Summer in Blush

Visiting the Garden is a different experience – every season, every time, for everyone.

While summers in Sonoma Valley are typically hot, beat the heat by packing a picnic to enjoy a shady table or tucked away spot, meandering along ample tree-canopied paths – including the newly opened California Oaks Trail – and enjoying the tranquil waterfalls and show stopping fountains at the Garden. Take in a myriad of colorful summer blossoms like lilies, dogwoods, roses and more. Don’t miss the chance to see rare blooms like the Emmenopterys henryi, a flowering tree known to be “one of the most strikingly beautiful trees of Chinese Forests.” (Wilson, 1907). Since not every tree blooms every year, follow us on social media to see who will shine this summer!

Blooms and seasonal features are always weather dependent. Scroll to explore some of this season’s stars and typical start of their bloom times. For the most up-to-date information, follow us on Facebook and Instagram and share your tips and photos from your Garden adventures with #SonomaBGBloom.

Seasonal Stars

While enjoying the Garden you may notice stars on some of the plant labels. These are plants expected to shine this season!

Early Summer

Jun – Jul

Siberian Yarrow (Achillea alpina) — **Siberian Yarrow**
*Achillea alpina*

Emmenopterys henryi — **Siberian Yarrow**
*Achillea alpina*

Asian Columbine (Aquilegia sp.) flowers — *Magnolia sapaensis*

Fringed Pink (Dianthus superbus) — **Fringed Pink**
*DIanthus superbus*

Cornus kousa — **Fringed Pink**
*DIanthus superbus*

Mid Summer

Jul – Aug

Lilium speciosum var. speciosum — **Japanese Lily**
*Lilium speciosum* var. *speciosum*

Water Lily — **Japanese Lily**
*Lilium speciosum* var. *speciosum*

Harlequin Glorybower (Clerodendrum trichotomum) — **Harlequin Glorybower**
*Clerodendrum trichotomum*

Viburnum japonicum — **Harlequin Glorybower**
*Clerodendrum trichotomum*

Chinese Hydrangea (Hydrangea chinensis) — **Day Lily**
*Hemerocallis* sp.

Late Summer

Aug – Sep

Anemone hupehensis flowers — **Japanese Anemone**
*Anemone hupehensis*

Schima sinensis — **Japanese Anemone**
*Anemone hupehensis*

**Blue Evergreen Hydrangea**
*Dichroa febrifuga*

Ginger Lily (Hedychium spicatum var. acuminatum) — **Blue Evergreen Hydrangea**
*Dichroa febrifuga*

Rugosa Rose (Rosa rugosa) flower — **Rugosa Rose**
*Rosa rugosa*

Formosa Lily (Lilium formosanum) flower — **Rugosa Rose**
*Rosa rugosa*

Shop these Picks

Before or after your visit, peruse the Welcome Center for a terrific selection of changing, seasonal, mission-aligned items, including the ones featured here.

Nan Rae Studio Greeting Cards — Huckleberry Leaf Playing Cards

Your dollars make a difference! By shopping locally you’re reducing your carbon footprint and supporting your community. By using your purchasing power to buy products that are environmentally conscious and socially good, you’re supporting sellers that value our planet and pressuring other manufacturers to do the same.

It can take a lot of work to research brands and companies that align with your values, but the Garden’s gift shop team does that work for you! Our buying philosophy centers on the Garden’s mission and prioritizes local, eco-friendly, and fair trade vendors with minimal plastic packaging and ethical production practices. Plus, dollars spent in the gift shop helps keep the Garden healthy and thriving.