Northern Spring Perennials
New England’s Hardiest Spring Bloomers Defy the Snow!
These super-hardy early flowering perennials are great in the gardens and the wild in zones 4 and colder.
Snow melt brings out a number of native species that are delightful garden species for zone 4 and colder areas. Most of the perennials suggested below will do well even in zone 2 and 3 gardens. Increasingly, nurseries are beginning to carry these lovely
One of the first to bloom is Marsh Marigold, Caltha palustris, which has glossy golden yellow flowers in late April or early May. This one needs moister than average garden soil, and is usually found along streams in sun or partial shade. Except for its moisture requirement, it is relatively undemanding - hardy in even zone 1!. There is a double-flowering form which blooms a little longer.
Wild Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis, is also known by the local name of Rock-or-Rill, indicating its tolerance of dry rocky outcrops or streamside locations, since a rill is a small stream. Its intriguing spurred flowers are red and yellow, and it is at home in rock gardens, perennial borders, and woodland gardens. Its bloom time is long, from late April to mid-May and it is hardy to zone 3..
Fringed Bleeding Heart, Dicentra eximia is no stranger to the garden but it deserves more extensive use as it blooms almost continuously early spring through fall. Its natural range is farther south but it is hardy to zone 3 and takes well to either shady or sunny locations. It is also deer-resistant, a big benefit to gardeners in rural locations and increasingly in urban ones as well! Its small cousins Squirrel Corn, Dicentra canadensis, and Dutchman‘s Breeches, are even hardier but more exacting about being grown in a moist shady spot..
Sharp-lobed Liverwort, Hepatica acutiloba, is another species hardy to zone 3 which appears very early. Its white to pale lilac flowers show up at the same time as its 3-lobed leaves. It does well in partially shaded locations, such as under deciduous trees, where the late winter sun warms the soil.
For many people, spring’s arrival is announced by the tiny Bluets, Houstonia caerulea or Hedyotis caerulea, which look like white spots of late snow along the highway, beginning in late April in northern New England. The flowers have blue edges on their petals. Growing from Nova Scotia and Quebec south, they are hardy to zone 3. Adaptable to many kinds of soil they bloom first in sunny locations, even coming up through mowed lawns, but linger longest in the shade. Bluets blooming in the woods may still have a few blossoms in July.
Moss Phlox or Moss Pink, Phlox subulata, hugs the ground and blooms bravely through a snow squall. It has been a rock garden staple for generations, at home in sun or partial shade. It grows on rocky slopes in the wild from New York south but it can tolerate winters to zone 3 as long as the drainage is good. In fact, it can form a mat on almost nothing but stone. Another central Appalachian species is Creeping Phlox, Phlox stolonifera. It produces blue-lilac, pink, or white five petalled flowers above oval evergreen leaves in early May. It prefers moist soil in shade. The slightly taller Woodland Phlox, Phlox divaricata, is found in northern Vermont as well as in the more southerly parts of the mountain ranges. It too, is a shade lover in blue-lilacs, pink, and white.
.Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis, has white flowers above interesting bluish green lobed leaves. Its name came from the bright red color of its sap. The double flowering form, ’Multiplex’, will bloom somewhat longer. It does well in partial to deep shade, and is hardy to zone 3.
Of the many violets that pop their heads up in the spring, Labrador Violet, Viola labradorica, is one of the earliest, hardiest, and most charming. As its name tells you, it grows in the northern parts of Labrador which is considered zone 2. Some botanists argue that this should be classified Viola adunca minor, as a variety of Hookspur Violet but its old name is more evocative of its cold tolerance and is still used by most nurseries.
A benefit of northern New England’s climate is that although you may have to wait a bit longer for spring, cool temperatures in April and May ensure that it hangs on a little longer. Hot days generally cause these early spring flowers to stop blooming abruptly, while cold nights and even snow in May do no damage!
"http://www.newfs.org", but several can also be grown from seed.
