Prunus 'First Lady'....it clouded up and rained after noon

The Research Unit forced this flowering Cherry, Prunus 'First Lady' for the MANTS show, mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show in Baltimore this week. First Lady is a recent Arboretum introduction though it was hybridized 30 years ago. Differing from the commoner flowering cherries, it has an upright habit similar to one of its parents, Prunus okame.

Tropical color in the greenhouses: Asclepias curavassica, Vanda sp., Scutellaria ventenatii

Still, just in case I got homesick for that tropical color, I found these guys among Brad's plants. The Vanda is a remarkable specimen with those huge flowers on that compact perfect plant. The Scutellaria are propagations from a plant I brought back from Florida a few years ago.