Dixon Blooms
The Dixon is known for its yearly spring bulb display. This year, our 50th Anniversary celebration will include the largest bulb display in our history. More than 650,00 bulbs have been planted throughout the grounds, focusing on tulips and daffodils, and including species tulips and anemones. Enjoy the stunning flower displays over the entire property.
Dixon Blooms
A Celebration of Spring
The annual tulip display at Dixon Gallery and Gardens has become one of the South’s most beloved spring traditions. While large-scale plantings began in 2009, historic photographs show that founders Margaret and Hugo Dixon grew and arranged tulips on the property from the 1940s through the 1970s.
The tradition began with 10,000 tulips planted in the Memphis Garden Club Cutting Garden. The response was overwhelming, and the display has grown larger and more ambitious each year.
Tulips are not naturally suited to the Mid-South’s heavy clay soil and warm summers, so they are planted fresh each fall and winter. They bloom briefly but brilliantly in spring before being composted in May—making their beauty all the more special.
In celebration of the Dixon’s 50th anniversary in 2026, the gardens feature a record 650,000 tulip bulbs across 17 acres. Among the 102 varieties on display is the newly christened ‘Margaret Oates Dixon’ tulip, a long-lasting hybrid named in honor of our founder.
Plants to look for
In the Spring
Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia)
Columbine (Aquilegia sp.)
Camellia (Camellia sp.)
Daffodil (Narcissus sp.)
Witch-alder (Fothergilla sp.)
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans)
Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum sp.)
Celadine poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum)
Foamflower (Tiarella sp.)
Tulip (Tulipa sp.)
Hydrangea (Hydrangea sp.)
Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa)
Elizabeth magnolia (Magnolia x ‘Elizabeth’)
Virginia bluebell (Mertensia virginica)
Beardtongue (Penstemon sp.)
Peony (Paeonia sp.)
Phlox (Phlox sp.)
Native azalea (Rhododendron austrinum and R. canescens)
Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica)
Viburnum (Viburnum sp.)
Dove tree (Davidia involucrata)
Azalea (Rhododendron sp.)
Plants to look for
In the Summer
Hydrangea (Hydrangea sp.)
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)
Dahlia (Dahlia sp.)
Hornbeam (Carpinus sp.)
Cutting Garden
Plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium)
Sweetshrub (Calycanthus sp.)
Blue atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Horstmman’)
Spurge (Euphorbia characias)
Whale’s Tongue agave (Agave sp.)
Plants to look for
In the Fall
Hickory (Carya sp.)
Maple (Acer sp.)
Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Great Dixter mum (Chrysanthemum ‘Dixter Pink’)
Toad lily (Tricyrtis sp.)
Dahlia (Dahlia sp.)
Persian ironwood (Parrotia sp.)
Grasses (Pennisetum sp.)
Plants to look for
In the Winter
Amaryllis (Amaryllis sp.)
Paperbush (Edgeworthia sp.)
Witchhazel (Hamamelis sp.)
Musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana)
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
Vardar Valley boxwood (Buxus sempervirens ‘Vardar Valley’)
Holly (Ilex sp.)
Camellia (Camellia sp.)
Oregon grape (Mahonia x media ‘Arthur Menzies’)
