What's Blooming

March is the month when the seasonal flower beds that were changed out from summer annuals to winter hardy annuals begin to express their spring purpose. This part of the South is lucky for having winter months mild enough to allow some annuals, such as English daisy (Bellis perennis) and pansy varieties (Viola sp.) to survive the winter, and in many cases bloom throughout the winter. These annuals are ‘over-planted’ above tulips so that the spring effect is one of a multi-layered composition with complementary tulips blooming above a groundcover effect of hardy annuals.

For instance, the Orlando Jones Garden on Colonial Street is traditionally planted with white tulips with an overplanting of English daisies in warms creams and soft pinks. The Orlando Jones garden is only one of a few gardens in Colonial Williamsburg that features an oval as the predominate design motif. In other gardens, such as the Taliaferro-Cole Garden, on the corner of Duke of Gloucester Street and Nassau, is planted in a very pleasant mélange of winter hardy annuals and biennials such as the aforementioned English daisies, as well as basket of gold (Aurinia saxatilis), dames rocket (Hesperis matronalis), foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) and forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica). In the spring, as March gives way to April, this garden comes closest to resembling the time-honored cottage garden in its riotous mix of color and diversity.

The Governor’s Palace, newly endowed by a very generous gift, is always a tremendous undertaking when planting the seasonal floral displays. The annuals beds which are surrounded by the perennial borders at the rear of the ballroom garden cumulatively take 1008 sweet Williams and 1008 Johnny-jump-ups (Viola tricolor), the fascinating species pansy, once called heart’s-ease. Interplanted in the perennial beds which surround the large annual beds are planted 360 basket-of-gold, 810 cottage pinks (Dianthus plumarius) and 432 foxglove, giving the perennial beds an early spring advantage while the traditional perennials catch up with the warmer weather.

Another endowed garden is the Alexander Craig Garden on Duke of Gloucester Street just east and next to the Raleigh Tavern. This fall 396 Johnny-jump-ups and 468 forget-me-nots bring color to this garden visible as it is from the street itself; one of the few gardens in the Historic Area which is situated in this manner. At the Wythe House the long parallel beds which flank the vista from the house to the arbor are planted with 216 basket of gold, 306 China pinks (Dianthus chinensis) and 270 columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), a perennial native to most of the East Coast of the United States, and one that will happily reseed itself in beds where it is happy.

At the hotels, efforts were made to use a red, white and blue color scheme to celebrate the Jamestown 400th anniversary. To that end, the pansy varieties at our hotels, Merchants Square and the Visitors Center include: ‘Clear Sky True Blue,’ ‘Clear Sky White,’ and ‘Clear Sky Red.’ At the new spa facility ‘Clear Sky True Blue’ and ‘Panola Lemon Yellow’ pansy varieties are being used; and at Bassett Hall the pansies will be ‘Matrix Yellow Blotch.’

In March the earliest spring blooming bulbs begin their color burst. Already, snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) have emerged from the soil due to the early warming in January. In March, expect to see crocus, hyacinths, and narcissus begin to bloom, depending on the warming of the month. Spring starflower (Ipheon uniflorus) and Star of Bethlehem (Ornithagalum umbellatum and O. nutans) are very familiar to our return visitors with their white flowers striped with green. In the last two months of March expect to see periwinkle (Vinca minor) and Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) begin to bloom.

Given warm March temperatures, expect to see Carolina Jasmine (Gelsimium sempervirens) begin to bloom on fences in its golden glory, while flowering quince and some fruit trees will bloom in their permutations of white and pink. At our hotel properties, the always too precocious star and saucer magnolias (Magnolia kobus and M. soulangiana) begin to open in their astonishing way if their buds haven’t been damaged by late freezes.