Spring Ephemerals

Spring ephemerals are plants on a mission. They awake, leaf out, bloom and set seed all before the heat of summer begins to settle in. Then they quietly slip back into a long slumber to wait for the following spring. 

It's hard not to feel a twinge of panic when ephemeral plants appear to be withering away each summer. Rest assured that the tubers, rhizomes and roots of these plants are tucked safely away underground, where they are resting in the cool shade of perennials that follow them. Their brief appearance has provided enough nutrients to keep them going until they next awake.

Let's take a look at a few of them:

Trilliums are one example of a spring ephemeral.

Trilliums growing in David Tomlinson's garden, Merlin's Hollow.

Large Flowering Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum is a wildflower native to Ontario. They have white flowers with three petals which are held aloft on a stem containing a whorl of three leaves. Their flowers are pollenated by ants, flies and beetles. 

Trilliums are spring ephemerals that require patience. They can take up to 7 years to go from seed to flower. As the flowers fade, they turn from white to a soft pink. Trilliums require moist, well-drained, slightly sandy soil that is rich in organic matter. Full to part shade. Height: 20-50 cm (7-19 inches) USDA Zones: 4-9.

Trillium luteum in the garden of Marion Jarvie, Thornhill, ON.

The leaves petals and sepals of Trillium luteum also come in groups of three. The flower has three erect yellow petals with three greenish sepals. They also have a faint lemon scent. 

Trillium luteum in the garden of Marion Jarvie, Thornhill, ON.

Trillium luteum is a clump forming plant with underground rhizomes that will gradually increase in size and spread slowly. The hosta-like foliage will die to the ground by mid-summer, especially if the soil is on the dry side. Plant this trillium in rich, moist, humus soil. Part-shade to full shade. Height: 20-50 cm (7-19 inches) Spread: 30-45 cm (12- 18 inches) USDA Zones: 4-8.

This is Bloodroot that I brought home last summer from my Mom's garden. I love the way the flowers emerge wrapped up in leafy grey-green arms. This plant gets its name from the bright reddish-orange sap it exudes when it has been cut.

Up the street from where I live there is a huge colony of Bloodroot and blue Scilla that has colonized a damp wooded area. The carpet of tiny blue and white flowers is the most marvellous sight each May.

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis has white, daisy-like flowers and deeply scalloped, grey-green leaves. As the flower blooms, the leaves unfurl. The flowers open in the sunlight and close at night. Over time Bloodroot can spread and make large colonies. Bloodroot is best grown in rich, well-drained soil. Part-shade to full shade. height: 10-15 cm (4-6 inches) Spread: 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) USDA Zones: 3-8.

Single vs Double Bloodroot

There is a double form of Bloodroot as well. Double Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis f. multplex has sterile flowers and blooms longer than the native single Bloodroot.

Trout Lily, Erythronium americanum

There is a wild patch of tiny Erythronium in the vacant lot next door to our house. I have noted that the little colony appears to bloom sporadically. This is probably because it takes four to five years for Erythronium to go from seed to flower. The corms of these wildflowers are small and crocus-like in comparison with the larger sausage-sized corms of modern hybrids.

Trout Lily, Erythronium americanum derives its name from its fleshy, mottled foliage. They have bell-shaped flowers in May. Erythronium americanum has bulb-like offsets that are easy to break off and plant.

These are the larger hybrids blooming in my garden. Erythronium 'Pagoda' is a more vigorous plant than its wild cousin. It is literally twice the size of the little wildflowers.

Erythronium 'Pagoda' has bright green, fleshy leaves with maroon markings. The leaves disappear shorty after the plant finishes flowering. Like their wild relatives, these hybrids like rich soil and a cool, damp spot in dappled shade. USDA Zones: 4-9.

Rue anemone or Wood Anemone, Anemonella thalictroides is native to the eastern part of North America. It has delicate white flowers and pretty green leaves. Like so many spring ephemerals, this plant likes the dappled shade of deciduous trees and rich, loamy soil that is slightly moist. They bloom for a period of about six weeks and then the plant goes dormant especially if the areas where it is planted is hot and dry. Height: 30-45 cm (12-18 inches), Spread: 7-15 cm ( 3-6 inches). USDA Zones 5-9.

Dutchman's Breeches, Dicentra cucullaria: The common name Dutchman's Breeches refers the the distinctive shape of the white flowers. This plant has lovely, grey-green, fern-like foliage (which rabbits dislike). It can be grown in average, well drained soil, but Dutchman's Breeches much prefers rich, loamy soil that is slightly moist. Dry soil will cause the plant to go dormant more quickly. Part to full shade. Height: (6-12 inches), Spread: (6-12 inches). USDA Zones: 3-7.

Virginia Blue Bells, Mertensia virginica are one of my favourite spring flowers. I love the mix of the pinkish flower buds and the baby-blue flowers. They like rich, loamy soil and part-shade. Once established they are pretty tolerant of dry conditions in summer. Virginia Blue Bells will naturalize in a woodland setting by self-seeding. If you want to divide them, do it in the fall. Height: 30-60 cm, Spread: 30-45 cm. USDA Zones: 2-9.

Shooting Star, Dodecatheon pulchellum in the garden of Marion Jarvie, Thornhill, ON.

Trust expert plantswoman Marion Jarvie to have something super cool like this Shooting Star, Dodecatheon meadia in her Thornhill, Ontario garden. When I visited last May, they seemed very happy on the outer edge of her garden pond.

Shooting Stars are a native North American wildflower. They have a low rosette of long narrow leaves and flowers on long, slender stems. The petals of the flower flare back giving the plant its common name. Fading flowers are replaced by fruit that dry into a woody seed pod each fall.

Shooting Star, Dodecatheon meadia 'alba' is a short-lived perennial that takes a year or so to flower. Typically they put on their best display in year three and then they disappear. Plant it in rich, moist soil. Full sun to part-shade. Height: 20-30 cm ( 8-12 inches), Spread: 15-20 cm (6-8 inches). USDA Zones: 2-9.

Shooting Star, Dodecatheon meadia in the garden of Marion Jarvie, Thornhill, ON.

Caring for your Spring Ephemerals: 

Spring ephemerals are woodland plants, so its best to choose a spot that offers dappled sunlight in spring and shade in summer. These plants like well-drained, slightly acidic soil, mulched with shredded leaves.

These plants have evolved to take advantage of warming soil and plentiful spring rain. Though they like spring moisture, they are quite drought tolerant once they enter their summer dormancy. To conserve moisture mulch in fall with shredded leaves. Fertilizer applied just as the flower buds appear can encourage a longer, better display of flowers.

Plant spring ephemerals in amongst other plants that will fill in as spring warms into summer. Hostas and ferns are two good choices.

One of the biggest challenges with spring ephemerals is to remember where they are planted once they go dormant. It's a good idea to find a way to mark their location, so you don't disturb these lovely spring beauties.

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A Secret Garden: Part 2, The Shade Garden and Pond

 
Astilbe

In this, the second in the series of posts on Carole's garden near Uxbridge Ontario, we will take a closer look at the pond and shade gardens.

When Carole and her husband Frank first bought their home, there was nothing more than a natural stream and a low lying, boggy area in the space where the pond is currently located.

Here is a similar view of the pond area as it looks in now. Quite the change!

Carole's husband is not a gardener, but Carole tells me that one of the many ways in which Frank  helps out is to pull her around in a dingy, so she can do some pond gardening.

Along the perimeter of the pond there are moisture loving plants like this pink Astilbe and 

this purple Japanese Iris (below).

A Japanese Iris with blue Veronica in behind and a repeat flowering daylily in the foreground.

Japanese Irises: Japanese Irises need at least 6 hours of sunlight to bloom properly. They also require ample moisture especially up until bloom time. They will also be much healthier plants if the soil is moist throughout the summer. (A heavy mulch of 2-3 inches can help to conserve moisture.) They like a slightly acidic soil that is a rich in organic matter.

This is a "Before" photograph of what was to become the shade garden. Carole tells me:

"I put a shade garden here because there was a grouping of fairly large birch trees, however when we added the top soil to prepare the bed and raise the grade we killed all but one tree. We knew that this would probably happen, but we needed to get the low lying area to drain properly. Luckily our neighbour had a number of young birch saplings which they gave to us. We replanted the birch grove and it has grown up nicely."

Here is a similar view of the shade garden in present day. Again an amazing transformation!

On the perimeter of the birch trees is this part-shade bed where there are Heuchera, Hosta, Astrantia, Astilbe, Solomon's Seal, Lady's Mantle and Sedge grass.

In the shade garden proper, you will see that Carole has done a really nice job of mixing 

leaf shape, size, color and texure.

The shade garden is not without flowers. Carole relates that:

" I like to use etherial plants and bulbs under my hostas so I get an early bloom before the leaves come on the trees and the hostas cover them up. I use dwarf Daffodils, Scilla, Virginia Blue Bells, Sanguinaria canadiensis or Bloodroot (both the native and double varieties). I also mix in Primulas, Pulmonarias, Brunnera and Disporum or Fairy bells. I like to let these naturalize through the garden."

Single and Double Bloodroot or Sanguinaria canadiensis and Sanguinaria canadiensis 'multiplex' respectively: The single form of Bloodroot has 8-16 petals with a golden centre. The double form resembles a waterlily flower. Both have large, round leaves with deep lobes. Bloodroot gets its name from its rhizomes which contain a red juice. They like shade to part-shade and moist soil that is rich in organic matter. In April or early May flower buds appear wrapped protectively inside the leaf, which open as the flower emerges.

In addition, Carole says that:

" I grow all kinds of Hosta, Ligularias, Mudenkia, Percicaria, Astilbe, Snakeroot and daylilies on the fringes of the shade garden."

Throughout the shade garden Carole has added large bottles and oversized glass vases.

As I am sure you can imagine maintaining a garden as large as Carole's must take a lot of work. I asked her if she has any strategies to make the workload easier. Carole replied that in fall:

"I cut all my plants back in fall to 3-4" and clear out any weeds that may have escaped me through the season. This is also when I put down any manure mulch the garden needs.

I also do any rearranging or dividing in fall. It is nice and cool and there are no bugs!

I like to blow the leaves off my shade garden in fall, shred them and put them back around the around the plants. I know that this is extra work, but the leaves break down faster. The shredding also prevents smaller bulbs from being "drowned out", there is less chance of mould developing and it looks nicer."

In spring, Carole advises that:

"I start in the garden as soon as I can. I use a hand trowel, scissors and a long handled claw. I hand dig any perennial weeds (dandelions, grass etc.) that may have come up. Any annual weeds I just claw over. If you do this once a week or at least every two weeks for 4-6 weeks, you will find you have eliminated most of your weeds. You have to be relentless or the weeds can take over.

After that you spend your time deadheading. I do not let my plants go to seed as it makes for a very messy garden and it is harder to keep your plants separated."

I asked Carole for one final bit of advice for those gardeners who still struggle with the reality of gardening in shade. She replied:

"My best advice is to experiment with different plants as not all "shade" is the same and the garden is ever changing."

I have saved the best for last. In the final post in the series, we will visit what I think is Carole's masterpiece: the backyard garden.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Merlin's Hollow, Aurora Ontario

When David Tomlinson first married, he promised his new bride he would create a beautiful garden for her. It was not until some years later, when they immigrated to Canada, and bought a house in Aurora, Ontario that he was able to fulfil his promise to her.

On their 3/4 of an acre, David set out to design series of gardens within a garden. First, he enclosed the property within a high cedar hedge. Then, he used more cedar hedges and a series of arched garden gates to partition the property into four distinct garden rooms: a Perennial Flower Garden, a Fragrant Garden (with a thyme lawn), a Rock and Water Garden (with a stream and pond), and a Winter Garden (with a formal knot garden). He named the garden he had created Merlin's Hollow.

1. Cedar Hedges   2. Sculpture   3. Long Arch   4. Herbs   5. Thyme Lawn   6. Gazebo   7. Fern Walk  8. Butterfly log pile   9. Dry bed   10. Compost   11. Acid Bed   12. Bog bed   13. Alpine bed   14. Frog pond  15. Stream   16. Snake Hibernacleum   17. Future aviaries   18. Woodland bed   19. Cold frames   20. Bat box   21. Bird house   22. Bird feeder   23. Deck vegetable garden   24. Mason bee box   25. Snag tree   26. Butterfly box   27. Lady bug box   28. Robin shelf

A landscape architect by trade, David designed each garden so that it would have its own distinct character. He included bog and woodland beds, a fern walk, an alpine garden, heritage shrub roses, and raised beds with stone walls. David also incorporated features that would encourage wildlife and insects to take up residence in the garden. He added a stream and pond, birdhouses and feeders, a bat box, Mason bee box and a snake hibernacleum ( provides garden snakes with a cool, dry place to shelter from weather extremes).

An avid collector, David Tomlinson's garden includes over 1500 different varieties of plants, many of them rare and unusual. Most impressive is the fact that he grew most of these plants himself from seed.

On the day of our visit, I took so many pictures that I am likely to try your patience by asking you to look at them all. So in this post, I have decided to concentrate on two of the gardens: the Perennial Garden, which is to the front and right of the house, and the Rock and Water Garden, which is at the back of the house.

A gravel path leads past the house and through a wooden arch into the Perennial Garden. The path sweeps around the perimeter of the garden and leads you past the expansive perennial borders. Tulips and daffodils were planted throughout.

Magnolia

The Perennial Garden also had a lovely assortment of different Primula.

Now, we are going to turn to the right and enter the Rock and Water Garden.

Primula polyantha

Spring Pea, 'Lathyrus vernus'

Spring Pea, 'Lathyrus vernus'

Double Bloodroot, 'Sanguinaria canadensis "Multiplex'

Checkered Lily, 'Fritillaria affinis'

Above left: Water cascades down a waterfall into the pond. Above right: a yellow-colored Asian Marsh Marigold dips down into the water of the pond. Above: The bridge over the little stream that runs into the pond.

The vivid, blue wooden bench by the pond. You can see white Iris Bucharica in the lower left foreground and patches of blue Brunnera macrophylla and pink lungwort to the right of the bench.

Iris Bucharica

Trout Lily  Dogtooth Viloet Pagoda (Erthronium americanum)

Grape Hyacinth 'Muscari armeniacum'

Corydalis nobilis

Trillium

White Marsh Marigold (left) and a plum-colored Hellebore (right), which took seven years to bring from seed to flower.

Primula denticulata

Each year, Merlin's Hollow is open to the public, free of charge, on the 2nd Saturday in May, the 2nd Saturday in June, the1st Saturday in July and 2nd Sunday in July. If you would like the address and driving directions, please feel free to email me.