It has sprung!
Reposted from the Red Butte Garden blog.
The garden is alive with color! The spring bulbs are winding down, but not yet over, so if you need your daffodil fix, you only have a short time to get it. Our lilacs and crabapples are doing their thing now, followed soon after by the wisteria.
Swiss Willow
![A branch with fuzzy brown round things and light green small leaves.](https://d26toa8f6ahusa.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/24172245/Salix-helvetica-Catkins-1-JWB23.max-1000x800-1.jpg)
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Baker
Swiss Willow (Salix helvetica)
Download Full-Res ImageThis darling dwarf willow has fuzzy gray leaves and can be seen growing in our Four Seasons Garden near the sandstone wall of the courtyard.
White Queen Bishop's Hat
![Maroon triangle leaves and white spikes flowers with purple tips at the tip of the thin wispy branch.](https://d26toa8f6ahusa.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/24172236/Epimedium-grandiflorum-White-Queen-Flowers-.max-1000x800-1.jpg)
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Baker
White Queen Bishop's Hat (Epimedium grandiflorum 'White Queen')
Download Full-Res ImageThese shade-lovers can be found growing in the Medicinal Garden, but we have other varieties growing along the Floral Walk and in the Rose Garden.
Bitter Orange
![Green branch with white flowers.](https://d26toa8f6ahusa.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/24172241/Poncirus-trifoliata-Flowers-4-JWB23.max-1000x800-1.jpg)
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Baker
Bitter Orange (Poncirus trifoliata)
Download Full-Res ImageWho said you can't grow citrus in Utah? Bitter Orange is a cold hardy citrus that produces a thick-skinned bitter fruit that is perfect for candy-ing. You can find ours in the Medicinal Garden.
Yankee Doodle Lilac
![A spike with hundreds of tiny purple flowers with four petals.](https://d26toa8f6ahusa.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/24172247/Syringa-vulgaris-Yankee-Doodle-Flowers-2-JW.max-1000x800-1.jpg)
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Baker
Yankee Doodle Lilac (Syringa vulgaris 'Yankee Doodle')
Download Full-Res ImageWe've got lilacs all over Red Butte with most growing on the lower Floral Walk, but there are many others scattered throughout the garden. This variety can be found in the Water Conservation Garden.
New Mexico Privet
![Tiny light green leaves in sparse clusters along brown branches.](https://d26toa8f6ahusa.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/24172240/Forestiera-neomexicana-Flowers-1-JWB23.max-1000x800-1.jpg)
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Baker
New Mexico Privet (Forestiera neomexicana)
Download Full-Res ImageNot all flowers are showy, but they definitely deserve our appreciation. New Mexico Privet is a Utah native that is extremely water-wise.
Mohawk Burkwood Viburnum
![A branch with clusters of clustered white flowers and pink unopened buds.](https://d26toa8f6ahusa.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/24172249/Viburnum-x-burkwoodii-Mohawk-Flowers-2-JWB2.max-1000x800-1.jpg)
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Baker
Mohawk Burkwood Viburnum (Viburnum x burkwoodii 'Mohawk')
Download Full-Res ImageIf fragrance is what you crave, you can't beat a Viburnum. They are in full bloom now in the Four Seasons Garden. You can also find them along the Floral Walk and in the Rose Garden.
Gambel Oak
![Close up of oak leaves with dangling yellow pods of pollen.](https://d26toa8f6ahusa.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/24172243/Quercus-gambelii-Flowers-3-JWB23.max-1000x800-1.jpg)
PHOTO CREDIT: Jason Baker
Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii)
Download Full-Res ImageLast but not least is our native Gambel oak. They are found all along the Wasatch Mountains and spring is the time they release their pollen into the air which gives some of us allergies. The little dangly structures are the pollen-producing flowers.