woodland wildflowers

A mid-March stroll through my woodland garden.
I posted pix of my hepaticas last weekend.
Lots more popping up now.
Trillium.

Primrose.

Anemone blanda.

Jeffersonia dubia.

Anemone ranunculoides.

Pachysandra procumbens.

Nice I got some trilliums on a trade last year, from a very generous DGers. Can't wait to see them this year. No sign of them yet. But I can not remember where I planted them. I also have some green giants. Do you have those. Dutchmans breeches last year too. So we'll see! Like all the small dainty spring flowers so cute. Especially after seeing snow all winter! Ronna

Funny you would mention dutchman's breeches.
I thought I planted dutchman's breeches last year and was excited to see it come up this spring.
But the flowers certainly don't look like any dutchman's breeches I've ever seen.
So I don't know what the heck I planted.
The tag says dicentra cucullaria, which is dutchman's breeches...
Does anyone recognize it?

it a viola but there seems to be two different leaf paterns there so maybe the viola came up in the DB and you got a twofer(2 for one)in the deal.

The leaf,front and all most center of picture is the DB.

This message was edited Mar 23, 2009 6:06 AM

There actually appears from the picture to be three different leaves. The one closest to the camera looks like Dutchman's Breeches. I grow them. Mine in zone 7 have not come up yet.
debc

Yes, no sign of mine as of yet. Cant wait... Love the primroses. I have several of those also. Pacific Giants are my faves. The little small ones are so cute, also have several of those. The colors are so vibrant. They also blossom for SO long. Of course I have fern and Jack in the pulpits. Funny I can not remember all of them... LOL. Memory is going. Ronna

How fun to have that beautiful little viola in front to welcome the cucullaria, though. Beautiful pictures, weerobin.

I think the other leaf is chickweed

Weerobin,
There are a number of cut leaf violas. I have bird foot violet with a similar leaf and there is a rare. highly coveted white form of that. Does it have a sweet fragrance? If so it could be viola dissecta a non native violet. You might try the viola forum on DG and see if you can get it ID.
You definitely also have the squirrel corn leaves coming up in the front of the violet.

The photo is of my birds foot violet leaves, no flowers yet but they're purple. This one likes full sun and sandy acid soil.

Violets are so cute!!! Spring is wonderful!

Lovely pictures weerobin and I enjoyed your photos of Hepatica as well :) I'm working on an area right now where I'm trying to create little pockets along the rock steps and your photos are giving me ideas and inspiration - thank you!

It's amazing how quickly the spring woodland parade progresses.
Here's what I found yesterday.
Hepaticas are still going strong.

And a violet hepatica also.

Syneilesis is beginning to pop it's head up.
It's very cool to see it dramatically unfurl itself in the spring.

Hellebore

Glaucidium palmatum just opening up.
Mine is just a tiny plant (planted last year).
I'm thrilled to see it not only survived the winter, but it's going to bloom!
My first...

Anemonella thalictroides

There are a couple double varieties of anemonella which are beautiful.
The pink one is the most common.
It's called Shoaf's double pink (AKA Oscar Shoaf).
Mine has thrived for years.
I bought a couple more last year.

The double white anemonella is pretty also.
Not the greatest picture...

Celandine poppies (stylophorum diphyllum) are everywhere.
They reseed like crazy in my yard, but not yet to an annoying degree.
They certainly provide a reliable bolder splash of color in the spring than the more delicate spring wildflowers above.

And finally, my dutchman's breeches.

Sorry to overwhelm you guys with pix, but I get a little carried away in the spring!

Oh my gosh, your Glaucidium is already budding up??? We planted two last fall and they're located in the same area as the Syneilesis. The Syneilesis are just beginning to pop but no signs of the Glaucidium :( I'm envious - your photos of the double blooming Anemonella remind me that mine are gone. I protected them for years until I got them transplanted into a better location but Rick got a little happy with the Round Up last year and I'm not seeing any signs of them this year :(

Weerobin, my little pockets along the rock steps I've been building now have Hepaticas thanks to you! After finishing the steps this afternoon I ventured into the woods on our property where there are hundreds of Hepaticas, I never realized there were so many. Usually I don't have an opportunity to visit this area when they're in bloom but I enjoy their lovely foliage later in the season regardless. I dug and transplanted specimens of white, pink and the deepest violet-blue I've ever seen! Then got so excited I returned to get Dutchmen's Breeches, Bloodroot and Virginia Bluebells but by the time I returned to the garden it was raining so I'll have to plant them tomorrow. I'll try to take a picture tomorrow of the deep violet-blue Hepatica and post it, it's beautiful!

RCN, I'll look forward to seeing the pix! It's been raining here all day.
Supposed to get a couple inches of snow tonight, even though low temp should be hovering around freezing.
Of course, I have lots of things blooming and leafing out, all prime targets to get zapped by a hard freeze.
It's the annual nerve-wracking experience. Gets a little tiresome. Ah well, goes with the territory...

Would you guys QUIT it? After reading what you write and seeing your pictures, the list of plants I need to look for is getting pretty darn long. Sigh, I guess that's what I live for anyway.

Of course I'm just kidding - I do want to see all your little bloomers - it gives me something to dream about.

Steady rain here today and temperatures in the high 30's. The mountain pass is closed because of the snow they're getting. It used to be that the Mason bees came out in March, but I worry for them if they are thinking about emerging now.

Kathy

weerobin,
where did you get your anemonellas? They're lovely.

Peggy

Weerobin,
I'd also like to know where you found the Shoaf's double Pink anemonnella.
The rue anemones are one of my favorite plants. I do have 1 double variety called Cameo, it's a white but the flowers are very small and not as pretty as the normal single. I only saw the double pink once at Well-Sweep Herb Farm and it wasn't for sale.

You're way ahead of our area for blooming, none of mine are showing yet.

The rain has been creating problems for my projects but at least it's not snow! It's going to be a little colder here over the next few days but I'm sure once it warms up again after all this rain things will be popping up everywhere!

Kathy, my lists get longer every year but what a sweet addiction :)

I got up this morning to find just 1 inch of snow.
Looks like it's the sloppy wet kind that'll be gone in no time.
I'm relieved, as some reports were for far more snow and harder freeze.
The little snow blanket is a blessing in disguise to protect my little guys from the freeze.
From here on, supposedly over the hump, as temps should steadily climb. I hope so!

I get my plants from about a zillion sources, so I can't always remember for sure.
I know Mt Tahoma nursery carries several anemonella cultivars.
Their prices are excellent, but beware the plants will be small.
They are a rock garden nursery and the plants will arrive in tin foil wrap in a gritty crumbly soil.
It's hard for me to transfer it to a pot, since the gritty soil falls away from the roots easily.
But despite that, they have done well for me.

Asiatica nursery also carries several cultivars, but they're reliably more expensive.
I LOVE drooling over their extensive selection of astonishing plants, but rarely can afford.
Their listing of woodland perennials is fascinating to browse, even if just window shopping.

Hillside Nursery also has a wonderful selection, but on the expensive side.
I just ordered from Hillside for the first time last year.
They mainly ship in fall.
I know it's supposed to be a great time to plant,
but a big box arriving at the end of the season was a little disconcerting.
I was even more surprised that the anemonellas came as bulbs.
I recall the price for the double pink anemonella was $18.
But you get about 5 bulbs, I think (I can't remember for sure).
At any rate, the number of bulbs made the price not seem too outrageous..
They were easy to pop in the ground and they've come up this spring in good shape.
I

I'll have to look into those....and sell a couple grandkids for plant money...*G*

Oh weerobin I sure hope my dutchmans breeches are as great as yours! So delicate... I just planted mine last fall. Got them from valley something or other. Is this the first season for yours? You must be having some nice weather, my hellebors are just getting started. Do I cut away the yuckie leaves of last season and winter? Or do I just leave them? Can not remeber what I did last year. But they blossom for the longest time. Love all of the cute spring flowers. My snow drops are just starting to open. Crocuses are still going strong. ;) Happy picture looking everyone, I know there is an end of this snow we are getting right now. Ronna

Ronna I went to a "Hellebore Daze" at Yew Dell Gardens here in KY (http://www.yewdellgardens.org/) yesterday and that was one one of my questions too since I just got my first hellebores last Spring. They said to cut the foliage back in January before the new growth and blooms come out. I didn't do that but mine came back like crazy anyway. I think it just gets rid of the old ratty brown leaves so no harm done.

Doug

I think it's just an aesthetic choice - whether to remove the old brown leaves or not.
Same issue with epimediums and lots of others.
If I get around to it, I try to clean up the dead leaves in early spring.
But as there are so many other time demands, I don't always get around to it.
The plants don't seem to care that much.

I checked one of my wildflower beds yesterday and my shooting stars are just coming up! Very little is blooming here among the wildflowers. Colt's foot, hepaticas, trout lilies and that is all I have seen. My Iris cristatas are just beginning to grow fans...everything else is still sleeping.
Debbie

I think the only reason for cutting back the Hellebore leaves is so you can see the flowers emerging and so you don't have to look at the black-spotted leaves. I don't think the Helleobres care at all - at least mine don't seem to.

Doug, how was the Hellebore Daze? Did you bring any Hellebores home?

Mt. Tahoma has some great stuff, it looks like. Unfortunatley they don't ship in Washington state. But they are close enough to me (2 hours), that I think I'll "have to" stop in for a visit.

Wallace Hansen (http://www.wallacehansen.org) has a lot of Pacific Northwest Natives.

We had slushy snow here this morning and it was cold. But the sun came out (and it hasn't been out here for a month, it seems like) and the afternoon was pretty nice. Unfortunately, I think we're due for a cold, rainy week. Where is spring?

Katie, I couldn't get your link to work but found him nonetheless :) http://www.nwplants.com/

Doug, 'Hellebore Daze' at Yew Dell Gardens must be lovely at this time of the year. We visited the gardens about 5 years ago when we were in Louisville for a conference but it was so darned hot the walk through the gardens was rather unpleasant :(

Weerobin, Hillside is where we ordered the Glaucidium from last fall! DH surprised me because he knew I had been wanting one :) He also ordered Cypripedium kentuckiense but now he can't remember where he planted it! Posting a pic of my Glaucidium - I'm delighted to at least see it poking out of the ground but I might be disappointed, it looks like it might be white and I wanted pink :(

bigred, get ready to sell a few grandkids, Hillside has lowered their price on Anemonella 'Cameo'! LOL http://www.hillsidenursery.biz/

Asiatica does have a very unique selection of plants but I've been really disappointed with the size of the plants for the price they're asking. We used to order a lot from him but their prices are getting ridiculous :( I ordered from Edelweiss Perennials last fall http://www.edelweissperennials.com/. No Anemonellas but a wonderful selection and I was really pleased with the size of the plants as well as the prices!