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susanswoods_gw

What's up in your yard?

susanswoods
19 years ago

I've spent the last few years planting my trees and starting on shrubs but last fall I did plant out some wildflowers to complete two beds. Some I grew from seed, some I purchased as plants. The bluebells were transplanted from some land I own up on the Shenandoah River. So far I see most of them coming up right where they should be!

I've seen:

Dutchman's breeches

Trout lily

Virginia bluebells

Wild columbine (A. canadensis)

I'm waiting for the celandine poppy and fringed bleeding heart to show themselves. I am very pleased.

Comments (34)

  • kwoods
    19 years ago

    Bloodroot... finally! Actually it's right on time just seems late with all the late winter weather we've had.

    Not blooming yet but saw their little white naked heads popping out through the leaf litter yesterday. Wood poppy is up, spring beauty too. Not much else yet.

  • Iris GW
    19 years ago

    In North Georgia, the trout lilies have just finished, the bloodroot is midway through blooming, trilliums are in various stages of popping up. Rue Anemone is blooming and hepatica has been blooming for quite a while. Toothwort is also blooming and the first foamflowers have tiny blooms (that should get taller). Fly poison has just put forth it's foliage and I can see the tiny buds of the 5 lady slippers that I rescued last year. Hope they bloom!

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  • cjlambert
    19 years ago

    Golden wood poppy & woodland phlox are blooming now; that classic yellow/blue combination can't be beat. The columbine is just putting up it's bloom stalks, and the wild ginger and tiarella are pushing through the leaf litter.

    Lots of the prairie perennials are appearing, but won't bloom for a month or two.

  • Elaine_NJ6
    19 years ago

    Nothing yet. Virginia bluebells very soon.

  • prhart
    19 years ago

    At 2400 ft. elevation here in western North Carolina, the following are in bloom: Dutchman's breeches, bloodroot (actually finished except for a few late ones), trailing arbutus, spring beauty, dog tooth violet (both yellow and white species),hepatica, and sessile trillium. Several other species of trillium just about to open. I have been anxiously awaiting the appearance of a double bloodroot which I received in trade last summer but, thus far, no signs of sprouting. Does anyone know if this variety Flora Pleno is much later than the regular one?

  • shadowgarden
    19 years ago

    Spring beauty is the only one I have seen in Ohio.

  • ArborBluffGirl
    19 years ago

    Nothing native blooming yet but I have monkshood, shooting stars and trout lilies making their debut.

  • Elaine_NJ6
    19 years ago

    Finally seeing Canada anemone, plus more bluebells, blue lobelia, Virginia waterleaf, columbines, dicentra. Not blooms, just foliage. Today, after almost two days of very heavy rain, I couldn't hold back anymore and had to divde a few lobelias, dicentras, and ferns. I did just a few, thinking it might be too early. Just couldn't wait. I also tried to rip out some of the anemone, which has been taking over my shade garden. In a hour's digging and pulling, I think I managed to clear maybe two square feet. Good exercise, though!

  • MarcR
    19 years ago

    Redbuds, Dogwoods, Rhododendrons (not all native),Other Ericacious plants, Eschscholtzia, Most genera of Iridaceae from all over the world, Nemophila several species of native violets, species from many genra in liliaceae (about 60% native), Magnolias, Hallesias, Amelanchier, many Australian and South African natives hardy in Z8

  • ahughes798
    19 years ago

    Well, In my single-tree woodland garden...the danged wood aster is showing itself all over...of course it has spread..I am going to show it the door this year, or maybe not, but it is a pain to control. The woodland phlox has sprouted, too. The zig-zag goldenrod is up..it's another kind of ill behaved native plant, but much easier to control than the aster. I may have seen a tiny mertensia. I've not had much luck with them at all. So far, Spring is dragging her heels and not much is showing up so far. It was almost 80 degrees here today, but it's supposed to turn a bit cold again. Basically...we're all just waiting for the soil to warm up. Out in the prairie the brome is greening up, and I've got some shoots from a compass plant. I did a burn last night. Freaks out the neighbors a bit. I love burning. ;-) April

  • Elaine_NJ6
    19 years ago

    I've let loose and begun dividing and renovating my woodland bed. As things make their appearance, I divide them or move them if necessary. Made about 10 blue lobelias out of 3. Didn't do any dividing last year because my mother had surgery in April, which kept me kind of busy, so I knew most of the ferns needed it, and they did. Also, a lot of nice plants were toward the back of the bed, because we've gradually widened it over the years. I've been spending an hour or an hour and a half a day at it and having a wonderful time. It's easy to work with now, because there's room to walk between plants and everything is small and easy to dig up. Divided and moved geraniums, dicentras, ginger, columbines, Virginia waterleaf as well as ferns.

    I think I may start clearing some perennial beds because I'll be away most of next week. I see lots of foliage peeking through.

  • vegangirl
    19 years ago

    In SW Virginia, In bloom-- hepaticas and one patch of bloodroot. The other patch isn't even showing through the ground yet. It is always a couple of weeks later than the first one. One spring beauty is blooming. The skunk cabbage flowers are going and the leaves are coming out. Coming up--columbine, solomon's seal, aruncus, alumroot, dicentra eximia, phloxes. I planted Dutchman's breeches last year but so far nothing is showing. I won't worry yet because the squirrel corn isn't showing yet either.

  • joepyeweed
    19 years ago

    i found two very tiny spring beauties blooming today :-)

    of course the non-native daffodils planted by a previous homeowner are in full bloom.

    i also have sprouts of foliage for delphiniums, trilliums, water leaf, dutchmen's britches(sp), spiderwort and shooting stars. spring is here - i am getting excited.

  • RenaOK
    19 years ago

    My redbud is in full bloom. My native bleeding heart (Dicentra) is blooming, the barren strawberry is covered in yellow blooms, oh and Coreopsis "Nana" is putting out yellow flowers. I won't mention the non-natives.

    My Echinacia purpurea "Magnus" is up a bit, and Coreopsis "Moonbeam" is just barely showing a dark green.
    I also have some Salvia that has been green for a while (NOT blooming) flopped over w/a southern exposure. I planted it last year and was told it would be 3ft tall, bushy and glorious (forget what kind it is though it's marked outside) and so far, it's floppy and laying on the ground. We'll see. Perhaps it's getting too much shade....though I put it in what I thought was a rather sunny spot....

  • joepyeweed
    19 years ago

    found some dutchmens breetches blooming today...

  • kbcherokee
    19 years ago

    Hello, I envy all of you who had flowers blooming a month ago. Finally I have bluebells and hepatic ready to bloom.Trout Lily, shooting star, trillium, jack in the pulpit, dutchmans breeches, bloodroot and spring beauty are all up.

  • Elaine_NJ6
    19 years ago

    Dutchman's breeches and Virginia bluebells are in bloom. Tiarella very soon. The bloodroot is just popping out of the ground. Fern fronds are just swelling--glad I divided ferns in time this year. Most spring wildflowers are out of the ground, but no jacks yet. Mine always come up very late.

    Serviceberry flower buds are swelling and showing white, chokecherry is leafing out and showing flower buds.

  • meg_va
    19 years ago

    The bloodroot is in full bloom, as is the wild ginger. Red Trillum are up but not yet blooming. White trillium and Solomon's Seal are just peaking above the soil.

    I love this time of year!

    Meg :)

  • ahughes798
    19 years ago

    Bloodroot and hepatica are in bloom, and one yellow violet, so far. Things that are popping up: Yellow-Flowered Trillium, wild geranium, Rue, anemones, dutchman's breeches, virginia waterleaf(good lord, it has seeded all over!), woodland phlox, native columbine, foxglove beardtongue, Tiarellas and toothwort.

    No sign yet of May-apple, the other trilliums(nodding, grandiflora, prairie or erectum), green dragon, pink Lady-Slipper or Jack-In-The-Pulpit. Hopefully, soon! The lady's slipper I really don't expect to see...I'm giving up on that variety and going with something more appropriate for my habitat.

  • taylmat_OK
    19 years ago

    Wild Columbine, dicentra, Solomon's seal is just starting to bloom, creeping phlox is still going strong and salvia just starting to take off.

    Oh and dandelions! Tons and tons of them!!

  • plantaholic
    19 years ago

    my yellow lady's slippers are blooming now in central alabama. trilliums are incredible including catesbaei, grandiflorum, sulcatum, flexipes, rugellii and erectum. trillium vaseyi is the last one to bloom and is just now showing flower buds.

  • birdgardner
    19 years ago

    IN New Jersey, in my much trompled topsoil-stripped, former cowpasture former woods, somewhat reclaimed yard: spring beauty, Virginia bluebells, bloodroot, dutchman's breeches, and the leaves of mayapple and troutlily and tiarella. Ostrich and cinnamon ferns starting to push. In the woods, anemone. And the garlic mustard threatening it all.

  • Elaine_NJ6
    19 years ago

    Bloodroot, Dutchman's britches, and Virginia bluebells are at their height. Saw the first violets and marsh mallows today. Spicebush is blooming, and serviceberry buds are elongating. Buds visible on false rue anemone and tiarella. Many shrubs leafing out, and all spring wildflowers above ground except jack in the pulpit. Norway maples starting to bloom and spoiling everything.

  • susanswoods
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    The third fringed bleeding heart just showed itself - I didn't think it had made it through the winter. Celandine poppies starting to bloom, first of the wild columbines up. Serviceberry buds enlarging and redbud half open. Azalea buds swelling.

  • vegangirl
    19 years ago

    Trout lilies, blood root at peak. Dutchman's Breeches are coming up! May apple isn't up yet. No ferns yet either. Isn't it interesting that so many of us are in Zone 6 but the blooming schedules are all different.

  • Elaine_NJ6
    19 years ago

    Very interesting. We're having a dry spell, which seems to have slowed things down. We had a lot of rain about two weeks ago (a total of almost 7 inches for the past 30 days), then it was cool and sunny, so things started blooming, but slowly. It stayed cool and dry for a while, and the plants seemed to be in suspended animation. Now it's warm and dry, so things are coming out more quickly. The top layer of soil is actually so dry now that I have to water things I transplant (as I uncover the beds, I'm always moving things around to divide and fill in holes). I think if we had a good rain spring would explode (and end quickly). The bluebells have been in the same state--not quite full bloom--for over a week, and the ferns fronds are sticking straight up but not yet uncoiled. The violets are starting to bloom now.

    The nonnative stuff that used to mean spring to me--forsythia, bradford pear, weeping cherries--is in full bloom.

  • vegangirl
    19 years ago

    Yes, it probably does depend al lot on soil moisture. We're still having pretty cool nights too. In the woods, Dutchman's Breeches and Squirrel Corn, toothworts, and trilliums are in bloom but none of mine are yet. White trilliums are budded. Some of my biggest red ones aren't even up yet but the seedlings are up. Black cohosh is just peeking through the ground and in the woods, they are about 12" tall already.

  • susanswoods
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    My mayhaws are finally showing a few flowers! They've been in the ground for 2 years and I was starting to worry that they would never bloom.

    Carolina silverbell is covered with flowers just starting to open. Most of my trees and shrubs are quite young so I'm always concerned about what made it through the winter. Lots of buds on things, looks like most things made it. I did lose one sourwood tree and one of the Rutgers dogwoods didn't make it. It looked like it was succumbing to disease last summer. I don't like them anyway. They resemble the Kousa parent more than the native and don't berry. I'll dig the other one up and give it to someone. Live and learn.

  • Elaine_NJ6
    19 years ago

    Bloodroot is just about done, but Virginia bluebells still hang there in suspended amination, with pink buds and blue flowers. Tiarella and false rue anemone are almost in bloom, and I see buds on wild geraniums. Serviceberry buds are in the string of pearls stage--my favorite--but a few flowers are opening today. Most shrubs are leafing out, and the American plum tree is in full bloom and unbelievably gorgeous. I'm putting in three more early next month when the order arrives from Cold Stream.

    I divided some of my native grasses last week and earlier this week, and it's been so dry I think I lost some. Stupid me. I learned a lesson from that one--always water after dividing, even if the soil feels moist enough. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

  • well_drained
    19 years ago

    Speaking of grasses, the only natives in bloom in my yard (besides various blue and white volunteer violets) are the Pennsylvania sedges (Carex pensylvanica). I'm somewhat of a newbie, so excuse my excitement, but I think they are the coolest! First, about a week ago, these little brown cigar shapes appeared at the tips of the blades, then little white spaghetti strings appeared popping out of the cigars, and now these lovely yellowish brush-like flowers are appearing. I was out the other evening with the digital camera and the macro lens to get pictures. I bought my plants at three different nurseries last year and each nursery's plants seem to be on a slightly different blooming time frame.

    I'll try not to gush so much for all my blooms, but it's a big year -- last year I planted my first natives ever, so seeing them survive their first winter and then go on to flower makes me want to shout. (Yes, even the sedges.)

    -- wd

  • greenlarry
    19 years ago

    In UK gardens we have forget me nots:
    {{gwi:1052715}}
    {{gwi:1052716}}

    And of course there is the humble Daisy, the root of many fine garden cultivars:
    {{gwi:1052717}}

  • knottyceltic
    19 years ago

    Hello fellow gardeners...

    I'm Barb (joined last year) and I'm in southern Ontario zone 6a.

    It's April 22 and in our tiny woodland backyard we have Trout Lily in bloom, Red and White Trillim in Bloom, Painted Trillium just showing it's bloom head, Blue Cohash in bloom, May Apple, Various native ferms just showing fiddleheads and more hearty natives that overwintered are already green with foliage (Hart's Tongue and one other, can't recall which), the bloodroots are almost done blooming and are dropping their petals, the wild ginger is popping through the earth, the Serviceberry is bursting open, the Maples are just starting to open their buds, the beech is a bit slower to get started and I'm not sure about my new (last spring) redbud bush. It seems to be struggling but maybe that's normal for a new tiny shrub. The Witch Hazels must be a later bloomer b/c they aren't doing much at the present. Witch Hazel is new to me so I'm just learning about them.

    We hit a plant sale in the fall last year and it was one of those "take your chances" kinda sales where the foliage is gone and you take your chances that the plant/root is still alive and will come back in the spring. I don't think we will try that again because we bought a fair bit of stuff and much of it hasn't shown itself. We bought numerous red trilliums (no show), numerous Virginia Bluebells (no show) and numerous Solomon's Seal (no show) so it was pretty much a waste of money even though we paid 75% less. Even if a few had popped up we would have been happy but none did.

    The back of my property which we've planted all natives and removed all non-native invasives is what I described above. The front and sides of my property we plant all varieties of native and non-native plants and trees. All my ferns in those areas are either already up or are showing fiddleheads, the butterfly weed is sprouting, the globe flower is sprouting, the bleeding hearts are sprouting, the daylilies are about 6" tall now, the hostas are just poking through the earth, the Sweetgum tree, serviceberry bush and Witch Hazel are all opening their buds and I have one new Sugar Maple that seems really slow to get started but we haven't had any rain so maybe after our first good long rain it will burst open too. If not I'll have to go out and soak it really soon b/c it's been a really DRY spring here which is quite unusual.

    Happy Gardening Everyone. OH! and Today is "EARTH DAY" so "happy Earth day!" to everyone as well.

    Regards,

    Barb
    Southern Ontario
    Zone 6a

  • Elaine_NJ6
    19 years ago

    Forgot to mention that all prairie perennials are up and have been for some time; the last two, wild quinine, and various milkweeds, are just up in the last day or two.

    Rain finally! Yay!

  • nacnud
    18 years ago

    Well, here goes...
    We moved into our current house on January 9th 2004. Our back yard went from the typical urban lot of about 70' by 100' to about 170' by 240'. Last year, apart from mowing, I did very little, as the previous owner was most definitely not a gardener, the yard was very, very wild (even the lawns had gone to seed!) and I wanted to see what was in the ground. But I did some stuff, like cutting out all the dead trees - one of them was a seventy-foot elm with no bark at all- and planting a bulb bed down the side of the house.
    The bulb bed went crazy this spring. It started with a blanket of crocuses so dense and bright we could not see the mulch for the flowers, followed by the daffodils and hyacinths -their fragrance is amazing- and now we've got rank upon rank of tulips in all colors. Next will be the irises I suppose, followed by the lillies and gladiolae and other stuff.
    I put in a couple of climbing roses, front and back, to climb the gutter downspouts, and both of them are taking off as well.
    I decided to line the edge of our driveway and the left front lawn with a hedge of various flowering shrubs. I started digging it out today, and during one of my many breaks I did some exploring in the easement on the east side of the property. There I found many new forsythias that have rooted from the tips of three or four pretty old specimens that hardly flower because the shade is so deep there. I spaded out no less than ten new shrubs and transplanted them! I also found a beautiful old lilac bush that probably hasn't flowered in years because of lack of sunlight, so that's my work for Sunday, transplating it to the new hedge.
    At the back of our garden we have false solomon's seal, nettles and (I think) false nettles, which are already starting to flower, lovely stands of tiny white flowers right along the length of the fence. I also found siberian lillies, hostas and a multitude of what we call ground ivy, which is now a virtual sea of light purple. Also, the grape vines I found embedded in the lawn are scheduled to be transplanted along the new vine trellis we're building along the east side.
    The black walnut tree is bursting with leaves, and the two surviving crab apples - three others were dead - are simply smothered with white.

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