Columns, In the Garden

Spring Ephemerals now in Bloom

by Lynette Courtney

This is the first of a series of articles I will be sharing with you, about local plants that are

native to our area, in Northeastern Vermont.

I have been learning so much about the very important role these plants and their essential partnership with local, native pollinators, such as bumblebees, moths and butterflies, wasps, flies, hummingbirds and native bees. Without both teammates being healthy and active, we could easily lose them all. Right now, the plants that are flowering in woods, wet places, lawns and roadsides are known as spring ephemerals.

These are early plants which live the major parts of their lives, before trees leaf out, causing shade. Their numerous forms, colors and habitats are only seen at this time of year.

I have been busy searching for them on my 3.5 acres and digging a few here and there, to offer at my native plant nursery. It is very important to know that you should not dig up wild plants, as they are growing in natural places, that suit them best. Observe and take note of where they are happy in the wild and think about the places on your property that have the same soil, light or shade and moisture level.

If you find that you have the perfect spot where you might enjoy them, on your property or in public areas, I’d be happy to talk with you, give you advice and see if I can offer you the plants you are seeking, either harvested on private property, raised from gathered seeds or from trusted, native plant

mail-order nurseries.

This season I have been working non-stop to provide many more varieties of native plants, shrubs and trees that I have been growing to share with anyone who is interested in learning more. If you have the right planting sites, these plants will grow, bloom and spread on their own for years.

You can see many more photos of native plants, by seasonal bloom and fall color and find more information, at nativeplantsetc.com

[Lynette Courtney, a resident of Greensboro Bend, can be reached at [email protected] or by calling

Labrador Violets
Bloodroot
Blue Cohash
White Violets
Trout Lily
Wake Robin
Ramps
Dutchman’s Breeches
Native Cranesbill
Native Bleeding Heart

(802) 533-9836.]

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