What’s in bloom in Forsyth County? 

N.C. Cooperative Extension mantains two public gardens in Forsyth County with the assistance of NC State Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteers of Forsyth County:

• • The Forsyth County Demonstration Gardens are located at the Forsyth County Agriculture Building, 1450 Fairchild Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27105.
  • The Arboretum at Tanglewood Park is located within Tanglewood Park at 4201 Manor House Circle, Clemmons, NC 27012. You will find the Arboretum located behind the Manor House.

These gardens are open year-round for visitors.

If you want to learn more about one of the plants you see here, check out the NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox at plants.ces.ncsu.edu.

Visit our Gardening in the Piedmont website for basic gardening information, including recordings of past webinars and other great garden resources!

May 2025

There are a wide variety of plants blooming in our area during May and it is safe to plant summer annuals now. Follow along here for monthly updates on what is blooming in our Extension gardens. North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Forsyth County Center, manages two public gardens which are open to visitors.

Thank you to NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteers of Forsyth County, for assistance compiling photos and information.

Flowers

Achillea millefolium, or common yarrow, is a perennial plant that blooms in the spring. Flower colors vary, including white, yellow, pink, and red varieties. The dense flowerheads are often visited by smaller pollinators and the feathery foliage can add texture to the garden. You can see this plant at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park or the Demonstration Garden.

Yarrow blooms in the late spring in our area. You can see this plant at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park or the Demonstration Garden.

Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, is  a non-native perennial with a column of bell-like flowers that appear in spring. This plant is a biennial, which means it will grow as vegetatively with a rosette of leaves during its first year and flower in the second year of growth. You can see this plant at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park.

Foxglove blooms in the spring. You can catch it in bloom at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park.

Penstemon digitalis, commonly called foxglove beardtongue, is a perennial plant that is native to the eastern and central U.S. The tubular flowers can attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees (who you can watch crawl in to find food). This plant grows best in full sun. You can find it growing at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park and at the Demonstration Garden.

Beardtongue blooms in the spring in our area. You can see this plant at the Demonstration Garden or at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park.

A variety of Rudbeckia species, including Rudbeckia hirta, are commonly called Black-eyed Susan. These plants bloom during late spring and summer in our area. This perennial plant will grow and spread in the garden, and can easily be divided and shared with gardening friends. You can find this plant at both the Demonstration Garden and the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park.

Black-eyed Susan plants begin blooming in late spring and will typically continue blooming into the summer. You can see these in bloom at the Demonstration Garden or at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park.

Bee balm, Monarda didyma, is a native, perennial plant that begins blooming in late spring. Varieties of this plant have pink, red, and purple flowers. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators. This plant will spread in the garden and flowers best in the full sun. Look for varieties with resistance to powdery mildew, as this is a common issue in the late summer garden. You can see bee balm growing at the Demonstration Garden and at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park.

Bee balm flowers attract many pollinators during the summer. Varieties vary in their bloom color, including red, pink, and purple flowers. Look for varieties that are resistant to powdery mildew, as this is a common issue later in the season. Find these blooming at the Arboretum at Tanglewood Park or at the Demonstration Garden.

Weeds

Remember, a weeds is a plant growing out of place – what may be considered a weed by one person may be a welcome plant in another person’s garden.

In May, you may still have some winter annuals that are blooming and dying. It is best to remove these before they bloom if possible, to keep the plants from generating more seeds. If you have annual weeds, it is not recommended to use an herbicide at this time of the year because the weeds will die as the weather continues to heat up.

We also see summer annual weeds beginning to grow in the garden and perennial weeds returning at this time of the year. If you can start to recognize and remove weeds when they are small, this helps make maintenance more manageable over the gardening season.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a perennial weed. If you are removing this plant in the garden, try to dig down to remove its large tap root. Dandelions have toothed leaves and develop yellow flowers. Eventually, the flowers form white seeds that are easily dispersed by the wind.

Dandelion is a perennial weed in the Piedmont region.

Yellow woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta) is a perennial weed with small yellow flowers. After flowering, this plant develops cylindrical seed pods. When ready for dispersal, the seed pods will burst open to spread seeds widely through the garden. Try to remove these plants prior to flowering if possible.

Yellow woodsorrel is commonly found in Piedmont gardens in the spring and summer.

Yellow woodsorrel plants are often small in the springtime.

Virginia creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, is a native, vining plant that is often considered a weed. This perennial plant will rapidly vine through the garden and can cover trees, shrubs, fences, and other structures. The vine will get red fall color and is a host plant for the larval stage os several butterflies and moths.

Virginia creeper is a perennial vine that is found in Piedmont gardens from spring through fall.