Spring Natives Shine

One of my favorite things about spring are all the native plants that bloom in March, April and May. They are the stars of my woodland garden during these months.

Wood poppies are one of the showiest natives. They bloom from March through May and will occasionally bloom during the summer months if the soil is kept moist.

The blooms and new leaves are covered with soft hair.

The columbine are beginning to bloom just in time for the first hummingbirds to visit. The hummers usually arrive in late March so I am expecting them any day now.

The red and yellow, tubular blooms are just what the hummers look for in a flower.

The flowers tend to dance in the warm spring breezes.

More trillium are appearing everyday.

These toadshade trillium are just beginning to put out their blooms.

The trillium blooms have a (foul) scent that attracts flies. I usually see them covered with flies in the early evening hours. Toads are known to sit under these plants and catch the flies, hence the name toadshade trillium.

Even this robber fly is getting in on the action.

A new edition to my garden is Fothergilla 'Mt. Airy' sometimes known as a bottle brush because the white blooms look like bottle brushes. They smell a little like licorice.

A native to the southeast United States and a relative to witch hazel it grows at the edge of my woodland garden where it gets partial sun.

In April I will do a post about the native azaleas that populate my woodland garden. Several are close to bursting into to bloom.