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Spring! What natives are blooming in your garden?

20 years ago

I am always amazed at the spring ephemerals. In my central Virginia garden, the spring beauties, toothwort, and sanguinaria are in full bloom. The May apples are poking their heads up, as are the trout lilies, and the marsh marigolds are just beginning to bloom. What natives are blooming in your garden?

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Comments (4)

Iris GW
20 years ago
It's amazing how some areas can be different. I don't have spring beauties, but the hepatica has been blooming for a while, the trout lilies are finishing, bloodroot is about halfway. No sign of mayapple yet, but trillium cuneatum and luteum are on the their way. Other trilliums have yet to show. Rue anemone has just started and toothwort also.

Spicebush has opened up and the buckeyes are in various stages (some opened to reveal their flowers, others still in bud stage). Ferns and black cohosh are unfurling their new growth.
veronicastrum
20 years ago
You Southerners are so mean! Here in far northern Illinois, I have about 2 inches of snow on the ground right now and more of the dang stuff falling as I write. I won't be seeing my trout lilies, mayapples and jack in the pulpit for at least another month.

V.
(for the record, in this goofy weather year I think we have had more snow in March than in January)
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I suggest Wild Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis. This is in full bloom here in central PA right now, and has had flowers for several weeks. Easily grown from seed and among the easiest natives to find in nurseries. If you leave some space unmulched at the base of the columbines, you'll have to pull some weeds but should also get lots of volunteer columbine seedlings next year which can be moved around the garden. Also try violets. They bloom even earlier than columbine, depending on the species, and there are many species to choose. The showiest is Birdsfoot Violet, which is a relatively common plant in the native nursery business. The widespread Common Blue violet is also nice and very easy to find - you probably have some in the lawn. There are numerous other species, and you might find one or two growing in a spot with similar soil and sunlight as your garden and move a few. Around here Viola finriatula is common in dry, sunny spots and very showy in early spring. The big drawback to violets is their stature - they are low growers and can get lost in a garden if larger plants or weeds overtop them, and since they're small they can be hard to mulch properly. I would plant them in small areas that are easy to locate - at the base of a sign, for example - so that you will know where they are in the fall when you return for class even if weeds have grown over them. Violets do fine in full sun or shade.
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Iris, heuchera, dianthus, iceland poppy, johnny jump ups, my little species daffodil...I 'll have to look up the variety, I can't praise it enough! A lemony scent, more than one flower to a bulb, thin leaves...but the scent....ohhhhhh momma! Heavenly, and it is nice to have a late daff. Some of my late grape hyacinths are hanging on, several of the viburnams, the Dwarf red buckeye is getting ready to pop as is the Alleghany viburnam and I can see that combo is going to be great--thanks to Viburnamman who suggested it. The Choinanthes virginicus is on the cusp of blooming....that will be fun as I haven't had it bloom before, my variagated lilac is on the way out, but Miss Kim and a couple of others are just starting.....ahhhh spring! Too bad my back and hands hurt so much from trying to deal with the sod and clay!!!!!
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waplummer
20 years ago
No natives in bloom, but the spring beauty has been up since january and looking might damn good.
susanswoods
20 years ago
Bluebells are in bloom, the front beds have dicentra - fringed bleeding heart and dutchman's breeches, trout lilies, wild columbine, celandine poppies all up and looking good but nowhere near blooming.

The serviceberries are in bud, scarlet elder and several kinds of viburnums and dogwoods leafing out. The baby sized native azaleas have the beginnings of buds showing.

We had a mild winter and everything came through fine but we're in trouble if we don't get some rain soon.

I tried tilling up a new bed for a butterfly meadow and the tiller just bounced on the surface as though it were on concrete. Yesterday I felt like I had descended into that special circle of Hell reserved for sedentary middle-aged office workers who try to work like day-laborers on the weekend.

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cold stratification?

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