Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Woodland Wonder

I just returned from a vacation and while I was away, I started to think about what would be blooming back home. My thoughts quickly turned to all the beautiful spring wild flowers of Western Pennsylvania. It was the native wild flowers that first sparked my fascination and obsession with plants.

Nothing compares to wooded hillsides carpeted in white and burgundy Trilliums, or streambeds lined with Trout Lilies and Jack in the Pulpits. Hepatica in white and shades of lavender and pale blue grow on rocky outcroppings with the most interesting shaped leaves in rich maroon and deep green. Bright white Bloodroot seems to glow in the sunlight along the remnants of old train tracks. The rich forest soil above the riverbanks is home to feathery leaved Dutchman’s Britches, Wild Bleeding Heart, deep purple Larkspur and tiny Spring Beauties. I can hardly imagine a more beautiful place than a Pennsylvania woodland in April.

While I know that these delicate and stunning plants wouldn’t be happy in my flower beds, I was inspired by them. I have developed a strong appreciation for species tulips and daffodils and made plenty of room for them in my gardens. They are not quite as flashy and are much smaller than hybridized forms, but they have such a quiet elegance that one has to stop and take time to enjoy their simple beauty.

The weather is unpredictable (usually damp and chilly) and the leaves are not yet on the trees, but April in Pennsylvania is a marvelous thing.