If you’re like most gardeners, you can’t wait until spring bulbs begin their show. One way to get a jump on the season is to stroll through some of Hoosier woodlands and be inspired by Indiana’s native plants. That’s where you’ll find some of the earliest blooming spring flowers.
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Nature’s Head Start
Spring beauties (Claytonia virginica) are one of the earliest native plants to bloom. Tiny white flowers with a pink hue sprout in woodland areas throughout the state. These compete with and often are confused with the invasive Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum).
Spring beauty’s bulb-like corms are hard to find. You won’t find them in your average garden center, but some bulb catalogs might carry them. You always want to make sure that what you buy has been responsibly sourced or grown. You don’t want plants that have been dug in the wild, because it’s illegal. Your area’s native plant sales are another source for spring beauties.
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The diminutive salt and pepper plant (Erigenia bulbosa) is sometimes called the harbinger of spring. This wildflower looks like its name: White flowers are surrounded by red anthers, which appear as black speckles, i.e. salt and pepper. They rise from ferny leaves in grassy areas below cliffs and in woodlands and bottomlands.
Both of these are among Indiana’s native ephemerals. These plants emerge, bloom and disappear to reappear the following year. They are here-and-gone plants, but in a good way.
For something a little more substantial, there’s the native witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis). Also known as the Ozark witch hazel, this multistem shrub starts blooming in January with strands of yellow or reddish, fragrant flowers. The shrub is present all year, growing 6 to 16 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide, so be sure to plant accordingly to accommodate its mature size. The shrub has beautiful red leaves in the fall.
Taking a stroll through nature will boost your spirits and possibly inspire you to incorporate the beautiful, beneficial native species into your garden.
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Native Necessities
To learn more about native plants in Indiana and how to grow them, scan the QR code with your smartphone to check out the Department of Natural Resources’ Common Spring Wildflowers of Indiana State Parks. Or visit the Indiana Native Plant Society website at indiananativeplants.org.
About the Author: A popular speaker, Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp blogs at hoosiergardener.com. Sign up for her free, award-winning monthly newsletter eepurl.com/gkfb91.
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