Glowing in the Gloaming

Designed by Marjorie McNeely Conservatory’s horticulturist Ariel Dressler, this summer’s Sunken Garden Show is all about summer sunsets 

Summer sunsets are the inspiration for this year’s Summer Flower Show, featuring a warm palette of glowing tropical and seasonal annuals. From fiery reds like the Hibiscus ‘Imperial Dragon’, red salvia and dark red verbena, to citrus-y orange begonias, tangerine impatiens, striped tiki torch petunias, and canna, the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory’s longest-running flower show captures the gloaming warmth of the season’s long days.

One of Dressler’s other favorites in the show is the talinum, which is a genus of herbaceous succulent plants in the family Talinaceae whose common names include “flameflower.” Several species bear edible leaves, and Talinum fruticosum is widely grown in tropical regions as a leaf vegetable. “I love knowing that a plant is both beautiful to look at, and also edible,” Says Dressler.

“There is always a lot of anticipation and smiles when a new show opens, and I think the lilies will be blooming by Mother’s Day,” says Dressler.