The earliest spring blooms are opening in the south-facing Rock Garden and many flowers are starting to show buds in the hoop house. The earliest near-native in the Rock Garden is the lovely silvery-mauve Prairie Crocus. Most years it is much earlier than the related European Pasque Flower, but this year, with the strange fluctuations between very warm and unexpectedly cool, we have one Pasque Flower – deeper purple — blooming at the same time as our Prairie Crocus.
I will be bringing a small selection of plants to my talk for the Pembroke Horticultural Society on Monday (see Events). Some of these flowers are pictured above in the featured image (from left to right): Eastern Shooting Star, Rock Whitlow-grass, Early Meadow-rue, Goldthread (front), Dwarf Mountain Fleabane, Early Saxifrage (front) Prairie Smoke, Dwarf Canadian Primrose, Bird’s Eye Primrose, Prairie Crocus, Field Pussytoes. Look for these at our booth at the Friends of the Farm Sale on May 14th, along with other spring bloomers such as Wild Columbine, Early Buttercup, and Marsh Marigold
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