This April brought some surprises, which I have written about in separate posts, but the overall April 2012 themes were re-birth, continuity and establishment. A lot of the plants pictured have been in my yard for a year or two now, and they are slowly but surely becoming a defining presence in the woodland garden. I want to preserve these plants in pictures, because before too long they will be a fleeting memory as the summer crop displaces the spring perennials. And I won’t be able to welcome them back until next year.
Red columbine had flowering plants in early April in the sunnier spots, Others have not even developed flower buds yet.
Birdfoot violet is going strong in areas where there is a decent amount of sun. I had some promising plants in other areas but they were shaded out by leafier perennials and were not able to return this year...
This common blue violet is everywhere in my garden, in shades from deep blue and purple to white-with-blue-streaks. The plants have been there forever and produce spectacular blooms in April and May. The one drawback is that I have bare spots in late summer when the foliage dies down. The massively solid rootstock of these plants does not allow for much else to grow.
Sessile bellwort is a definite success story in my yard - it happily grows and spreads in several different areas of the woodland garden
While wild ginger does produce flowers, they go unnoticed and are geared toward attracting flies, not human appreciation. The plant is a great groundcover that goes well with ferns and more showy plants alike.
Much to my surprise wood poppy is producing offspring all over the woodland garden. It is only being outdone by Mertensia virginica in that department. It blooms early and produces flowers for many months.
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