Spring Ephemerals And Other Native Vernal Bloomers

I feel a shift occurring. And I’m not referring to the early onslaught of spring. I mean a shift in me, as a gardener. Indeed, it’s a welcome feeling. You understand; you’re a gardener, a lover of nature. We fear the day when there are no more shifts, no more lessons, no more new experiences. For when that happens, our landscapes, and the time we spend in them, become sterile, and gardening becomes just another chore. 

In years past, in order for a plant to garner my affections or secure a place in my small garden, it had to be a real performer. By that, I mean it needed to provide at least two seasons of interest, flowers I could snip and bring into the house, or usefulness in the kitchen. But loving with terms and conditions attached is always limiting.  

Enter the shift.

Recently, I’ve been enamored with native spring ephemerals and other woodland, early-spring bloomers. And just in time too! Had I been bitten by the spring wildflower bug just eight weeks from now, they’d mostly be gone and I’d be resigned to admiring their loveliness in books and on the web until next year--hardly a sufficient substitute for the real deal. 

Spring ephemerals are early-blooming, herbaceous perennials, found naturally growing in our deciduous forests, that emerge, flower, set seed and retreat back into under-ground dormancy within two month’s time. They’re highly efficient, opportunistic little sweeties and take full advantage of the short window between late winter and early spring when copious amounts of sunlight and soil moisture are theirs for the taking. 

But adequate soil moisture and ample sunlight are not the only factors that matter when pulling off this tight orchestration. Pollinators are crucial to these plants’ success, too. Therefore, the timing of the ephemerals’ flowering must occur, not only while the tree canopy is still open, but also when it’s warm enough for the pollinators, like bumble bees, flies, gnats and beetles, to be up and about. 

And if that isn’t complex enough, some of these native plants are pollinator specific; they’ve co-evolved with specific native insects to get the job done. This means, as these plants diminish in population, their pollinators do so at the same rate, and visa versa. (This highlights the importance of including more native plants in our landscapes that we’ll discuss in more detail at a later date.) 

Before long, the forest canopy will awaken, leaves will flush out, shading the forest floor, and soil moisture will be allocated to the biggest and baddest. But it doesn’t matter, because by then, they'll be done with their business. In and out. Poof! The only proof that they were even there, will lie in a memory or a photo. They don’t care if you miss a glimpse, but you should.

Now, botanists have strict guidelines that define an ephemeral: up and gone in eight weeks. Even with these guidelines, botanists’ lists of “true ephemerals” vary. For example, some plants’ withering parts persist into May. However, this is hardly an academic paper and I will use this term loosely. 

On a mission to capture my own glimpse, I headed straight to our very own State Bontanical Garden of Georgia’s Orange Trail. It’s one of many nature trails, totaling five miles, that twist and turn throughout the garden.

Not five minutes into my trek, I spotted my first spring wildflower: bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis). No one heard my gasp except the birds. And maybe the tadpoles. The forest flower was blanketed with them, each flower emerging from the tight embrace of its leaf. I also spotted wild violets (Viola sororia), liverworts (Hepatica nobilis) and windflowers (Thalictrum thalictroides) along the trail. A bit early for my visit, but no doubt in full bloom by the time you read this, is the wild geranium (Geranium maculatum). They were everywhere, ready to pop.

Next, I headed to garden’s Dunson Native Flora Garden. Linda Chafin, the garden’s research project coordinator, was kind enough to show me around. She’s a native and rare plant specialist and gives walks and talks all over the region on such things. I knew when she arrived with a magnifying eyepiece dangling from her neck, I was in for some detailed dainties. 

First we saw a Chattahoochee trillium, a trillium that takes approximately seven years to reach maturity. Its three large leaves sport a camouflaged pattern of beautifully mottled greens, browns and silver. A plant dressed in camo-garb in the woods? Its humor was not lost on me.

Soon we saw patches of toothwort (Dentaria laciniata), a native in the mustard family. Linda suggested tasting its leaves. I let her go first. After observing that her motor skills were still intact, I followed suit. Spicy!

There were also two kinds of trout lilies (true ephemerals), golden ragwort, a small patch of Trillium pusillum and virginia bluebells that had us gawking like the plant nerds we are. 

But it was the spring beauties (Claytonia caroliniana) that had us on our knees in seconds, eyepiece in use. The subtlety of the pink venation on their petals is spectacular! Spring beauties, indeed.

Besides the botanical garden, you can view beautiful stands of wild geranium and bloodroot, in bloom now, at Memorial Park. The Weed Warriors, a conservation group committed to forest restoration, has spent the last three years eradicating foreign invasives from the park. Their hard work is especially gratifying this time a year when they witness the resurgence of natives, like these, in areas that, until now, were smothered by english ivy and other alien plant species. Thank you, Weed Warriors!

So, you want to incorporate these gems into your own woodland garden, don’t you? Don’t even think about taking bits from the wild. There’s a poison-ivy-wrapped afterlife for folks that do so. Instead, check with your favorite, reputable nursery. Better yet, wait until this year’s Plantapalooza, held April, 14th. The State Botanical Garden of Georgia will have many natives for sale. 

Look for me there. I’ll be the woman with toothwort leaves stuck in her teeth and bruises on her knees.