Tuesday, April 29, 2014

What's blooming in April?

Yes, tulips, daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths. But I'm more interested in the less common flowers that I have actually planted (or at least encouraged). Following are the ones that have blossoms already; several others are just about ready to pop. (This year it has only been consistently above freezing all night for about two weeks.)

Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica). The flowers start out pink and turn blue.

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Some kind of wild violet; my guess is  Common blue violet (Viola papilionacea) or Hooded blue violet (Viola cucullata). Extremely aggressive, but native to the Northeast, and besides, I think it is beautiful. So I dig it out of the lawn and replant it wherever I need ground cover. I also have some with white flowers and smaller leaves.
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Some kind of epimedium. Native to China; I left it here because it's not invasive (I think).

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Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla). Likewise non-native, but it does well in pretty dry shade, which makes it valuable. I didn't plant it originally, but I did divide some existing clumps and spread them around.
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And finally, forsythia (not sure what species or variety). Yes, this is a cliche in the yards of suburbia, but I enjoy the bright yellow splashes so much that I planted some myself. One of the few exceptions to my native-plant-only rule.
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