjorie Merriweather Post used these colorful shrubs as a beautiful backdrop to lovely outdoor gatherings.
• It is also time for the rose garden to take the spotlight. Though the flowers will come on fast and furiously, TUPELO HONEY is the floribunda rose catching attention right now. This beauty has large fragrant blooms, full of petals, in a soft orange hue. As a commitment to sustainable gardening practices, staff have been changing out older cultivars for those that are more disease resistant like TUPELO HONEY. This shift helps the garden to look its best and remain spray-free.
• Many different irises are blooming throughout the grounds. Roof irises (Iris tectorum) are putting on a show in the Japanese-style garden. These semi-evergreen perennials stay on the smaller side reaching only one and a half feet tall. Their flowers, on the other hand, can be large, reaching six inches across in wonderful shades of lilac and white. Roof irises earned their common name by being planted in thatch roofs in Japan and China in the past.  

Highlights in the greenhouse:

• The moth orchid (Phalaenopsis spp.) collection is still going strong in the orchid east house. It is a good place to slow down and look at the flowers up close to enjoy the wide variety of colors and patterns. Moth orchids are readily available and the perfect choice for a new hobbyist. They are relatively easy to please, enjoying temperatures typically found in our homes. Moth orchids also like “lower” light and can prosper in a bright east-facing window.
• The orchid west house has a delicate dragon’s mouth orchid (Encyclia Rioclarence) in flower. Maroon sepals and petals lay out a background for an extravagant pink and white striped lip. Encyclia Rioclarence is considered a primary hybrid, a direct descendant from two different species. Its parentage comes from Encyclia cordigera and Encyclia randii, orchid species native to Central and South America that use pseudobulbs to store water. 
• There is a large flowered, pansy orchid (Miltoniopsis Breathless ‘Brilliant’) flowering in the cymbidium house. The blooms are easily the size of one’s palm with dark pink petals and sepals above and a lip touched with watercolor paint of the same shade below. Breathless ‘Brilliant’ flowers are said to change colors from year to year based on temperature. Warmer years are expressed with more white on the lip. Flowers from cooler years have more pink. What does the flower tell you about this spring?