03/10/2022
Idaho Botanical Blog
10/11/2018
What’s Blooming October 2018
By: Daniel Murphy, Collections Curator
Fall Flowers Summer may have officially come to a close, but that doesn’t mean we are left without flowers. Many plants flower throughout the summer and into
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09/12/2018
What’s Blooming September 2018
By: Daniel Murphy, Collections Curator
Scarlet Runner Bean This vining plant in the bean family can be found growing in both the Children’s Adventure Garden and the Vegetable Garden. It is commo
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08/15/2018
What’s Blooming August 2018
By: Daniel Murphy, Collections Curator
Summer Fruits of Native Trees and Shrubs The Lewis and Clark Native Plant Garden is lousy with fruit. As the fruits of serviceberries and currants fade, a su
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07/24/2018
What’s Blooming July 2018
By: Daniel Murphy, Collections Curator
Heritage Grain Trial Idaho Botanical Garden is participating in the Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance Heritage Grains Trial. Thanks to Anna and the Vegetable Garden
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06/18/2018
It’s National Pollinator Week
By: Daniel Murphy
Thanks to Pollinator Partnership for providing these Pollination Fast Facts! What is pollination? Pollination is a vital stage in the life cycle of all flow
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06/10/2018
What’s Blooming June 2018
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Dwarf English Lavender - Lavandula angustifolia ‘Wee One’ We have several Plant Select Petites in our Plant Select Demonstration Beds. Like
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05/29/2018
Meet Mark Nagel Volunteer Beekeeper
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Hi Everyone! Let me introduce myself.  My name is Mark Nagel and I am the new volunteer beekeeper at the Garden. I have been keeping bees for 6 years and am
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05/25/2018
Idaho Botanical Garden is now a propagation member of Plant Select
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New Plant Select Garden Featured at Idaho Botanical Garden The Idaho Botanical Garden is now a propagation member of Plant Select, the country’s leading bran
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05/19/2018
What’s Blooming May 2018
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Meadow Rue – Thalictrum ‘Black Stockings’ The genus Thalictrum may surprise you by just how showy and attractive it can be. Commonly known
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05/17/2018
30,000 Honey Bees!
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30,000 Honey Bees! Please welcome our newest IBG staff members…30,000 honey bees! Please welcome our newest IBG staff members…30,000 honey b
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05/16/2018
Bear Grass Bloom Watch!
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It’s an exciting day in the Lewis and Clark Garden; we are on Bloom Watch for our Bear Grass! What makes this bloom so exciting is that Xerophyllum te
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04/26/2018
What’s Blooming April 26, 2018
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Koreanspice Viburnum - Viburnum carlesii Viburnum is a genus of shrubs consisting of more than 150 species, most of which are found in the North
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04/06/2018
What’s Blooming April 2018
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Prairie Smoke -Â Geum triflorum One of the first wildflowers to bloom in the Lewis and Clark Native Plant Garden is a low-growing plant in the ro
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03/01/2018
What’s Blooming March 2018
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Panchito Manzanita Arctostaphylos x coloradensis [caption id="attachment_6727" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Panchito Manzanita 'Arctostaph
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02/01/2018
What’s Blooming 2/1/2018
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Helllebores - Helleborus spp. [caption id="attachment_6727" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Hellebores 'Helleborus spp.'[/caption] This odd
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09/21/2017
What’s Blooming 9/21/2017
By: Idaho Botanical Garden
Globe Amaranth - Gomphrena spp. [caption id="attachment_6727" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Gomphrena haageana 'QIS™ Carmine'[/caption]
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08/23/2017
What’s Blooming 8/23/2017
By: Idaho Botanical Garden
Eaton's Aster - Symphyotrichum eatonii Every year during the final weeks of summer, we look forward to seeing the asters bloom. They are a sure s
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07/31/2017
What’s Blooming 7/31/2017
By: Idaho Botanical Garden
Goldhill Golden-aster - Heterotheca jonesii x villosa 'Goldhill' One of the many things to love about the Plant Select program is their collectio
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06/15/2017
What’s Blooming 6/15/2017
By: Idaho Botanical Garden
Spanish Foxglove - Digitalis thapsi 'Spanish Peaks' Idaho Botanical Garden is home to one of Plant Select's many demonstration gardens located th
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04/24/2017
What’s Blooming – April 24, 2017
By: Idaho Botanical Garden
April showers bring more April flowers. Brave the rain and come see the most recent blooms at Idaho Botanical Garden as April draws to a close. Here's hopin
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04/05/2017
What’s Blooming – April 2017
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Idaho Botanical Garden is on the verge of bursting into full bloom. So many things are already flowering, and there is much more to come. Below are just a few
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09/26/2016
What’s Blooming 9/26/2016
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Bluebeard - Caryopteris spp. Plants that bloom late in the summer and into fall are particularly important in the garden. Not only do they offer conti
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09/14/2016
What’s Blooming 9/14/2016
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Firecracker Vine - Ipomoea lobata After months of growth, Ipomoea lobata is finally coming into its own. Commonly known as firecracker vine, Spanish f
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09/07/2016
What’s Blooming 9/07/2016
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Mexican Sunflower - Tithonia rotundifolia Mexican sunflower is a real presence in the garden. Closely related to the sunflower genus (Helianthus), Tit
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08/31/2016
What’s Blooming 8/31/2016
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Joe Pye Weed - Eutrochium purpureum Native to wooded slopes, wet meadows, thickets and streams of the eastern and northern United States, Joe Pye wee
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08/24/2016
What’s Blooming 8/24/2016
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Rocky Mountain Bee Plant - Cleome serrulata At first glance Rocky Mountain bee plant might appear to be an import from an alien planet. The big pink bl
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08/18/2016
What’s Blooming 8/18/2016
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Hardy Hibiscus - Hibiscus moscheutos Hibiscus moscheutos has the tropical appeal of other Hibiscus species but is surprisingly well-adapted to surviv
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08/04/2016
What’s Blooming 8/4/2016
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Globe Thistle - Echinops ritro In the Children's Adventure Garden, a mass of planting of globe-shaped, blue-purple flowers draws a crowd. In the heat
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07/28/2016
What’s Blooming 7/28/2016
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Desert Willow - Chilopsis linearis The common name for Chilopsis linearis, desert willow, might first appear to be an oxymoron, as we often associate w
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07/20/2016
What’s Blooming 7/20/2016
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Dahlias Native to Mexico and Central America, dahlias are tuberous rooted perennials in the aster (Asteraceae) family. Years after its discovery, the f
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07/12/2016
What’s Blooming 7/12/2016
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Purple Prairie Clover - Dalea purpurea Throughout the Idaho Botanical Garden you may notice certain plants covered in small metal cages made of chicken
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07/06/2016
What’s Blooming 7/06/2016
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Texas Red Yucca - Hesperaloe parviflora It may surprise you that a plant native to central Texas and northern Mexico thrives in Idaho, but it's true.Â
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06/22/2016
What’s Blooming 6/22/2016
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Oceanspray - Holodiscus discolor As we enter the heat of summer, flowers in many parts of the garden are slowly succumbing to the rising temperatures.
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06/14/2016
What’s Blooming 6/14/2016
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Butterfly Milkweed - Asclepias tuberosa Butterfly sightings have become common in the garden these past few weeks. Butterflies are among the most char
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05/31/2016
What’s Blooming 5/31/2016
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Red Hot Poker -Â Kniphofia uvaria The common names of plants can often be misleading or nonsensical. However, looking around town at the blooming Red H
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05/25/2016
What’s Blooming 5/25/2016
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Black Beauty Elderberry - Sambucus nigra 'Gerda' A Black Beauty elderberry in full bloom is a sight to behold. Black Beauty is a trademarked name for
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05/16/2016
What’s Blooming 5/16/2016
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Streambank Wild Hollyhock - Iliamna rivularis This eye-catching, Idaho native is a member of the mallow family (Malvaceae). As its common name implies
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05/03/2016
What’s Blooming 5/3/2016
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Lilacs - Syringa vulgaris Sense memory in the springtime garden can be strongly influenced by the nostalgic perfume of lilac. Does the scent of lila
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04/27/2016
What’s Blooming 4/27/2016
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Owens Valley Penstemon - Penstemon confusus The western United States is lousy with penstemons. Idaho alone claims at least 43 native Penstemon speci
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04/21/2016
What’s Blooming 4/21/2016
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Curly Leaf Sea Kale - Crambe maritima One of our horticulture missions at Idaho Botanical Garden is to showcase plants that are suitable for gardens a
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04/11/2016
What’s Blooming 4/11/2016
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Barestem Biscuitroot - Lomatium nudicaule Lomatiums are among the diverse suite of wildflowers that bloom in the Boise Foothills each spring. Commonly
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09/23/2015
What’s Blooming 9/21/2015
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Asters For many, the beginning of fall is signaled by the appearance of pumpkin spice lattes. But gardeners might take more notice of the rows of mums appearing
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09/14/2015
What’s Blooming 9/14/2015
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Rabbitbrush! Summers in the Treasure Valley are bookended by the yellow flowers of two of our most abundant native shrubs. In late spring, bitterbrush bursts in
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09/08/2015
What’s Blooming 9/7/2015
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Maximilian Sunflower Helianthus maximiliani  Maximilian Sunflower is an herbaceous perennial native to the Great Plains regions of central North America. It
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07/27/2015
What’s Blooming 7/29/2015
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The genus Salvia is the largest in the botanical family, Lamiaceae (mint), with the number of species estimated to range from 800 to nearly 1,000. Salvias, comm
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06/29/2015
What’s Blooming 6/29/2015
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Nepeta x faassenii Catmint With its gorgeous, long lasting blooms, lovely scent, and pollinator attracting power, Nepeta x faassenii is one of the great hybrid
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06/24/2015
What’s Blooming 6/22/2015
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Bourbon, Hybrid Perpetual, Rambler, Modern Climbing, and Miniature Roses Bourbon Rose The Bourbon rose originated from a natural cross between a China rose and
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06/17/2015
What’s Blooming 6/15/2015
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Centifolia, Moss, and China Roses Centifolia Roses Salet Rose Historians believe that the Centifolia rose or the Cabbage rose is one of the oldest cultivated ro
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06/08/2015
What’s Blooming 6/8/2015
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Gallica and Damask Roses The Gallica rose is one of the earliest cultivated species of roses. This rose was cultivated by the Greeks and the Romans and was com
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06/01/2015
What’s Blooming 6/1/2015
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An Introduction to Old Garden Roses There are many types of roses in the world of plants. Wild roses, which are truly wild roses, are not usually cultivated. O
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