Main Greenhouse - Easter Lilies Main Greenhouse Display Vanda Orchids, Cactus Grounds & Gardens - Bulbs, woody plants & shrubs: Witch Hazel, Hyacinth, Forsythia, Winter Hazel, Synoptic Garden Collection. Nature Trails. Trees: European Beech, Lindens, Maples, Magnolias. April is an exciting month at Planting Fields. The buds are swelling, the grass is turning green and new bulbs push through the ground almost every day. Flowering trees and shrubs have started a progression of bloom that will not end until frost. There is so much to see at the Arboretum in April that it’s hard to fit it all in before May. After a long winter, Spring is finally here. On a chilly day, start your visit in the MAIN GREENHOUSE. Beginning Palm Sunday and lasting through the end of the month, Easter Lilies, Lilium longifolium, and hydrangeas are featured in the BROMELIAD AND HIBISCUS HOUSES.In the ORCHID HOUSE nearby, Vanda Orchids, with their blue, rose, yellow, and brown blooms are in flower. Next door in the SUCCULENT HOUSE, some of the Cactus have broken their winter dormancy and are opening their colorful blooms as well. Study the different ways these plants adapt to a very dry environment: they can store water in roots, stems, or leaves and some have thick skins or dense hairs to protect them from the sun. Do you see any other ways? Note the pastel pink and yellow flower spikes on the Echevarias, succulent plants native to the Americas, with reddish and purplish leaves. Most are from Mexico, but they can grow from Texas to Argentina. They are just as pretty in leaf as they are in flower. On the other side of the BROMELIAD HOUSE you will find the Begonias, a selection of tender House Plants, and the FERN HOUSE where we have specimens that are terrestrial (grow in the ground), aquatic (grow in water), and epiphytic (grow in air). Before you leave the ARBORETUM CENTER, be sure to check out the GARDEN GIFT SHOP, where you can find horticultural books, jewelry, and much, much more. As you leave the greenhouses, circle around to the back to see the perennial bed at the Grape Arbor. Look for some unusual bulbs with dull purple flowers and you may also see some Mountain Pinks, Phlox subulata which have pink and violet flowers. Now begin a tour of the grounds at the Center Garden just across the road from the GREENHOUSE front door. In these beds are some Double Snowdrops, Galanthus nivalis cv. Flore Pleno, one of the earliest spring bulbs. Soon the low blue, pink, and white daisy-like flowers of the Greek Windflowers, Anemone blanda, will also be visible nearby. The shrubs with the yellow flowers in this area are Witch Hazels. The Chinese Witch Hazel, Hamamelis mollis, is the small one to the left of the seating area, and the cultivar, Hamamelis x cv. Arnold Promise is to the right of the path to the CAMELLIA HOUSE. Across from the MAIN GREENHOUSE notice a new variety of Witch Hazel called Jelena with bright orange flowers. Turn right on the road to COE HALL, then right again onto BEECH DRIVE and proceed to the SYNOPTIC GARDEN. This garden was designed to display some of the best woody plants that will grow well on Long Island. It is arranged alpahbetically by scientific name. Under the White Pines at the entrance, an early species of Crocus with lavender flowers, Crocus tomasinianus, has been planted. It is beloved by gardeners because rodents do not eat it. In the adjoining beds, Winter Aconites, Eranthis hyemalis, with round yellow flowers and a ferny green collar of leaves, and a very special Giant Snowdrop, Galanthus elwesii also are in bloom. Several thousand bulbs have been planted in the SYNOPTIC GARDEN, selected to provide continuous bloom from March through May. In early April look for Greek Windflowers, Anemone blanda, and Scilla tubergeniana, which has a small white flower spike with pale blue stripes. As the month progresses, look also for Scilla bifolia, pink or blue flowers, Scilla siberica cv. Spring Beauty, with larger dark blue flowers, and Chionodoxa species, another member of the Squill family with blue, pink or white flowers. Within the same time frame you will also find Species Crocus, and the later Dutch Hybrids, Fritillaria meleagris, the Checkered Lily, Fritillaria Imperialis, Crown ImperialMuscari species, Grape hyacinths, Puschkinia scilloides, a plant with a flower that looks much like that of Scilla tubergeniana, and Leucojum vernum and Leucojum aestivum, the Spring and Summer Snowflakes. Many different kinds of Narcissus and some Tulips and Hyacinths have also been planted. All should be labeled so you can choose those you prefer for your own garden. The little yellow flowers that seem to be everywhere on the grounds are Lesser Celendine, Ranunculus ficaria. Do not be seduced by it! It is an extremely invasive, and undesirable perennial weed from Europe and Asia. It turns to brown mush by June before it goes totally dormant for the season While you are in the SYNOPTIC GARDEN, you can’t miss the early blooming shrubs and trees. They can be found all over the Arboretum grounds, but especially in the SYNOPTIC GARDEN. Cornus mas and Cornus officinalis, the Cornelian Cherries, open toward the end of March in the “C” section. Their yellow flowers blend nicely with Snowdrops and Scilla tubergeniana nearby. The Star Magnolias, Magnolia stellata and its cultivars, come out early too, and are sometimes caught by a late frost . They are soon followed by the Saucer Magnolias, Magnolia soulangiana and its cultivars. See how many other species of these lovely trees you can find as they come into bloom. And find the cultivars of Forsythia and Winter Hazel, Corylopsis species with bright yellow blossoms, and Rhododendrons dauricum and mucronulatum, both pink. Also Rhododendron keiskii, yello, and Rhododendron cultivars P.J.M. and Pioneer, Fragrant Honeysuckle, Lonicera fragrantissima, Flowering Quince, Chaenomeles species, several Viburnums and the Royal Azalea, Rhododendron schlippenbachii, late in the month. If you have the time, continue your walk through the back of the SYNOPTIC GARDEN throught the DWARF CONIFERS and HOLLIES, down the CONIFER TRAIL to the HEATHER GARDEN. In April we have Sprig Heath, Erica carnea in full bloom. The newest and largest collection of Magnolias at the Arboretum stretches from the entrance to the HEATHER GARDEN down across the MAIN LAWN, bordered by woods on two sides and the MAIN DRIVE on the third. These plants represent the most outstanding Magnolia species, hybrids, and cultivars available. The fragrance and beauty of the MAGNOLIA WALK turns the WEST LAWN into a springtime fairyland. Return to the ARBORETUM CENTER through the spectacular collection of Cherries at the hilltop and out through the ROSE ARBOR to the MAIN DRIVE. Enjoy the several kinds of deciduous shade trees which also flower in the Spring: European Beech, Fagus sylvatica, Lindens, Tilia species, and a field of Maples, Acer species, to the right across the road. Walk back toward the greenhouses and the parking lots. Don’t forget that Planting Fields Arboretum celebrates ARBOR DAY during the last weekend. For more information call (516) 922-8600 or (516) 922-9210. Arboretum Monthly Highlights can be found in the Visitor Center located in the Main Greenhouse.