Jay I do have some Aletris farinosa growing in my basement. The Chamaelirium luteum I had planted never made it. Medeola never germinated I don't think. I need a rich old growth forest in my backyard, instead of scattered greedy silver maples, black locusts and Norway spruces.

Iris, cows do have very kind, nice personalities. I think pawpaw benefits from manual pollination, if you want fruit.

Fun to have to Google all these plant names again :)

I will need to put some flags to save stuff I don’t want to have mowed over. There are some tree seedlings coming up in convenient locations in the lawn, and some I might want to transplant. I do recognize some, but there are also some mysteries. I will need to take some better pictures, but does anybody know what this might be?

There are a few red buckeye seedlings, but they look different than this one.

The tree looks like horse chestnut to me. Maybe it's a mutation? Is the little flowery thing in the center it's flower, or is it purple deadnettle poking through? It's hard to believe white turtlehead is already blooming there. Those Aletris plants look great Skip. Who really knows how long it takes, for the seeds, of fancy native lily family plants to germinate? My Prairie Moon seeds arived. I wonder what species my bonus package is?

I'm pumped, my Viburnum prunifolium is leafing out. Two years ago it had about three flowers on it. Last year it had maybe ten. This year it is LOADED with flower buds, it's going to look awesome. These shrubs are super slow growing, I think it's about 7ft tall now and I planted it in 2017 or 2018. I've seen cardinals on it multiple times at dawn, I think by next year it will be big enough for them to consider building a nest in it.

So, what kind of bonus seeds did you get, Jay? They call for patchy frost again tonight. Not sure when to start my clover seeds outside.

Yay for your viburnum, Skip! Take some pictures! Some rude critter ate my curlyheads.

Prairie Moon didn't give me a bonus pack. The last 2 bonus packs I got from them were Purple Prairie Clover with only about 10 seeds in them. They used to send the bacteria or micorhizae with every legume order, but now you have to pay extra for it. I think it is ok to put your clover seeds outside Iris. The fluctuating temperatures help them germinate. Maybe cover it with mesh or chicken wire, so critters dont disturb them.I just mixed up the potting soil for the new seeds. I have to scarify some of them. I was reading that seeds requiring 60 days of cold stratification will usually germinate with only 30 days. I'm going to buy beneficial micorhizae and vermiculite tommorow.

Shame about the curly heads Iris. I would be motivated to put a fence around it if an animal ate something of mine that was that uncommon. Some critter keeps eating my oakleaf hydrangea seedling but it's not a deer because it's in the fenced part of the yard, so I don't know what it is, maybe a rabbit?

Jay I remember when you were complaining about having a million freebies seed packs of partridge pea, lol

I thought the curly heads were a cudweed. I didn't realize it was the rare Clematis. Getting freebee Partridge Pea seeds was funny, because I always have way more vollunteers of them than I need. The Purple Prairie Clover seeds, that Prairie Moon sent me never germinated. Im just going to wait for a local native plant sale and buy a few plants. I need to put a wall of trellises where my fence is missing. Deer have been in my garden. I have a few shooting stars they might munch on.

Skip, were you anywhere near the earthquake? My daughter and son in law certainly felt it.

Jay, I did buy some wire cloche things as soon as I saw that the chipmunks are back in their sunflower planting mode. Over the Winter they just took them somewhere else to store I suppose. I could actually use one of them for my clematis. By now it’s small enough to fit. Some serious thistles in the lawn. Don’t think my putty leaf orchid made it. There was a leaf coming up, but I guess the chipmunk sat on it often enough. There is a cute Rue Anemone in the pot though that must have been a hitchhiker when I bought the orchid.

Not planning to go to our native plant sale. Still not recovered from the zoo it was when I went last.

Iris, I wasn't that close to the epicenter but yeah I definitely felt it. I thought a helicopter was slowly flying over the building or a big truck was engine braking outside or something, but the shaking was more pronounced than that. It was brief though. Iris what kind of thistle is that?

I wanted to see the Twinleaf blooming, and I did, but the flowers had already closed up for the night. That's a nice cover for your pot Iris. Is that Thistle Cirsium horridulum? You wouldn't want to walk on it in your bare feet.

Rue Anemone and Cut-leaved Toothwort

White Trout Lilies, Cut-leaved Toothwort and a woodland goldenrod, maybe S.flexicaulis?

Twinleaf, Jeffersonia diphylla. Maybe their leaves close at night too?

Rue Anemone

Dutchman's Breeches

Trillium sessile and Trillium recurvatum
Wake Robin and Bloody Butcher.

Boodroot

Spring Beauty

Viola pubescens var eriocarpa, or might be Viola eriocarpa now. This violet is rare in this woods, but there are nice populations at other local locations. Ive tried growing it from seed twice. Ive tried growing plants of both Bird's Foot Violet and Arrow-leaf Violet, but they didn't make it through the winters.

Most people say the petals fall off of Twin-leaf flowers very soon after flowering. These have petals, but unfortunately they are closed. I was hoping to see Green Violets, but I didn't see any. It was very muddy and climbing up and down ravines was difficult and slippery.

Redbud

Sharp-leaved Hepatica and Cut-leaf Toothwort.

Virginia Bluebell and Cut-leaf toothwort.

This is the Japanese Barberry, Berberis thumbergii. I thought it might be a variety of the native barberry, Berberis canadensis. This species is invasive in Illinois. I want to return to it and kill it. I was able to pull several honeysuckles out because the ground is so saturated. They should have crews at the woods, pulling out honeysuckles when the soil is soaked. I could have pulled out larger ones if there was another person pulling with me. I was trying to straddle a large tree that was blocking the path, and I lost my ballance and landed hard on some logs. My right hip and left ankle are going to be sore tomorrow. I knew it was going to be a dangerous mission, going to see the Twin-leafs.

Jay, yes, it’s the bristle thistle. There were a few showing up all the way in the back a few years ago. Guess my husband likes them since he always mows around.

You certainly saw some nice plants. Hope you are not too sore. Please be careful if you are climbing around by yourself. Worried mom mode kicking in :)

Tree pollen is really high. Seems the water oaks are very early this year. I don’t really have allergies, just bothered a bit by all this dust in my eyes. I read that dead nettle tea is really good for the allergies. My daughter and husband have been suffering, plenty of the nettles around, so I tried some in solidarity. Even with some mint leaves added, it still kind of tasted like dirt.

Jay, some really nice finds in the woods there. Makes me want to look to see if anything is going on at the park near me.

Iris, Haha, dirt tea doesn't sound too refreshing, hope it helped the allergies.

Today I ripped out a bunch of English ivy that was creeping into my shade garden where I have the mayapples and Dutchmans breeches. My daughter wanted to dig a hole and plant something so I found a random pot that had Salvia lyrata growing in it and we planted that in a new place where none was growing before.

I remember wanting to grow Salvia lyrata years ago, and now that I have it, it's spread all around the garden. Last year there were several in flower. They like growing in the stones that edge the beds. I have a few bull thistles that need to be dug up. They have nasty thorns. There are several native thistle vollunteers this year. Im going to cover my outdoor pots with chicken wire. I just sowed a pot with Hypericum kalmianum seeds, and it got knocked over. The seeds are like dust. Luckily I have more seeds to redo it. There have been cats fighting outside. Maybe they knocked the pot over when they were fighting?

Lots of options for critters knocking over pots around here. I sowed my Buffalo clover seeds today. Maybe doing it during a (at least partial) solar eclipse is bringing good luck for it to work :)

My bird foot violet survived, but it’s not really spreading anywhere. Little crested Iris is blooming. And I guess the Fox has some kind of bird?

What kind of soil is your Viola pedata growing in, Iris? I've tried growing them twice, with no luck.

A few things have returned. Ionactis, Silky Aster, Coreopsis palmatta. The native yarrow is extremely aggressive, but it's foliage is so lush. I'm splitting it up, and planting it in very poor gravelly soil.

A camera shy Trout Lily.

Trillium emerging.

Dirca palustris

Lyre Leaf Sage.

The young, new leaves of Callirhoe bushii. It spreads agressively by seed. This one needs to be moved.

My violet is in pretty hostile conditions. Right next to the driveway. So mostly sand and gravel.

Noticed today that one of my little devils walking sticks has almost been completely eaten. These deer stop at nothing. There are just this many cages I can put up. Already saw wren fledglings. They are so grumpy looking. I wish them well, there are just so many cats left to roam wherever they want to.

Plants are looking good in your yard! I am still so far behind. Should get another round of rain tonight, so at least I don’t have to worry about watering yet.

First Monarch finally showed up today. My Carolina clover is germinating. Things are really waking up. Jay, how are your bog plants? The pitcher plants are blooming here. It was 85 today.

It was 80 here Sunday. The bog plants are coming along ok. There was a Lady laying eggs on my pussy-toes.

Blue Cohosh

Blue Cohosh

Primula meadia

Amazing variety of plants! Cool that your Dirca palustris survived. Mine did not come back.

Antennaria plantaginifolia

Erigeron pulchellus

I bought my 2 living Dirca from Missouri Wildflowers. Their plants are always in good condition. The Dirca that I got from Reeseville Ridge never made it. I may have hesitated to plant the earlier Dirca in the ground right away, so Im probably partly to blame. I still need to plant the 2 living ones in a permanent spot, once they are in great condition. The 2 native Berberis species that Ive been growing for 2 years are actually the non native Berberis thunbergii. I dug them out today and replaced them with a Calycanthus. The native Berberis canadensis only grows in the heart of Appalachia.

Dirca palustris

Native Yarrow. It's getting moved to a poorer, drier gravelly soil. It's way to agressive in this richer soil.

Another bumper crop of Enchanter's Nightshade that I can use to fill in shady areas.

Sedum ternatum is spreading like crazy in this rocky soil.

White Trillium, unknown spotted trillium, and the reddish shoots of emerging Aralia nudicaulis, near the Solidago. I'd like to have a few more Sarsapparilla.

Erigeron pulchellus

Im hoping the plant behind the Jacob's Ladder, with the strap-like leaves is Fire Pink.

I had a Clematis pitcheri growing here, with a huge Carex blanda growing beneath it. I think the Carex killed the Clematis. I dug out the Carex and planted a large Dutchman's Breeches there. The Dicentra was being thugged out by Callirhoe bushii. I removed all the Callirhoe and then moved the DB to this spot. Several little bulbets detached from the mother plant while moving it. I planted the bulbets all around the area. 3 Dicentra eximia are ariving tomorrow. Im going to move one of the 2 Tall Meadow Rue to make room for them. The Nabalus albus has reappeared after taking a year off. I may have damaged the Nabalus last year, when I was thinning out the Wild Geranium? I'll have to check those moved geraniums for any Nabalus growing out of them. I've already found a Blue Cohosh growing out of a transplanted geranium.

Year 3 of Prairie Smoke. They take a long time to establish. Need a few more.

Antennaria neglecta. These are all clonal and same sex. I need a few more plants so they can make seeds. There are American Lady caterpillars on them. Pussytoes are more reliable than the other cudweeds. Also many new vollunteer native thistles for the Ladies this year. Antennaria parlinii looks almost identical to Antennaria plantaginifolia. In the past, many observations of plantaginifolia turned out to be parlinii. Your clump of plantaginifolia is impressive Skip.

Glad to see updates from your yards. And need to look up some plants again :)

My wooly pipevine has been found. Luna moths are starting to come out. My daughter has seen a few cicada shells, so I guess they are coming out now. Really hope to see some. My red buckeye is rocking it. I am still fascinated by the blooms of pitcher plants.

Awesome plants guys! Jay, nice trilliums. I just went to Bowman Hill wildflower preserve and was blown away by all their trilliums.

I started with 7 Antennaria plugs I grew from prairie moon seed, then I started some seed from Toadshade and planted it next to the original clump, so I hope they are making viable seed now.

Iris I love that red buckeye!

Got some Mayapple popping up behind the the Dutchmans breeches

I cant see any Dutchman's Breeches in your pic Skip. Did you buy any natives from Bowman Hill? Does the sun shine?

Trying to fill in the bare spots with a diverse selection of natives.

Recently added Stylophorum and Circaea canadensis.

Raised bed in shade.

All these are Tall Bellflower. They will be beautiful.

I have the approval to plant this area out to where the Vinca have spread. Over time I will sneak natives into it until it's totally native.

Caulophyllum thalictroides. I collected Blue Cohosh years ago, having no idea what it was at the time. They declined when I cut down the Redbud that was shading them. I'm planting what remains in the shade that it needs.

Collinsonia canadensis. The past 2 years have been so dry that they didn't produce seed.

Some Tall Nettle, Urtica gracilis in a wild spot.

Wall to wall Creeping Charlie, Glechoma hederacea

Spring Beauties in lawn.

There's a dead buckthorn in background. Im going to cut it down and plant a living fence of Sambucus canadensis. Im considering removing the wooden planks and turning the raised bed into a mound.

This one Rue Anemone is all I have. Need more.

Trillium sessile, Campanulastrum americanum, Stylophorum diphylum and Mertensia virginica.

Hydrophyllum virginicum, Hydrophyllum appendiculatta.

Blue Cohosh, Wood Poppy, Early Figwort, Carex jamesii, Dead Hosta walking. The deer can help themdelves to the Hosta. They've been grazing some Carex.

Happy Earth Day!

Great pictures, Jay. I didn’t realize you have so much space to work with. Keeping you busy. Found the first tiny Monarch cat today. It’s supposed to go down to the mid 30’s tonight. The weird weather continues.

https://youtu.be/uvToYFlM-vk?si=ZSX6LaXZBLCA7m0j

Wow, you do have a lot of room Jay. Your ability to identify all the plants at such an early stage is impressive. I'm having a little trouble with that at the moment with the random stuff popping up. I let my daughter pick out some plants at Bowman Hill, she obviously picked what was in flower which was Phlox divaricata, Polemonium reptans, and Tiarella cordifolia. I grabbed an Anemone virginiana too since I haven't been able to successfully start them from seed and keep them alive. I germinated a bunch of them 2 years ago but then didn't pay attention to watering and taking care of them. The Tiarella is new to my yard too, the pot dried out for like an hour and it looked dead but I planted it and watered it and it came back. It's already looking like something that is not going to survive any dry spells but maybe once it's rooted in it will be more resilient.

I still have tons of Zizia.

Here's the Viburnum prunifolium I mentioned earlier

Here's

Wow, Skip. Your Viburnum is showing off! Looks like it would make some hummingbird clearwing caterpillars happy :) The hummingbirds seem really late this year. Have just seen 2 of them so far, and they didn’t stick around. Lots of plants ready for them. The coral honeysuckle, cross vine, and buckeye are in full bloom. So is the red salvia they usually love. Not planning to hang up any feeders. Too much trouble to change/ clean so often for fewer birds. There were so many of them just a few years ago. My little pink lady slippers are blooming. Otherwise the weeds are thriving. And I still have no idea what’s what in most cases.

I see your Dicentra cucullaria now Skip. It's filling in nicely. The viburnum prunifolium is full of flowers. Some of my Golden Alexanders spread.out of control. The Heart Leaved Golden Alexanders aren't as vigorous.

I have no idea what the plant with orchid-like leaves is?

I'd like to replace the Japanese Spiraea with a native one.

I grew Tirarella cordifolia about 30 years ago. It didn't last long. I may have killed it by overwatering. It's not native in Illinois. Heuchera richardsonii and Mitella dyphylla are native to my area. I have a native Heuchera americana I think. It's native further south in Illinois. I moved my Heuchera to where it gets mostly morning sun and it's doing much better.

Iris, awesome orchid! Those are rare around here.

Jay I'm a big fan of Spiraea latifolia, I have about a dozen plugs of them to plant later this year. I think I'll attack the Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora by the road (again) and plant them in there. Ben Vogt has some really nice gardens that incorporate Heuchera richardsonii, it's looks good coming up out of sedges and short grasses.

Wild strawberry, woodland sunflower, salvia lyrya, deer tongue grass (+mock strawberry & weeds) between the pin oak and silver maple.

Skip, Spiraea latifolia is a better species for your area. It's very similar to Spiraea alba, which is native here. It's been named Spiraea alba var. latifolia. If you read the flora it says there are 2 different types of latifolia. The other species native here is Spiraea tomentosa. I got a Heuchera richardsonii a few years ago, but it didn't last long. I neglected it because there were so many other things going on. Hopefully I can find one at a plant sale, or if not, I can try growing them from seed.

Spiraea latifolia

Spiraea alba

Spiraea tomentosa

Asian Dayflower Commelina communis

I like the coverage you have in that bed with the columbine. So which one would you want to grow, alba or tomentosa? I have both latifolia and tomentosa seedlings going. I collected the tomentosa seeds from a roadside under a power line clearing nearby.

I did a plant swap with a woman last year, I don't even remember what I gave her, something basic like tradescantia and false sunflower or something. She gave me a 2gallon pot of Asclepias tuberosa seedlings. I just kept it watered all summer but didn't do anything with it. I noticed a couple of the plants breaking dormancy so I decided I should pot them up. After soaking the root ball and pulling them apart, I ended up with 71 plants! I put 38 in a deep plug tray, 30 in 3.5" deep pots, and 1 big one and a bunch of little ones in two 4.5" deep pots. I noticed a couple Euphorbia corollata coming back too, I'm excited for that one.

Im trying to have a lot of natives in the small bed so something's blooming all the time. There are quite a few species, Aquilegia canadensis, Prunella lanceolata, Anemone canadensis, Solidago caesia, Symphyotrichum pilosum, Iodanthus pinnatifidus, Nepeta cataria, Chelone onliqua, Sisyrhinchium angustifolium, Viola sororia, Dianthus armeria, Asclepias incarnata, Allium chives, Allium Garlic Chives, Penstemon calycosus, Penstemon digitalis, Physostegia virginica, and Solidago sempervirens. Im not letting the columbine drop more seeds into it because it will take over. The Chelone and Physostegia could possibly try to take over too. I want to plant both Spiraea alba and Spuraea tomentosa, but I don't have any low wet spots to put them in. The Japanese Spiraea does fine with mesic soil, so maybe the natives will too? I dug out my Hibiscus laevis last year because they needed a lot of supplemental watering, but they had very few flowers. Deer Tongue Grass can spread around fast because they make seeds 3 times during the year. I like it a lot anyways. I went through all my pots and emptied the pots Ive given up on. Maybe the seeds will germinate in the future? I was able to get about 3 Euphorbia corrolata to bloom last year. I hope they return.

Anemone quinqueifolia in the pot. I thought none had germinated, but there is 1 plant. One is better than none. I still want to find some False Rue Anemone, Enemion biternum There could be several hog peanuts germinating in this area too? There's an Endodeca/Aristolochia that hasn't showed up yet either. I wish the Jacob's Ladder would start self sowing.

This is a native Heuchera, but I'm not sure which species? It's flopped from watering. These Saxiphrage species are a little tricky to grow. They like moisture but need good drainage.

Dicentra eximia. I've added 3 plants. I'd still like to grow Squirell Corn and a yellow Erythronium.

The Primula meadii are looking good. I just need some Pedicularis canadensis to grow with them. I will need a host grass too. There's a large Hypericum prolificum to the left that seems out of place in a prairie.(not pictured).

Lonicera flava. This is it's first time blooming. The buds are fatter than the buds on the Scarlet Honeysuckle. I still want to grow Lonicera dioica and Lonicera canadensis. And I will continue to kill the invasive Asian bush honeysuckles and Japanese honeysuckles. The Lonicera reticulata/prolifera is a cool plant too.

Erigeron pulchellus. It seems to be spreading slowly. I just weeded out a lot of Chickweed, Veronica and weedy Erigeron from these Robin's Plantain. There should be a lot of Common Milkweed shoots popping up in this area soon.

https://greathollow.org/news/new-publication-on-the-value-of-invasive-plants-to-birds/ according to this study morrows honeysuckle was a better food source for birds via hosting arthropods than some of the native plants it was competing with. I need to read the rest of the paper because I wonder what arthropods specifically were eating it.

I see a lot of invasive honeysuckles and they destroy the ecology of woodland edges where they smother shorter natives. It would be great to eradicate them all. Keeping invasive honeysuckles alive while doing other restorations will just add more years to the eradication of them. I cant see why arthropods would be more numerous on invasive honeysuckles because they usually have specific native host plants. He doesn't give enough explanation for the arthropods. If the invasive honeysuckles are the only food sourse then they should leave them, but they should be planting native berries to replace them. I scattered a bunch of Lonicera prolifera in a bed, but Im not sure what they will look like, but I hope they can be identified when little. There are a couple small honeysuckles that look invasive in that bed now. My Diervilla and Coralberries spread by suckers. The Coralberry sends out suckers in a straight line, making the suckers easy to pull up, but Diervilla's suckers go all different directions, so they always start popping up in the middle of nearby plants.

Woa, lots to read! Well, honeysuckle. I haven’t been able to fight it yet this year.. The Japanese one is growing over all sorts of things. It does currently smell really nice. I did fight some wisteria this weekend. It’s also a lost cause. I have been trying to get rid of it for years. Even with Roundup.

It’s odd how so many plants exclude South Carolina, as seen in Jay’s map above. Copper Iris is another one. Mine is blooming. My daughter and I released a Luna and a Polyphemus today. She had a fitting shirt on :)

My potted blue flag Iris are coming back, but the blue flag in the ground is way ahead of them. They sell the orange Iris here at some native plant sales. The Louisiana Iris are nice too. Did your daughter find local moth eggs to raise? Those large Saturnid moths used to be common when I was a kid, but they're not common anymore. I could go years without seeing any. There were a couple white butterflies mating and looking for hostplants in the garden today. The only cabbage family plants they can use are the Shepard's Purse and Iodanthus pinnatafidus.

Lillium michaganense and Lilium philidelphicus. They survived the winter and establishing them now seems hopeful.

A gentian?

Camassia sciloides getting ready to bloom.

Starry Solomon's Seal. I don't want plants growing in the path, but I'll make an exception for these. They obviously want more sun than they have now.

A white Viola striata with Achillea gracilis and Hydrangea arborescens.

Shepard's Purse Brassicaceae

Viola striata and Chelone obliqua.

Future native groundcovers Fragaria virginiana and Circaea candensis with columbine.

This wild strawberry spreads faster than Mock Strawberry.

Aralia nudicaulis, Trillium grandiflorum, Sambucus cannadensis

This native yarrow needs to be in a spot with poor rocky soil. It will never play well if included in a prairie planting in rich black soil. It's presently growing on top of whorled and short green milkweed. I love the ferny foliage. I stick all my labels in the ground and they all end up laying on the ground come spring?

Jay, the caterpillars were from our yard, and my brother-in laws across the street. Their property is more wooded in the back.

Any idea what this plant might be? It came in the pot with the poppy mallow I ordered.

And he is showing off :)

Iris, I don't recognize your stowaway but my google lens says it's Honeyberry, Lonicera caerulea. They are grown for their berries. It might be? The leaf veins and pubescence on young stems fit Honeyberry. I've always wondered what they taste like.

I visited 2 preserves today.

I have a green trillium.

Blue Eyed Mary. Collinsia verna

Lakeside Daisy, Tetraneuris herbacea.

False Mermaid, Floerkea prosperpinacoides.

Canada Violet? I want some.

Canada Lousewort, Pedicularis canadensis.

Claytonia virginica, Spring Beauty

Whitish-blue Sisyrinchium, Blue Eyed Grass. I love the color and I'm going to collect seeds.

Jack

That honeyberry is interesting, I wonder if it's good. Jay, nice pics from your garden, and nice finds at the preserve.

This little guy snuggled up on the Cunila

Awesome pics Skip. I love the arrangments! I didn't know you had Enchanter's Nightshade. I have so much work to do. I just moved some white trillium, Monarda bradburiana, Agastache foeniculum, 2 Hypericum kalmianum, Diervilla lonicera. My Fragrant False Indigo is going to bloom for it's first time after seems like 4 or 5 years. I was digging the new holes in ground that had old landscape fabric covered with stones. Were the Spiraea latifolia and tomentosa easy to grow from seed? I've gotten a couple Gillenia volunteers.

Really nice pictures, Skip and Jay. I am going to stick the hitchhiker plant in a pot once I plant my mallow. Would need to go get some soil first, but just going somewhere is still not so easy these days. Still tied to the yard by a baby monitor to keep track of my dementia dog. Need to time my shopping to her naps. They are pretty short for such an old dog. Still waiting and hoping for the cicadas to show up. Nearby towns have a lot of them. A good rain might help, we were about 4 inches short of that in April. One of my Amorpha had a serious growth spurt, and is starting to bloom. There are an awful lot of yellow jackets this year.

Wow that Amorpha is awesome, I have some little tiny seedlings in a pot from last year to plant out. Did you get much rain over the winter?

Jay the Spiraea weren't hard to start but they didn't grow much in the first year. I started them in a winter sow gallon jug then picked them out and put them in a 38-cell deep plug tray in the fall. I fertilized them last week and they have already grown more than they did during all of last year. Maybe they would have grown a lot more last year if I fertilized them properly or used a potting soil that came with fertilizer in it. I'd like a lot more Gillenia, you have any pictures of yours in vegetative growth at this time of year?

Gillenia trifoliata.

The red shoots are Gillenia trifoliata. With Antennaria plantaginifolia, Prunella lanceolata, Aruncus dioicus and Blephilia hirsuta.

We did have enough rain over the Winter. At times too much. There is some in the forecast for the weekend. Hope it happens. Are you planning of having any garden tours this year? From the pictures, your yard looks ready for it.

I really like Amorpha of all kinds. Wonder why I don’t see any around. They are also not offered at the native plant sales, or local nurseries. The bumble bees agree, they are loaded up :)

Water willow is also starting to bloom. My prized few flower milkweed came back. The Venus flytraps are not looking great though. Wonder why. I have somehow killed a bunch over the years, but they should be happy in the bog garden.