Dec 30
Hellebores are among the most valuable flowers for the winter and early-spring garden. At a time when many perennials are dormant and deciduous shrubs are still bare, hellebores produce nodding flowers in shades of white, cream, green, pink, rose, burgundy, purple, and almost black. The genus Helleborus belongs to the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. Most species …
Dec 29
Trilliums are among the most recognizable wildflowers of the North American woodland. Their elegant three-petaled flowers rise above a whorl of three broad leaf-like bracts, creating a beautifully symmetrical plant that seems perfectly suited to the quiet shade of a deciduous forest. The genus Trillium belongs to the family Melanthiaceae and includes numerous species native …
Dec 28
Virginia bluebells are among the most beautiful native wildflowers for a spring shade garden. Their soft pink flower buds gradually open into nodding sky-blue bells, creating a two-tone display that can turn a moist woodland floor into a sea of blue for several weeks each spring. The botanical name is Mertensia virginica. A member of …
Dec 27
Bloodroot is one of the earliest native wildflowers to brighten the deciduous woodlands of eastern North America. Its pure white flowers can appear almost suddenly in early spring, opening above deeply lobed blue-green foliage while most trees are still bare and many garden perennials remain dormant. The botanical name is Sanguinaria canadensis. Bloodroot is the …
Dec 26
Dutchman’s breeches is one of the most distinctive native wildflowers of the spring woodland. Its delicate fernlike foliage appears early in the season, followed by arching flower stems hung with rows of white blossoms shaped remarkably like tiny pairs of upside-down pantaloons. The botanical name is Dicentra cucullaria. It belongs to the poppy family, Papaveraceae, …
Dec 25
Jack-in-the-pulpit is one of the most unusual native wildflowers of the North American woodland. Rather than producing an obvious petaled flower, it sends up a hooded green, purple, or striped structure that resembles a preacher standing beneath the canopy of a tiny pulpit. Later in the season, mature plants may replace this strange spring display …
Dec 24
Few flowers are as instantly recognizable as the sunflower. Tall stems, broad leaves, and enormous golden flower heads make traditional sunflowers one of the most dramatic annuals in a summer garden, while modern cultivars expand the possibilities with compact plants, branching forms, pollen-free cut-flower varieties, and blooms in shades of cream, bronze, burgundy, orange, mahogany, …
Dec 23
Zinnias are among the easiest and most colorful annual flowers for a sunny summer garden. From compact plants covered with small daisy-like blooms to tall cutting varieties carrying enormous double flowers, zinnias can provide months of color in shades of white, cream, yellow, orange, coral, pink, red, burgundy, purple, lime green, and almost every combination …
Dec 22
Marigolds are among the easiest and most dependable annual flowers for a sunny garden. Their cheerful yellow, orange, gold, red, mahogany, cream, and bicolored flowers can bloom for months, continuing through summer and fall until frost finally ends the season. The name marigold can refer to several unrelated plants, but this guide focuses on the …
Dec 21
Petunias are among the most dependable flowers for adding continuous color to sunny gardens, containers, window boxes, and hanging baskets. Their trumpet-shaped blooms can cover the plants from late spring through fall in shades ranging from pure white and soft pink to brilliant magenta, deep purple, red, yellow, near-black, and countless striped, speckled, veined, and …
