Spring wildflowers

Here are a few images from the native plant collections at the Botanical Gardens of Asheville.

An tough and adaptable wildflower, Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginicum) thrives in conditions from dry dappled sunlight to damper edges; some plants (from northern populations) are much more upright than the prostrate rosettes common in southern populations. These plants, growing in relatively high rich soil, look robust.


Firepink (Silene virginica) must be challenging to move - I seldom see it for sale as a tranplant. Otherwise, it would be more common as a garden plant!


And Iris cristata always is lovely.

Spring native wildflowers

A sweet Iris cristata surprised me yesterday in a spot we'd forgotten we'd transplanted it, near the backyard gate.

And the Florida azalea (Rhodendron austrinum) and Pinxterbloom azalea (R. periclymenoides) are looking lovely at the Garden.

Early spring flowers

Not only are all the deciduous forest trees (oaks, beeches, etc.) producing catkins and other sorts of flowers, and expanding fresh young leaves, but our native early spring flowers are making an appearance.

The Gelsemium sempervirens (Carolina Jessamine) vine outside my study window is flowering, cascading down through the windowpanes.

The Iris cristata, shared with me by a wonderful former volunteer and SC Master Gardener, is starting to flower.




And Hexastylis arifolia (Little Brown Jugs) is producing its long-lasting jug-shaped flowers (pollinated by fungus gnats). That's if the plant is lucky!