A Season of Showstopping Plants

Each year, seasonal plantings bring fresh color, texture, and variety to Greenwood Gardens, complementing the established landscape and architecture while introducing something new to familiar spaces. In 2026, Greenwood’s horticulture team and dedicated volunteers planted thousands of annuals and tender perennials, carefully selecting varieties that would provide long-lasting interest for visitors to enjoy.

The Tennis Pavilion, for example, features four statuesque Birds of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) soaring overhead in concrete urns along the staircase, bringing a tropical feel to this historic structure.

On the the Main Lawn in custom cedar boxes, sculpted wax-leaf privet topiaries (Ligustrum japonicum) provide formal focal points among the playful borders of dinner-plate dahlias, purple salvias, and white impatiens.

Similarly, on the Grand Staircase leading down to the Reflecting Pool Terrace in additional cedar planters, tree-form Hydrangeas ‘Little Quick Fire’ have been combined with a mix of Dianella tasmanica ‘Variegata’ (variegated flax lily) and Gomphrena ‘Fireworks’ (globe amaranth), which have effectively softened the surrounding gray stucco walls with their whimsical forms and vibrant blooms.

At the Teahouse, a bold red-and-yellow palette with a mixed planting of Canna ‘Cleopatra’ and Canna ‘Australia’ adds dramatic foliage and striking blooms at the former Frog Fountain.

Surrounding the Teahouse lawn, four concrete urns filled with bright red Dragon Wing ® begonias have been bursting with color, while two additional containers of Dipladenia (Brazilian jasmine) gracefully frame the steps leading down toward the service drive and ponds beyond.

Some of this season’s tender perennials remarkably began to put on their show only as recently as early October, as exemplified by the orange blooms of Leonotis leonurus (lion’s ear) which have risen beside the fountains at the Cascade Garden and invite the attention of hummingbirds and onlookers alike.

Simultaneously in the outer Cascade Garden, masses of Salvia leucantha (Mexican bush sage) have been producing fuzzy purple flower spikes that attract late-season pollinators and have been holding their color well into autumn.

With the end of the growing season and onset of frosty nights ahead, preparations have been underway to ensure a “showy” spring. Nearly 8,000 bulbs will be planted at Greenwood in November, filling the garden beds with fresh color when our gates re-open next year.

October Notes from the Garden was written by Nate Adamson, Senior Gardener at Greenwood, with photography by Barbara Storms, Marketing and Communications Manager at Greenwood.