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:

• This year’s summer seasonal display is comprised of more than ten thousand warm season annuals and tropical plants. Blue glazed pots overflowing with purplish-pink flowers greet guests entering the visitor center from the parking decks. The mix starts with dahlias (Dahlia ‘Karma Lagoon’) in the center surrounded by flowering vinca (Catharanthus roseus 'Valiant Lilac’) and the purple foliage of Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus). Trailing elements are added with verbena (Verbena peruviana ’EnduraScape Pink Bicolor’) and the attractive striped leaves of the zebra plant (Tradescantia zebrina).
• The last hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Limelight’) at Hillwood are in bloom. The cultivar ‘Limelight’ is always the latest to flower and can be found lighting up the Lunar Lawn beds, standing several layers back due to its large size. The cone shaped panicles of flowers change color as they mature, starting out as white, maturing to a chartreuse, eventually picking up some rose tones before finishing as beige. The flowers last a long time on the plant and add winter interest to the garden.
• While visiting From Exile to Avant-Garde at the Adirondack building, check out the amazing bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) in bloom just up the path towards the Merriweather café. Over ten feet tall, this large native deciduous shrub is full of flower spikes that can easily be over a foot long. The blooms attract many different pollinators including the eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly which can often be seen on this particular shrub.  

Highlights in the greenhouse:

• Even through the hot summer, there are interesting orchids to see. Stellamizutaara Kelly 'Lea', a vigorous hybrid in the cattleya alliance, is putting out multiple flower spikes. The petals and lip of the bloom lean to a hot pink color while the sepals tend to be more of a yellow orange. The combination makes for a striking flower and there can be five or more on each spike. Stellamizutaara Kelly 'Lea' traces its heritage to several different species from the western hemisphere.
• The cockle shell orchid (Prosthechea cochleata) in bloom in the west orchid house may transport admirers to the depths of the sea. The lip of the flower seems to form a hood over the head-like column while the petals and sepals are reminiscent of tentacles. These attributes give rise to another of its common names as the octopus orchid. Prosthechea cochleata can be found in the wild from Florida to Columbia. It is the national flower of Belize.
• There are still quite a few dancing lady orchids (oncidium alliance) enlivening the orchid west house. Colmanara Catatante ‘Kilauea Karma’ is a beauty with long flower stalks full of burnt orange flowers. Looking carefully at the blooms will reveal a head, hands, bodice, and skirt set off by an extravagant costume piece giving this orchid its common name. Though a hybrid, its relatives are native to much of South America, Central America, Mexico, the West Indies, and even Florida.