The Upstate was plagued in 2016 with spring windstorms, summer drought, and an extended hot and dry autumn. Unfortunately, it looks like 2017 might prove equally unkind. A mild January and warm February stimulated an early spring that was squelched in March by the return of winter. In the past week we’ve seen a low of 23 F (-5 C) and a high of 86 F (30 C), a difference of 63 degrees in just a few days. Then, on Tuesday evening, mighty thunderstorms swept across our region, pelting some areas with 2 inches of hail and others with nearly 4 inches of rain.
So, in my shady garden, where spring is the main event, the azaleas droop with brown flowers and there will be no blooms on the bigleaf hydrangeas (H. macrophylla) this year. (Sigh.)
Thank goodness there is joy to be found in the woodland garden, where a group of “rescued” sweet Betsy trilliums (T. cunneatum) are thriving.
Moved just 2 years ago from a property being bulldozed for construction, the plants are already beginning to spread. Trilliums reproduce vegetatively from small rhizome offshoots, as well as by seeds. When seeds mature, they attract ants and yellow jackets to a lipid-rich food body (elaiosome) attached to their seed coat. Ants move the seeds short distances and yellow jackets disperse them further afield.
Here is another happy surprise.
This naturally occurring patch of sweet Betsy has more than doubled in size since 2011. In fact, this group of trilliums is the very first I found here, surviving under a cloak of English ivy, which spurred our determination to clear invasive plants and reestablish natives. Six years ago there were 18 flowers. When this photo was taken a few days ago, I counted 38!
Typically, the flowers of bloodroot are finished by now, but not this year.
Bloodroot is one of the most cherished signs of early spring. The flowers, partially encircled by a single unfolding leaf, appear well before the trees leaf out. Can you see the pollen on the lower petals? Pollen eating bees and flies are attracted to the nectarless flowers, but if cross-pollination doesn’t occur within 3-4 days, then the anthers bend toward the stigma and shower it with pollen.
Look what else is waking.
Burned by frost, but with a bloom in the making. Thank goodness all parts of this plant, except its fleshy fruit, are highly poisonous. The local deer family, a doe with twin yearlings, was back for a browse yesterday.
In the garden, we can’t predict what tomorrow might bring…but fingers crossed for more good things ahead.
Lovely post, Marian. I read them all. Linked my new blog to yours, as I enjoy yours a lot.
Lyn–Welcome to the blogosphere!
Much the same weather here. Too many new young leaves have been damaged; am worried about my hydrangeas, but Endless Summer should come through. The blossoms are dropping off the cherry…looks like snow…and spring!
John–My large Japanese maple took a hard hit, but seems to be recovering. The new fronds on the holly ferns were a complete loss…hope the plants have enough energy to put out again. Fingers crossed for your hydrangeas.
So sorry your weather is misbehaving, hope you get a decent spell very soon. I have just bought my first Trillium for the woodland, I hope it spreads like yours!
Pauline–Now would be an excellent time for a decent spell, as my garden club is hosting a flower show and regional meeting for Zone VIII clubs of GCA this coming weekend. Good luck with your first trillium. Hope to see a photo!
These are the wildflowers of my childhood. Thank you for highlighting them in a post. I do not have any Sweet Betsy. I brunched with some gardeners on Ocracoke Island last summer who said it was one of their longtime favorites.
Flower–Send me your address in an email (to marian.stclair@gmail.com) and I will send you one.
Oh. Thank you.
I loved seeing the photo of the mayapple. In a previous garden near Toronto, we had an enormous patch of these. I’ve tried to establish them here at Glen Villa but so far without luck. As for weather — ugh! We have snow again.
Pat–There has been so much discouragement in the garden in the last 18 months, but at least these woodland wildflowers are thriving. Hope you get a break in the weather soon.
Thanks for sharing your green because all I have is white, and we had snow flurries most of the day. 🙂
Judy–I thought of you this past weekend when I was in Charleston…and all your lovely posts about the Lowcountry. Hope Spring makes her way north soon.
Me too because right now we have 6″ of snow forecasted for this weekend, and that’s no April Fools’ joke. 😦
I shall forever envy your ability to grow trilliums.
But at least I now have another reason to invest in Podophyllum. Didn’t realise they were poisonous. Our deer are back too.
Jessica–Podophyllum is a very interesting plant. Turtles, in particular, love to eat the fruit. The plants here are hanging on, but not spreading as well as the trilliums.
What a wild ride of weather you’ve had, Marian. One wonders just how much of these extreme temp swings plants can take? Kudos on your success with the spring ephemerals!
Eliza–Things are looking up. The 10-day forecast has night time temps well above freezing. If we get past the full moon on April 10, our chances will be good.
I think we’re all eyeing our frost-free dates! 😀
Our summer and beginning of autumn have been very similar, with fluctuating temperatures, and you wonder how plants can get the right growing signals! I love the Trilliums and will try them in our garden…good luck for the rest of spring…
Germac–I thought plants were stimulated by day length, rather than warmth, but now I’m not so sure. Good luck with your trilliums!
I guess the slugs are immune to the poison of the Mayapple. I’m sure that is what decimated mine as soon as it peeped out of the ground. I enjoy all the notes about the habits of the plants you feature.
Rickii–Darn slugs. I guess they are immune to everything.
I love seeing your trilliums emerge Marion and your clumps definitely look more estabilshed this year. The bloodroot pollination route sounds curious. Would it always allow self-pollination or does that change if cross-pollination fails?
Frogend–My understanding is that bloodroot only self-pollinates when it is not cross-pollinated successfully within the period of time the stigma is viable. The bloom period of the flowers is typically less than a week.
Wow. It has been bad at your place. No hail here but we won’t have hydrangeas either. Sigh. Your trilliums are amazing and love that photo of the bloodroot.
Susie–It won’t seem like spring without the hydrangeas, will it?
As gardeners, all we can do is take the good things and put up with the bad. As you’ve shown natives are more likely to overcome the vagaries of the weather.
Christina–Yes, and we’ve been putting up with a lot of bad lately.
although I used to enjoy viewing your pictures I now cannot download them Mickey White(wdandmg@bellsouth.net
Mickey–I have had that same problem with some of the blogs I read. You might be able to resolve the problem by subscribing again.
You have such exciting woodland treasures. Your trilliums are superb.