Cherries at Morris Arboretum

What a wonderful weekend to visit the Morris Arboretum. It was 80 degrees and sunny, the cherry trees were still blooming (yes, even now in late April!), and the magnolia scents were infusing the entire arboretum with a mildly intoxicating perfume. Scattered all over the grounds were beautiful specimens of cherry trees that seem to be exuberantly putting forward their blooms with abandon to make up for lost time. The weeping cherry close to the Japanese Hill Garden was sublime beyond words - you have to see it to really experience that feeling. Next to the log cabin was an entire allée of different species of cherry trees - a few of them are pictured below heavily adorned with shades of pink and fuchsia. But alas, such magnificence is fleeting. Go see them before the blooms fade this week.

Prunus serrulata 'Kwanzan' -
Kwanzan Cherry

Prunus subhirtella - Higan Cherry

Prunus X yedoensis - Yoshino Cherry

Prunus Tai-haku - Taihaku Cherry

Weeping Cherry

Witch-hazel blooms at the Morris Arboretum

It's still chilly although it's nearing the end of March but the arboretum's plants and trees are slowly warming up with early blooms for the spring season. There are many more varieties of witch-hazels at the Morris than these here. But the two specimen trees in these pictures were covered with plenty of spidery-looking yellow and orange-red flowers that stood out in the still wintry landscape of the arboretum.

More colors at the Morris

Spring is here! Colors at the Morris Arboretum.

The bleak winter landscape is coming alive once again with witch-hazel blooms, crocuses peeping from the ground at the Morris, and some early daffodils too!