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| Doll’s Eyes (𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘦𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘺𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘢) Doll’s Eyes, also called White Baneberry, makes a statement in a woodland garden with both its flowers and its fruit. Standing 1-3 feet tall, the plant will bloom in mid to late spring with racemes of white flowers. Once pollinated, the flowers will develop into clusters of white fruit that look like the porcelain eyes of antique dolls. The fruit contrasts with the red pedicels on which they stand, and may persist well into winter. All of the parts of this plant are poisonous to mammals, which is what gives it the name “Baneberry,” but birds enjoy eating the fruit late in the year. |
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| Grand Merrybells (𝘜𝘷𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢) Also called Large-flowered Bellwort, these understated wildflowers make a graceful addition to a shade or part-shade garden. Growing 1-2 feet tall, Grand Merrybells spread by rhizome and may form colonies given time. The drooping yellow flowers have a sweet fragrance and provide nectar and pollen for insect visitors. Deer do love the foliage of Merrybells, which has led to this plant’s decline in the wild, so extra protection may be necessary. |
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| Rue Anemone (𝘈𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴) These little plants are big on charm. Rue Anemone grow between 6 and 9 inches tall, and can spread themselves around the garden via seed (though they are not aggressive). Their white flowers bloom in mid to late spring, and have only really just gotten started here in Ohio. As a spring ephemeral, they do go dormant at some point each summer. However, if kept moist and happy, they may bloom for months and months longer than expected, sometimes into August! They grow best in part to full shade in moist to average soil, though the soil should be well draining to prevent the tubers from rotting. |
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| Golden Alexanders (𝘡𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘢) Golden Alexanders are a great spring-blooming wildflower for many garden types, and help to bridge the gap between early spring bloomers and those that flower in the summer. Their shallow flowers provide nectar to many short-tongued insects, and they host one of our most charismatic pollinators, the Black Swallowtail butterfly. They grow well in average to moist soil with full or part sun, to between 1 and 3 feet tall, and will self-seed freely. |
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| Marsh Marigold (𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘴 ) Marsh Marigold is another early bloomer, showing out now in Ohio’s wetlands and along stream banks. While it is blooming in the spring, it can even handle standing water. The bright yellow flowers stand between 1 and 2 feet tall, with the glossy foliage forming low clumps that go dormant in the heat of summer. Acidic foliage means that mammals like deer and rabbits generally leave it alone! They can grow in anything from full sun to full shade as well. |
May 2024 Newsletter
