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:

• Spring is here! Staff and volunteers have been busy readying the grounds and the spring seasonal display is starting to shine. Last fall, nearly twenty-three thousand bulbs were planted for just this time of year and close to seven thousand cool season annuals were added in the last several weeks. New rounds of daffodils continue to light up the gardens and more tulips open up every day. In many areas, the bulbs are underplanted with delicate violas. 
• The azaleas have started to bloom! Marjorie Merriweather Post often hosted outdoor garden parties in the spring and flowering azaleas in a wide variety of colors made a beautiful back drop. Did you know that all azaleas are in the Rhododendron genus. They can often be distinguished from traditional rhododendrons by their small leaves and funnel shaped flowers. Some azaleas even have double flowers meaning that there are two funnels in one. Stroll the paths and take in the diversity of these beauties.
• The last cherry blossoms of the season are starting to open. The double flowering cherry (Prunus ‘Kanzan’) is opening outside of the French parterre. The branches become so heavy with pink flowers that it almost creates a weeping effect. The leaves usually start to emerge with or just after the blooms and are often a beautiful bronze-red color. This tree typically grows twenty-five to thirty feet tall and is frequently used as a street tree here in the DC area.

Highlights in the greenhouse:

• There are still lots of orchids in bloom throughout the greenhouse. Large corsage orchids (Cattleya hybrids), Marjorie Merriweather Post’s favorite, can be found in the entrance house. There are also dancing ladies, spider orchids and nobile dendrobiums just to name a few. Many slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium) can be seen. The benches containing the moth orchid collection (Phalaenopsis) are full of flowers in different colors and patterns. Enjoy the show!
• The orchid west house has a delightful dragon’s mouth orchid (Encyclia Shinfong Smile) in flower. Bright green sepals contrast with the plum colored petals and a lip outlined in white. Parentage includes Encyclia cordigera, an epiphyte native from Cuba and Mexico to Brazil. Epiphytes grow on other plants and take in water and nutrients from the air. Encyclia cordigera has pseudobulbs to store water. Can you see a dragon in the flower? 
• Towards the end of the cymbidium house, a very unique orchid is in bloom. The lined maxillaria (Maxillaria lineolata) has a small subtle yellow flower with outstretched petals and sepals. This Mexican and Central American native actively lures in pollinators by having the flower shape reminiscent of a bee. The plant then takes it one step further by releasing a pheromone to attract male bees. As they come to investigate, pollen adheres to them and is moved from plant to plant.