Electric blue blooms signal spring’s arrival at Bronx garden

A burst of electric blue is signaling the arrival of spring at Wave Hill, where thousands of delicate blossoms are carpeting the grounds in one of the city’s earliest seasonal displays.

The 28-acre public garden and cultural center in the Riverdale section of the Bronx is seeing a “super bloom” of scilla sardensis — commonly known as Glory-of-the-Snow — a hardy bulb native to the mountains of western Turkey.

“These are Scilla sardensis, the common name is Glory-of-the-Snow. They are native to the mountains of Western Turkey but are really comfortable growing in almost any condition, as you can see. They are, for us, the real harbingers of spring. We know that once we start to see this electric blue color, the season is starting for us,” said Cathy Deutsch, director of horticulture at Wave Hill.

What You Need To Know

Wave Hill in the Bronx is seeing a “super bloom” of Glory-of-the-Snow flowers

The early spring bulbs are known for their vivid electric blue color

The Alpine House at Wave Hill is also showcasing early seasonal blooms

The garden, once private estates, has been open to the public since the 1960s

Set along the Hudson River with views of the water and the New Jersey Palisades, Wave Hill’s grounds transform each year as the early spring bulbs return with little intervention.

“We don’t mow under here, so once it gets done blooming, the foliage persists green for a while, and then as it dies back, it’s feeding the bulb for next year’s flower,” Deutsch said.

The vivid display is just one part of the seasonal transition underway at the garden.

Inside Wave Hill’s Alpine House, which is designed to mimic mountaintop conditions, visitors can find an array of carefully protected plants emerging after the winter months.

“We get this flourish of early spring blooms, which really is unparalleled in the city,” Deutsch said.

Though Wave Hill offers year-round attractions, the prolific early spring blooms are a signal of things to come. 

“Between the Alpine House and our Glory-of-the-Snow and our early crocus, there’s really a lot of dynamic color happening right now,” Deutsch said.

The property, once home to a series of private estates, opened as a public garden in the mid-1960s. Notable former residents include Theodore Roosevelt, Arturo Toscanini and Mark Twain.

Plan your visit at wavehill.org.