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. The working greenhouse also delights with two thousand orchid and tropical plants.

Highlights in the greenhouse:

• Many of our oncidiums are just beginning to flower, and a large majority are just spiking, even though Orchid Month is over. These will last for a few months into the summer months. Oncidium Sharry Baby is always a favorite that can free flower any time of the year. Sharry Baby is known as a complex hybrid consisting of two other complex hybrid orchids (Oncidium Jamie Sutton x Oncidium Honolulu). This flower has sweet fragrances with notes of white chocolate and vanilla. 
   
• There are also quite a few dendrobium orchids in bloom. One not to be missed is Dendrobium Merlin, a nobile-type hybrid full of flowers, hanging in the cymbidium house. The dark patch on the lip really grabs attention and contrasts well with the white and magenta petals and sepals. Dendrobiums are often good candidates to grow directly on bark or wood. Many of our nobile-types are grown in hanging baskets as a nice way to appreciate their often pendulous habit. 
   
• There is a nice variety of slipper orchids blooming now, too. A plant to note is a paphiopedilum hybrid called Julius (Paphiopeilum rothschildianum x Paph. lowii). It has a lovely set of large flowers on three inflorescence (bud stems) and is decorated with spots. Slipper orchids get their common name from the flower's lip shape which resembles a slipper. Several of our paphiopedilum just won awards at the National Capital Orchid Society's Paphiopedilum Forum.

Plants to note in the gardens:

• The tulips are starting to open across campus. Over twenty thousand bults were planted as part of the spring display. The bed on the Lunar Lawn boast a Beaujolais tulip blend with a variety of pinks and cream. All across campus, a large variety of tulips can be seen in annual and perennial garden beds. Paired with pansies, violas, and hyacinth, every garden room contains a unique blend of shapes, colors, and textures to complement the established shrubs and trees. Be on the lookout for edibles mixed into the display plants as well! Black-seeded Simpson lettuce forms a river of chartreuse in front of the tulips, and Pac Choi 'Shikibu' provide a deep purple base to contrast bright pink flowers. 
   
• The azalea shrubs are beginning to flower. Marjorie Merriweather Post was often in residence in the spring, so the gardens were designed to burst into life during that time, and the azaleas play an integral part in the landscape. Soon, nearly every corner will light up with flowers in a wide array of colors. Post loved to share Hillwood's azaleas with friends, and today we hope our guests follow her lead. 
   
• While walking the garden paths, looking up you'll see a variety of small flowering trees throughout the month. Dogwoods, redbuds, star and saucer magnolias, and lilacs all bloom in April before fully leafing out to move into their growth stage. Looking down, you'll see spring ephemerals like Virginia bluebells and flowering groundcovers like tiarella, hellebore, columbine, and varieties of phlox.