Lewisia tweedyi

Species of Lewisia are sometimes called "bitterroot", but many gardeners simply use the Latin name. This species is one of my favorites. It has formed a large clump in my garden, about a foot wide, and every spring it boasts loads of soft peachy-pink flowers.

If you want to grow any Lewisia species in your garden, keep in mind that they do best in full sun, and they absolutely detest wet soil. They should be planted in sandy, well-drained soil, and they are very tolerant of drought. It's best to lay the crowns on top of pure sand when planting. These are must-have plants for the rock garden!

Red Bishop's Hat

Epimedium x rubrum also goes by the common name "red barrenwort" - I like bishop's hat better. The tiny red flowers with cream centers appear in spring and really do look like little bishop's hats. The foliage is a great feature on its own. It emerges a bronzy color (as you can see in the photo), maturing to green with a thin red margin. In the fall it turns bright red. It's evergreen, but you should cut the old foliage back in early spring - otherwise it will hide the flowers and the new foliage.

Technically this is rated zone 4, so it isn't completely hardy in my region. However, if you have it in the right spot it can do quite well. Mine has persisted for 5 or 6 years now. It's one of my favorite plants. They grow very well in heavy shade and in dry areas. They can even grow in sun, but it's best to give them some moisture in hot areas. This plant is quite common in the marketplace, but seems underused in gardens. It deserves more attention!

Red Pasqueflower

Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Rubra' is the red form of Pasqueflower. This one was hard to get a good picture of.

Spring Bursts Into Bloom

I love it when plants spontaneously burst into flower, like this Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Papageno'). 'Papageno' is an interesting and very pretty cultivar whose flowers have fringed edges to the petals. It comes in a variety of colors, including white, red, and pink, in addition to the purple one I have.

European Cyclamen Leaves

I wanted to show the beautiful foliage of my European Cyclamen, Cyclamen purpurascens. Many people in my area don't realize that there are hardy Cyclamen species that can be grown in the garden. I have overwintered this one successfully for 4 or 5 years now. It blooms in the late summer to early fall with purple-pink flowers that look just like florist Cyclamen but are smaller. The leaves are evergreen and have purple undersides. Although I've had good success with this plant, it should still be treated as a zone 4 plant, meaning it needs winter protection in my area. I simply mulch it in late fall and remove the mulch in the spring. It grows in partial shade, receiving sun in the morning and the evening. The soil is rich and moist, but also well-drained. I find it quite easy to grow; it grows in the same bed as many of my lady's slippers and basically gets treated the same as them, although I probably don't dote on it as much.

Pasqueflower

Last week I posted about prairie crocus. In that post I mentioned this plant, a close and much more common relative. This is Pasqueflower, Pulsatilla vulgaris. Its royal purple flowers have always been a favorite of mine in the spring. It's a fantastic plant for a rock garden or sunny flower bed, appreciating well-drained soil and lots of sun. It's very easy to grow and forms a nice clump after a few years. Grows 8-12" (20-30cm) high and up to a foot (30cm) wide.

Double Bloodroot

One of the earliest spring flowers, bloodroot is a native plant of eastern North American woodlands. It makes an interesting and beautiful addition to a shade garden, and it's also very hardy. Pictured here is the double form of the species, Sanguinaria canadensis f. multiplex 'Plena'. The regular, single form is quite uncommon, and this form is fairly rare and prized by collectors. It is available though, if you know where to go.

Bloodroot gets both its common and its Latin name from the red liquid that oozes out of the rhizomes when they are cut. It's kind of a shame that such a pretty plant gets kind of a creepy name! These plants flower before the leaves unfurl. When the flower is essentially spent the leaf will unfurl. The leaves are somewhat similar to oak leaves; I'll post another photo when the leaf appears.

I have the single form as well, which has formed a nice clump in my garden. Unfortunately it hasn't flowered in several years and may be relocated in case a lack of light is causing the lack of flowers. The double form flowers each year but has not done much growing. Go figure! These like a rich, moist but well-drained soil and either half shade (morning sun, afternoon shade) or dappled shade all day. They grow about 4-6" (10-15cm) tall and (usually) spread to about a foot (30cm) wide.

Korean Maple Buds

It's a sure sign that spring is here when your Korean maple (Acer pseudosieboldianum) starts budding out!

Prairie Crocus

The first plant to flower in my garden this spring is Pulsatilla patens (formerly Anemone patens), more commonly known as prairie crocus. It's not really a crocus, but is closely related to Pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris), a popular garden plant.

This species is native to the Canadian prairies and is the floral emblem of Manitoba. It is one of the earliest spring flowers, often appearing before all of the snow has melted. This year everything is a week or more late in my garden.

If you are interested in growing this plant, plant it in a sunny area, in well-drained soil. The soil mine is growing in contains coarse sand. These are great to plant in rock gardens, wildflower gardens, or simple sunny perennial borders (at the front). They grow no more than 6" (15cm) high, and the flowers appear before the hairy leaves. The flowers are followed by interesting fluffy seed heads as well.

This species is not as commercially available as the Pasqueflower, but some nurseries do carry it, especially those that specialize in or carry a selection of native plants. In Edmonton, seedlings will be available from the Edmonton Naturalization Group this spring. They will be selling plants this weekend at the Alberta Avenue Community League, click here.