Just a quick note for the continuing celebration of amazing buds bursting forth this past week at the Arnold Arboretum. The beeches are mostly finished (breaking bud), but Fagus orientalis (Oriental beech; 239-29*B) was impressive against the sun on Saturday: a combination of beautiful plications with shadows of overlapping leaves, along with bud scales and ephemeral stipules. Continuing clockwise to lower right, Tilia tomentosa (silver linden; 589-85*A) seemed to be spiraling out of its bud, although I am confident this young branch will straighten up shortly. Lower left is Juglans ailantifolia (Japanese walnut; 391-2008*A) with its wonderful fuzzy (tomentose) young leaves. Hard to believe that a week earlier, all of what you see here was packed tightly into very much smaller winter buds.
An important aside: Lilac Sunday at the Arnold Arboretum is only days away (May 8, Mother’s Day), and we should have a wonderful congruence of close-to-peak lilac flowering for this celebration of our 370 lilacs on the grounds. From Syringa emodi (Himalayan lilac) to Syringa yunnanensis (Yunnan lilac), with countless hybrids and cultivars in between, there will be something to delight the visual and olfactory senses for everyone!
