Curator's blog

It looks like, for the moment, Utah might be having a little bit of winter. So while everything that's blooming is under a thin blanket of snow, lets take our attention to the often overlooked and attractive bark possessed by so many trees and shrubs within the gardens.

The Paperbark Maple can be found along the Floral Walk and in the Perennial Garden. The exfoliating bark looks nice when back lit with morning sun.

Winter time - with or without snow - presents a wonderful time to explore the gardens and see our ever expanding conifer collections. We have conifers in many locations in every garden within Red Butte. There are many new and unique varieties added each year and the best way to find out about them is to visit often and explore every garden.

Norway Spruce Picea abies

One truly magnificent tree at Red Butte Garden is the Seven-Son Flower (Heptacodium miconioides).

Seven-Son Flower  Heptacodium miconioides

The colors at Red Butte Garden and the surrounding foothills are filled with autumn colors. Come take a walk through the garden before the leaves are all gone.

Amur Maple  Acer ginnala

From now until the snow falls is probably the best time to see our fantastic display of ornamental grasses.  They are planted in every garden so be sure to spend time walking through each.

The temperatures are beginning to cool down and our roses are still showing off.  Come take a walk through our gardens and see how many different cultivars you can count.

 
Jude The Obscure Rose  Rosa 'AUSjo'

It has been an interesting year, that's for sure. Everything is blooming later than normal and some blooming periods are lasting longer, but either way things are in full swing right now.  You'll find these beauties as you walk through the garden.

Bellflower  Campanula incurva

Grecian Foxglove  Digitalis lanata

Today was the perfect day for a hike in the Natural Area. With approximately 3 1/2 miles of trails to hike, Red Butte is a great place to come and escape the city for a while and see some cool native flowers.

Comandra umbellata - Bastard Toadflax

Crepis acuminata - Tapertip Hawksbeard

I think we're FINALLY in springtime.... The daffodils are finishing up and the lilacs, crabapples and viburnums are almost in full swing.

Volcan Lilac

Charles Holetich Lilac

Firmament Lilac

As you have probably noticed, everything has been a bit late to bloom this year and daffodils were no exception.  Right now they are at their peak, so come for a visit.