The Miterwort, Mitella diphylla, is the jewel of the spring shade garden. Plant close enough to a path that the small flowers can be enjoyed up close. Welcome mitewort to shady gardens, cottage gardens, woodland gardens, and naturalized areas. This plant has a 20 to 45 cm long hairy stem. It bears two opposite leaves…
Barren Strawberry has masses of beautiful yellow daisy flowers at the ends of the stems from early to late spring, which are most effective when planted in groupings. Its round compound leaves remain green in colour throughout the season. This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep, and should not…
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America, known for its distinctive white flowers and reddish-orange sap. The plant has historical significance in native medicine and, more recently, has attracted interest for its potential medicinal properties. However, it’s also appreciated for its ornamental value in gardens. Here’s what you…
Grey dogwood is a hardy, low-maintenance shrub that provides subdued beauty all year round. Around June, white flower panicles enliven the surroundings. In the late summer and early fall, white berries draw a large number of birds. And the gray bark is nicely contrasted by the reddish-pink fruit stems that survive into the winter. Dogwoods…
Lance-Leaved Figwort, and figworts for that matter, are plants which may not have the most attractive appearance. However, they provide a large amount of nectar, and they equally attract bees, butterflies, and other insects, in addition to birds such as the Ruby-throated Hummingbird! Think of them as pollinator magnets. It grows easily and you can…
Hepaticas are among the first flowers to bloom in the spring. The flowers close at night and on cloudy days when pollinators are not likely to be flying. They are delicately attractive and have a tendency to blow about on their slender stems in the wind. Heptica leaves are known as basal leaves, which means…
Wood Betony is a valuable and attractive native flower that is an indicator of pristine prairies. Its roots attach to the roots of nearby plants and uptake nutrients. Therefore, wood betony parasitizes other plants, using them as a water and nutrient source. This parasitism helps reduce the vigor of the tall prairie plants. Flowers are…
Eastern Redbud is an easy-going ornamental that can be grown as a shrub or as a small tree. Plant this one in full sun to partial shade for a stunning display of spring colour and for the emergence of heart-shaped leaves. Its natural habitat includes woodlands, thickets, and rocky streams. Eastern Redbud is not an…
The Snowberry is a great addition to many types of landscapes or gardens as an ornamental shrub, as it is easy to care for and very low maintenance. Native to North America, snowberry shrubs are sometimes known as waxberry or ghostberry. Due to their deciduous nature, they shed their leaves in the winter season like…
The red maple bears brilliantly coloured foliage and nutrition for many types of animals. It is also commonly used to make furniture and flooring. Features Contains a seed called Samara (most people know them as helicopters or whirlybirds), which are eaten by squirrels and chimpmunks. The red maple has the smallest samara’s of any maple…
A red Osier dogwood plant with its red stems and without leaves.
The Ironwood makes a great backyard tree as it is resistant to many diseases and insect problems. It tends to blend in with other trees and is commonly labelled as inconspicuous. Low to moderate pollution tolerance. Ironwood has the hardest wood of any native tree species, and is therefore not generally used for lumber. It…
The Downy Serviceberry provides food for over 40 species of birds. The berries can be used to make jams or pies and taste almost like the berries from the Highbush Blueberry. It prefers acidic, moist, well-drained soils, but is adaptable to many soil conditions. In nature, it grows in open fields, fencerows, edges of woods,…
Pipsissewa, Chimaphyla umbellata, is rare and remarkable for having leaves all year round; it is an evergreen. As a small perennial flowering plant, it is adaptable to a variety of soils and soil moisture regimes, but normally in dry woodlands or sandy soils. It is native throughout the cool temperate zone. Pipsissewa is a rare…
White baneberry, also known as Doll’s eyes, is a popular novelty plant to grow. In addition to its clusters of tiny white flowers, the plant produces white berries that have nearly black (deep purple) “pupils” that give the berries the appearance of traditional Chinese doll’s eyes. The berries are on attractive, deep pink stems. This…
Canada Mayflower can form large patches in a wide range of habitats, but it is most common in boreal coniferous forests. They are abundant on the forest floor and emerge tightly coiled. It blooms with frothy white flowers in late April. Its leaves are some of the earliest to appear in the spring. The white…
Starflower is a plant that grows in the forest understory or as a groundcover in damp, shaded soils, occasionally on the banks of rivers and ponds. It spreads via well-developed rhizomes and regrows from overwintering tubers in the spring. Seeds are produced, but they are not as important for reproduction as they once were. Starflower…
Dutchman’s Breeches is an ephemeral spring woodland species. It blooms in the early spring, when sunlight hits the forest floor before the canopy of trees fills in. The nectar on the blooms will be easily accessible to the first emerging bumblebees. The foliage, which resembles fern leaves, begins to yellow in early summer and eventually…
Trout lily, a plant with stunning yellow flowers that bloom in the early spring, is quite photogenic. Large colonies of trout lilies can entirely blanket the forest floor as they mature. The colonies take a very long time to grow to this magnitude and can be hundreds of years old. Naturalize in moist soils in…
Marsh marigolds resemble massive buttercups. It is a popular spring plant because of its vivid yellow blooms that bloom in moist soil. Yellow marsh marigold is a mounded perennial native to wet meadows, swamps, marshes, fens, and stream edges in Canada and North America from Newfoundland to Alaska and south to Nebraska, Tennessee, and North…
Thimbleweed is an excellent spring flower for the shaded or woodland garden, with flowers from summer to early fall. It is a good choice for naturalized areas or native wildflower gardens. It is not an aggressive species. Anemone virginiana Description A few fine, short, soft hairs grow on the plant. It has a ramified stem…
Smooth Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum commutatum) is a drought tolerant perennial for the shade garden, native to Ontraio and Eastern North America. It adds a unique architectural structure with its arching foliage and white bell shaped flowers that dangle along the leaves. It is rhizomatous with lustrous, alternate leaves. You might be interested in learning more…
Wild ginger is an effective ground cover. Its roots and stems have a powerful lemon ginger scent when crushed. The perennial plant known is indigenous to Eastern North America, extending from Canada to the Southern United States. Appearance Wild ginger plants range in height from 6 to 10 inches and tend to spread 12 to…
Jack in the Pulpit has a unique and beautiful tubular green leaf. It is easily grown in fertile, medium to wet soil in part shade to full shade. It needs constantly moist soil rich in organic matter. Caring for Jack in the Pulpit Growing Jack-in-the-pulpit flowers is as simple as caring for them. A wet,…
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