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 […]
Archive for the ‘Plant bio’ Category
Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry)
Posted in Edible, Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on May 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Median strip
Posted in Flora, Invasive, Plant bio, Rants & Raves on May 11, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
There are miles and miles of highway on and off cape. Although those artificially created corridors are intended for human traffic, they are also occasionally used by wildlife and plantlife to get around. Granted, when it comes to wildlife it is more often a treshold, boundary and all too often, killing field. I put a […]
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, […]
Dicentra eximia (wild bleeding heart)
Posted in Flora, Interesting, Plant bio, Tips on May 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
I came upon Dicentra eximia by ways of its more showy non-native cousin (Dicentra spectabilis), which I have seen in various Cape Cod shade gardens. I have a few myself, as a matter of fact. Wild bleeding heart has smaller red to pink flowers, and leaves that are quite beautiful – the plant is also […]
Stylophorum diphyllum (wood poppy)
Posted in Flora, Plant bio, Tips on May 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The wood poppy brings a beautiful yellow flower to the woodland garden in the spring and early summer. It likes partial sun to shade conditions. It is not native to Cape Cod, or New England for that matter, but it is a “neighbor” native to eastern states from Ontario down to Alabama and Georgia. It […]
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 […]