I have a few of these members of the Dryopteridaceae family in my woodland garden, among sessile bellwort and framing some oak and rhododendron. The plants have only been there for a year, and I’ve only seen the sterile fronds of this fern. The fern is also called bead fern because the fertile fronds that […]
Archive for the ‘Edible’ Category
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on May 19, 2011 | 2 Comments »
From the non-native dossier: Cardamine hirsuta (hairy bittercress)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Invasive, Plant bio, Recipe on May 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I have to admit I kind of like the sight of these little annual plants in early spring – they are one of the first to flower, and now in mid May they are already dispersing seed into the yard. This little plant is actually pretty much impossible to get rid of. You can pull […]
Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on May 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
These strawberry plants are pretty much everywhere in my yard, although they definitely prefer the more sunlit areas. They don’t need an introduction here, but if you’re someone that thinks of them as annoying weeds, consider this: The ecological value of wild strawberry to various insects, birds, and animals is high. The flowers attract long-tongued […]
Erythronium americanum (eastern trout lily)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Recipe on May 10, 2011 | 2 Comments »
I almost missed these plants altogether. Another couple of weeks and they would have lost their flowers and the leaves would have been overgrown by neighboring plants. Eastern trout lilies are low-growing plants that form colonies of plants of different ages. The leaves have the characteristic mottling that give the plant its name – although […]
Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on May 10, 2011 | 2 Comments »
I have this damp and dark corner of the yard that gets dappled sunlight only part of the day. Once the trees are leafing there is even less light to work with. I thought this would be a good spot for some mayapple. I planted 3 specimens from the New England Wild Flower Society store, […]
Viola sororia (woolly blue violet)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Plant bio, Recipe, Tips on May 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This native violet has taken over one area of my yard almost exclusively, and is spreading into the lawn. I don’t mind, but if you’re a gardener that needs to be in control, I can see issues developing between you and Viola sororia. Woolly blue violet rhizomes can grow quickly, and the many flowers produce […]
Aquilegia canadensis (wild columbine)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio on May 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
If you want hummingbirds in your yard and you don’t want to deal with a fussy plant, then wild columbine is right for you. I have these plants all over the yard, in all sorts of conditions – shade, partial shade, moist soil, dry soil, and they are thriving and flowering like there is no […]
Trillium flexipes (bent trillium)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Plant bio, Recipe on May 1, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This is the first year I have trillium blooming in the woodland garden. I bought some plants from the New England Wild Flower Society and integrated them among the ferns and wild ginger. Right now, bent trillium (Trillium flexipes) is showing off its white flowers. Woodland gardens don’t come into their own without trillium present, […]
Uvularia sessilifolia (sessile bellwort)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Plant bio on April 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Synonym: Wild oats, Merrybells This member of the Liliaceae family does quite well in the woodland garden, as it likes areas with deep leaf mould and light to high shade. The leaves have been pushing up since early April, and the first flower showed today, on April 30. The lone flower did not even wait […]
Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Plant bio on April 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
This rather tall (3 to 5 feet) fern grows in symmetrical vase-like clumps. The ostrich fern likes it moist, and can be found natively on riverbanks and sandbars all over the northern hemisphere (North America, Northern Asia, and Northern Europe). Matteuccia struthiopteris has two kinds of fronds: The tall vertical fronds that resemble ostrich feathers […]