Spring Ephemerals & Other Delights

Planning and constructing a garden is exhilarating. There is no end to the possibilities, challenges and rewards from the garden. Gardens are nothing if not surprising places. A gardener can plan, plant, sculpt and otherwise attempt to influence nature, but it is ultimately nature herself who will decide what works best. Each generation of property owners attempts to leave their mark on the landscape. I benefit from the foresight of prior owners who planted towering tulip poplars, catalpa trees and a giant sycamore, a century Japanese maple that delights the eye, while a magnificent Canadian Hemlock provides it with an excellent backdrop. From Japanese Umbrella pines to River Birch trees, the property is dotted with beautiful specimens. I too hope to leave my legacy on the property with the many trees, shrubs and perennials I have planted.

I have failed miserably at growing roses and lavender. Somehow nature is telling me it is either the wrong location or I have not yet acquired the right skills. Still, it is a joy to nurture and watch plants grow. For as many plants as I have put in the ground, nature is matching and surpassing me by placing wild plants throughout the garden. Here are some of the things that were planted by nature in my garden.

Earlier I shared photos of the Trout Lilies. These are short lived plants. They pop up in early spring, only to disappear a few short weeks later. These types of plants are called Spring Ephemerals. The Trout Lilies were soon followed by beautiful wild geraniums.

Growing as a tree, this viburnum produced a beautiful round ball of tightly packed flowers. The tree is roughly 15 feet tall and throughout the rest of the year does nothing to distinguish itself from any of the other smaller trees. I am glad I did not prune it out when I removed the invasive honeysuckle last fall.

Not to be outdone by a tree, this Viburnum Lace Cap bush displays a showy arrangement of 5 petaled flowers at the edge of the flower heads.

Vines can be overwhelming to the natural landscape, but kept in check, they can also be beautiful. This wisteria started blooming last year after I pruned some of it back. Perhaps it was planted by a prior owner, I am not certain.

Jack in the pulpits (or Jill in the pulpits if they are female) are found everywhere around the property. I have encouraged them to grow by carefully cultivating around them.

Another plant new to me is the Mayapple. This is a common native northeastern plant. I do not recall seeing it last year. This year it has sprung up in the garden. I have not seen any blossoms, but perhaps if I coax it along by leaving it alone it will thrive and bloom next year.

Last year I found a few daisies growing in some weeds along the side of the road. I carefully pulled the weeds around the daisies to encourage them to grow. This year, those few daisies have become a nice patch of daisies brightening the roadside.

Growing low to the ground, this Common Dewberry is a member of the rose family. It is growing in the woodland garden. The plant identification app also refers to it as brambles. Hopefuly, it will not be too prolific.

Dotting the ground in many places are wild strawberries. The attractive flowers will give way to small red berries.

A profusion of buttercups filled the lawn this spring. They are so vibrant and cheerful. They made me wonder, why do I delight in seeing the buttercups and not the dandelions? The same vibrant yellow color is in both.

There is a bush growing in the woodland garden with a tiny green flower. I have been unable to determine the name of this bush. My neighbors do not know and the plant identification app gives me a lot of wildly different suggestions. Someday I will find out.

Finally, one of my perennial favorites (pun intended). Ever since I was a small boy, I have liked violets. There is an exuberance in the way they bloom and in the intensity of their purple petals. There are thousands of them scattered throughout the property. I am encouraging even more. One can never have too many.

While I take tremendous satisfaction in seeing the rhododendrons, azaleas and other showy hybridized flowers, I derive enormous pleasure from the surprising and unexpected flora provided by nature. What is a garden, but a collection of nature’s treasures.