Woodland plants take advantage of the extra sunshine available in early spring before the deciduous trees leaf out. Most will bloom early and some will go dormant in summer (spring ephemerals), while others will grow throughout summer/early fall, generally producing interesting seeds or berries.

Often while enjoying woodland walks we imagine these same plants tucked into a shaded spot in our garden or naturalized on our wooded lot. Lucky for us, most plants can be easily obtained at reasonable prices. Some rare or difficult to propagate plants can still be obtained, though at more cost, sometimes much more. Many of these plants given proper habitat will prosper and self-propagate. I grow many native plants at the gardens of Wildflowers and at my home, which I watch daily in spring for the latest new treasures to develop. For example, Bloodroot has a spectacular pure white bloom with yellow stamens, unfortunately bloom time is short, less than a week. I may miss the timing for Bloodroot blooms on the local trails, but I will see them in our gardens. It’s simply not spring without Bloodroot.

No woodland garden would be complete without the ferns, with their varied and complex fiddleheads and foliage. Near the end of the spring wildflower season, the first trees begin to leaf out. Ferns also begin to unroll their fiddleheads with great diversity. Naked and bright green, purple with black stems, golden hairy with purple stems, huge to tiny, the list continues. Some fiddles will rise out of last years evergreen fronds. Fiddleheads unrolling all about your spring wildflowers, it is a special time in the forest glen.

Tip:  Mix summer dormant plants with full season plants to avoid large bare spots in your garden.