Main Greenhouse - Chrysanthemum Display Gardens & Grounds - Dahlias, Synoptic Garden In September we can enjoy both the end of summer and the beginning of fall at Planting Fields. Annuals and perennials will continue their floral displays until frost. The areas around the ROSE ARBOR and ornamental pools near COE HALL are still alive with color. Even the roses, invigorated by cooler weather, are still in bloom and the DAHLIA GARDEN will reach its spectacular peak in the next few weeks. The PAUL CALLAHAN DAHLIA DISPLAY, featuring over 400 Dahlia plants is located behind the MAIN GREENHOUSE. Fruits and berries are beginning to appear on many of our trees and shrubs, like the Crabapple Allee behind the MAIN GREENHOUSE. A walk through the SYNOPTIC GARDEN is very rewarding at this time of year. This five acre garden is planted with shrubs and ornamental trees which grow well on Long Island.A unique concept in gardening history, these beds are arranged alphabetically by scientific name, progressing from A-Z (Abelia to Zenobia). Each plant is labeled with its scientific and common name, its accession number and the country of origin. The garden changes through the seasons and through the years so you may well see a new plant, an extraordinary flower or unusual foliage you have never seen before. You may also find some wildlife sharing the pleasures of the garden with you. As you enter the SYNOPTIC GARDEN, watch for the Franklinia, Franklinia alatamaha, on your left. Blooming in August and September, Franklinia is a small multi-stemmed plant with large white flowers with golden centers. It was originally discovered by plant explorers John and William Bartram in the 1760’s growing along the banks of the Alatamaha River in Georgia. Fortunately, they brought plants and seeds back home with them to Philadelphia, for when they returned to Georgia after the Revolutionary War, the tree was not to be found again in the wild. They named the tree, a relative of the Camellia and in the tea family, in honor of their friend, Benjamin Franklin. Continuing your walk back through the garden, note the several beautiful plants in the “C” section. Blue Mist Caryopteris, Caryopteris x calndonensis, has clusters of sky blue flowers. It is a woody, low-growing border plant. It should be pruned to a few inches from the ground after it goes dormant in the fall. Otherwise it is maintenance free. Callicarpa dishotoma, the Purple Beauty Bush is a plain shrub with arching branches for most of the year. The flowers have a sweet fragrance when they bloom in late July, but the showy purple berries along the branches in September and October are the real reason for growing this shrub. The fruit of the Beauty Bush, which also has a white berry form, is a favorite of mockingbirds and other songbirds. The leaves of the Kousa Dogwood, Cornus kousa, turn red in late August, and its raspberry-like fruit, attractive to birds, adds much charm and color to the fall garden. Our native Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida, and the low-growing members of the Cotonester family all display shiny red fruits at this time of year. In Section “E” , the fiery leaves of Euonymus alatus, the Burning Bush, electrify the scenery, and further on in the “P’ Section, the orange fruit of Poncirus trifoliata, the Hardy Orange lends a tropical air. This plant was discovered by a Bostonian while traveling in northern China in the 1890’s. He brought it home and tried to graft a Florida sweet orange onto the under stock to create a winter hardy, edible orange. Unfortunately, the graft died, but the Hardy Orange under stock flourished. Now this charming small tree is grown as a conversation piece and as hedge material. The Spiraeas in the very back of the garden on the Service Road may well have some second flushes of bloom, and the Viburnums in Section “V” bear red, yellow, and blue fruit on their many cultivars. Note especially the clusters of red fruit on the largest of the genus, Viburnum sieboldii, the Wayfarer Tree. The glowing clusters of the fruit of the Highbush Cranberries, Viburnum opulus and Viburnum trilobum cultivars, shine in shades of apricot, coral, and deep red. Arboretum Monthly Highlights can be found in the Visitor Center located at the Main Greenhouse.