Roses and flowers bloom with Spring around Petworth
/Roses on Rock Creek Church Road NW
If you’ve found yourself walking around our beautiful neighborhood admiring the flowers and wondering what you’re looking at, we’re here to help. Welcome to "Petworth Blooming,” a popular series featuring some of the most common plants and flowers seen around Petworth. Follow Steve at PetworthBlooms.org and see more photos at @petworthblooms on Instagram.
May always means Roses, and this year is no different. I’m not sure I’ve walked a single block without seeing at least one in the last week. It’s easy to see why the State flower of DC was chosen to be a rose! White, yellow and all shades of red are on display for the next few weeks.
Roses on 2nd Street NW
Peonies are also putting on a show now. These largely asian species have been a favorite of gardeners for a very long time. There are generally two kinds, ones that die-back all the way to the ground every winter and “tree” peonies which resprout from woody stems, though they still never get very tall. Often the flowers are so big and heavy they will fall over — or you can cut them to bring inside!
A pink peony on Rock Creek Church Road NW.
White peonies on Decatur Street NW
Clematis is a vine that’s related to the common buttercup. The showiest varieties are mostly hybrids of Japanese and Chinese origin, but there are a few native species as well. It grows using tendrils, so it usually needs some kind of artificial support to look its best.
Purple clematis on Varnum Street NW
Yellowwood is a beautiful midsize tree that seems to be having an above average year for blooms. It’s in the pea family, which you can tell by looking closely at the clusters of flowers. This tree is very rare in the wild, restricted to a few areas in Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, but has become an increasingly popular landscape tree.
Yellowwood on Shepherd Street NW
Baptisia or False Indigo is winding down its blooming season now, but there are still some beautiful specimens flowering. Also a native member of the pea family, baptisia is very drought-tolerant. The upright spikes of yellow or blue flowers are a good early season source of food for bees. Later in the year, the seed pods will dry out forming miniature rattles.
Yellow Baptisia at the 4th and Buchanan NW triangle park
Yet another member of the pea family, Scotch-broom originally hails from Europe. This small-leafed plant does great in lots of sun and dry, sandy soils. It’s arching stems give it a distinctive look, and it usually has either yellow or orange flowers.
Orange Scotch-broom on Buchanan Street NW
Bluestar is a great native flower that is hitting its stride now. There are a few different kinds available, with shorter growth habits or more feathery foliage. They can take a couple years to really get established, but are very hardy after that. They exude a sticky white sap when cut or damaged.
Bluestar at the 4th and Buchanan triangle park.
Bearded Iris have been blooming since late March, but the most interesting varieties don’t seem to start until late April. These plants are super easy to grow, handle drought with ease and readily divide for sharing with your neighbors. They flower best in full sun, but will still make nice sword shaped leaves even in the shade. All kinds of colors are available.
Purple and white bearded iris on Illinois Avenue NW.
Petunias originally come from South America, and are related to tomatoes, potatoes and tobacco. They come in pretty much any color, and some have multiple colors in a single flower. These are annual plants that tolerate lots of hot sun and will bloom all summer long.
“Night Sky” petunias in the planters at Little Food Studio on Upshur Street NW
So what's blooming next in Petworth? We’ll talk about that next month!
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