Mid-April @ The Native Explorer Garden

At our St. Louis/St. Charles demonstration gardens, the second week of April is when we see our Missouri native plants get into the swing of spring.

In the back yard, we’ve got woodland (and woodland edge) natives like Virginia Bluebells and Celandine Poppy happily revealing their blue and yellow blooms. Clumps of Pussytoes with their hairy, white, almost popcorn-shaped flowers, begin reaching for the sky.

In the front yard, our year-round champ (it never goes dormant), Coral Honeysuckle’s leaves start greening up. Whilst vibrant red flowers develop and start basking in 6+ hours of sun. We’ve also got Bird’s Foot Violet nodding in the wind by then. We’re fortunate to have the finicky Indian Paintbrush in our front garden. These are grown from seed biannually. Year 2 is when these glade/prairie specimens really get established. By then, their roots would have wrapped themselves securely onto another plant’s roots (it’s an evolutionary strategy, I suppose, to ensure its place in the wild). We’re going to keep our fingers crossed that our existing paintbrushes will get pollinated to ensure we get another crop next year. Please note, they thrive in well-draining, even rocky soil. Our Rose Verbena, which is also located in our front yard, begins spreading its green tendrils across the garden bed. Bright purple flowers also appear at this time.

I didn’t get the chance to include a photo and video of Fragrant Sumac and Red Buckeye which are located in our back yard. It’s easy to identify the sumac: It’s got tiny clusters of yellow flowers on its branches. Red Buckeye is one of those gorgeous shrubs that TNE recommends. It’s deep red leaves unfurl in April, each one looking like a patterned open palm with five red fingers splayed out. Sand Phlox is in my newly assembled container garden on our porch. I’ll give it a chance to get established this year. I promise that you’ll love the way its blue flowers spill over the side of its 74-quart pot. You’ll see it in Spring 2023.

Stay tuned for my video this May, where you’ll see a bevy of beauties led by Shining Blue Star.

I hope this video will encourage you to plant Missouri natives in your property.

#gowild
#TheNativeExplorer
#hellospring
#springbeauties

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