Violets (Viola spp.) The native plant growing season has begun, and many old friends await in the "wild" area of our property. This is the time of year to delight in new discoveries and welcome reunions. It seems appropriate to celebrate these woodland wildflowers, and the trees that protect them, on this Arbor Day. Some ephemerals and wildflowers are blooming, while many more will burst forth in the days ahead. Here are just a few fun finds during the past few days:   Prairie Trillium (T. recurvatum) Red Trillium (T. erectum) Great White Trillium (T ..read more

It's time for In a Vase on Monday, and I thought it would be fun to combine one of each variety of Daffodil (Narcissus spp.) blooming in the garden. Daffodils of various types have been blooming here since early March, and they continue to put on a show. Most of these were from a Colorblends mix I planted years ago, and they continue to flourish. I'm not sure of the variety names, and I don't know if this mix is still available, but there are many mix options. Here they are in no particular order: Since I set those in the vase a few days ago, other slightly different ones have ..read more

In recent weeks, several Texan friends have mentioned, on their blogs and social media, that the Texas Mountain Laurels (Dermatophyllum secundiflorum; syn. Sophora secundiflora) were blooming. This reminded me of our time in the state last year. It also reminded me that I hadn't shared highlights from our visit to the San Antonio Japanese Tea Garden, which was a truly unique place! Several Texas Mountain Laurels were blooming outside the entrance, and we spent some quality time before and after our visit viewing, smelling, and enjoying them. The scent has been described as grape bubblegum ..read more

As many bloggers in many locales have mentioned, we've had a seesaw of weather since February--back and forth between record warmth and bitter cold. This reveals (even more dramatically than in a "normal" season) how hardy the late winter/early spring bloomers can be. A few days ago, I picked these flowers in the morning when the temps were much below freezing; they were sadly plopped to the ground. Soon after, in vases, they seemed happier. They're still going strong today. This Hellebore (Helleborus orientalis) is the anchor of the group. The Daffodils (Narcissus) include lar ..read more

Colorful mixed planting at the hotel Buxus sempervirens and Cyclamen persicum Ferocactus cylindraceus at Sloan Canyon National Conservation Area Pelargonium × hortorum and Viola × wittrockiana Senna artemisioides at Valley of Fire State Park Mixed planting along 'The Strip' Yucca schidigera and desert view at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area 'Flowers' on the Sphere ..read more

Spring is happening early in my part of the world. Flowers began blooming in February, and many plants are breaking the soil surface preparing for the growing season ahead. With the exception of the Snowdrops, I rarely pick these early season flowers--for some reason I don't want to disturb them. ;-) Because of this reluctance, I only picked a few, and I share a very simple vase/bowl. Two of the Hellebore (Helleborus orientalis) varieties have been in my garden for many years, and their cultivar was not listed. The one in the middle is Helleborus x hybridus 'Sandy Shores.' Also included ar ..read more

We're recently back from a trip to Nevada, where we enjoyed both exploring natural areas and sightseeing in urban Las Vegas. One highlight was a visit to the Botanical Garden at Springs Preserve. As always, I could have spent many more hours exploring the plant collections, but our brief visit was educational and fun. One plant that really caught my eye, was the four-colored Opal Flower (Lachenalia aloides var. quadricolor). I think I've seen this plant before; perhaps during travels to other warm climates, or on another blogger's post. In any case, it's certainly colorful and fascinating ..read more

Friends in the south are beginning to share butterfly photos on social media, so I'm dreaming about what's to come and remembering sightings from last year. Here's a review of 2023 butterfly sightings--in my garden, and during hikes and butterfly surveys. I generally report counts and species I see to wisconsinbutterflies.org. There were many more of some of these species...and others not included here. I didn't include them all because the post would get too expansive and some of the photos weren't very good. It was a pretty good year, although with fewer monarchs than in the past; probably ..read more

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I've been thinking lately about plants of the past: in particular, blooming plants no longer in my garden. Some were species I planted, others were presumably planted by the previous owners decades ago, and still others were natives growing in the woodland. I glanced through old photos, and while there weren't as many "disappearances" as I expected, some are particularly missed like the Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) in the photo above. For most of the years we've lived here, I found patches of Bloodroot each spring. A beautiful native ephemeral, it only blooms for one to two days. The ..read more