Spring Ephemerals

Around my neck of the woods, this is the time of year to be on the lookout for spring ephemerals –plants that take advantage of the sunlight coming through the open canopy in the early spring.  Spring ephemerals are woodland, perennial plants that flower and set seed now, before the trees above them have fully leafed out.  In summer, the forest floor will be in deep shade, and the spring ephemerals will be “gone” - with just their underground portions remaining in wait until the following year.


This week I spotted Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) as I walked through the woods:

Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria)

and skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus):

Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)

I also came across these spotted leaves that I suspect may be trout lily (Erythronium americanum).  I will keep watching them to see if they send up flowers:

And, I suspect this might be Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum):

Spring ephemerals are fleeting.  Enjoy looking for them in the woods,  and let me know what you find.

Today in the Garden

The irises popped open today to join the snowdrops!

Almost Spring

Seeing the snowdrops push up through the snow always reminds me of part of a song my mother sang when I was younger, "he thinks the tulips bloom beneath the snow."

Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) are not native, but I love to plant them.  They are harbingers of spring and always bring a sense of hope when they appear.    I've seen snowdrops emerge as early as November, but they usually wait until the cusp of spring.    Deer, skunks, and squirrels leave them alone, so once planted, they will be reliable bloomers year after year.  In fact, like most bulbs, they will multiply, and after a few years, each single bulb becomes a cluster of bulbs.  My mother gave the snowdrops in the photo to me a couple of years ago -she dug up a clump of her snowdrops, split them up, and I replanted them.   The photo was taken two weeks ago in my garden.

Most garden lore insists that bulbs like snowdrops must be planted in the fall, but I've found that they can be planted any time at all.  In fact, it's usually easier to dig them up when they are in bloom, so that you can find them, and split them up then.  For me, spring planting of snow drops works just as well as fall plantings.