Teacher Request: Spring flowers for our native garden

15 years ago

Hello everyone! I haven't posted in a long time. You might recall that I am the elementary school teacher who created a Native American inspired garden, complete with native plants (flowers and vegetables), a canoe, a wigwam, and more. It is really neat. Here is a link of the project last year, before the vegetable garden was in full gear.

As it turns out, a lot of the flowers come out in the fall. I would love to add more color for the spring. I am looking for suggestions of flowers that would grow in this sunny area with relatively sandy soil. We mulch around the plants, which I guess is great for the perennials and not so great for those that reseed themselves. Ideally, I would love to get plants that I could either start from seed or purchase from some type of wholesaler/retailer online. In other words, I'd rather not go hiking to find them (see my other recent post as to why that apparently wasn't a good idea).

Thank you in advance!!!!!

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Comments (7)

well_drained
15 years ago
One way to figure out what's appropriate for your site is to take a field guide and find wild places nearby that are roughly similar in sun exposure and soil/moisture and see what's growing there. Go in spring to see what's in bloom then. If you identify something that you like, see if there is a local supplier (see link for lists of NJ native plant suppliers).

I know there are plenty of native plants in my area that like sun and bloom in spring, and I would imagine the same is true for your area.

By the way, I think you've made a great start to your teaching garden - lucky kids!

- wd

Here is a link that might be useful: New Jersey Native Plant Society
Iris GW
15 years ago
This is a list for Georgia, but it might help you get some ideas and some of these would be native to NJ as well.

Do research their growing conditions (sun, shade, wet, dry, etc.) before deciding.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spring blooming list
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ladyslppr
15 years ago
I suggest Wild Columbine - Aquilegia canadensis. This is in full bloom here in central PA right now, and has had flowers for several weeks. Easily grown from seed and among the easiest natives to find in nurseries. If you leave some space unmulched at the base of the columbines, you'll have to pull some weeds but should also get lots of volunteer columbine seedlings next year which can be moved around the garden.

Also try violets. They bloom even earlier than columbine, depending on the species, and there are many species to choose. The showiest is Birdsfoot Violet, which is a relatively common plant in the native nursery business. The widespread Common Blue violet is also nice and very easy to find - you probably have some in the lawn. There are numerous other species, and you might find one or two growing in a spot with similar soil and sunlight as your garden and move a few. Around here Viola finriatula is common in dry, sunny spots and very showy in early spring. The big drawback to violets is their stature - they are low growers and can get lost in a garden if larger plants or weeds overtop them, and since they're small they can be hard to mulch properly. I would plant them in small areas that are easy to locate - at the base of a sign, for example - so that you will know where they are in the fall when you return for class even if weeds have grown over them. Violets do fine in full sun or shade.
rutgers1
Original Author
15 years ago
ladyslppr....I like the idea of columbine, as well as the violets, but considering I mulch heavily, it might not be the best thing for me.
joepyeweed
15 years ago
I mulch heavy and the columbine and violets do just fine.

I was thinking about other spring bloomers and I was realizing most of them are shady lovers...but here are a few suggestions that will do fine in the sun:

Shooting stars (dodecatheon meadia)
Wild Geranium (geranium maculatum)
Golden Alexanders (zizia aurea)
Prairie Trillium (Trillium recurvatum)
ladyslppr
15 years ago
Another spring flower is Golden Ragwort, or one of the other, similar ragworts. Golden Ragwort has golden daisy-like flowers in May, and otherwise is a low-growing plant that likes moist to average soil.
well_drained
15 years ago
According to the Plant Native web site, the following four wildflowers are all New Jersey natives that like sun and bloom in the spring:

Alumroot (Heuchera americana)
Blue Star (Amsonia montana)
Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Coreopsis lanceolata (Lanceleaf tickseed)

Teacher Request: Spring flowers for our native garden

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