Spring inspiration is all around us!

Did you ever notice this phenomenon: as soon as you learn to identify - or even begin to pay attention to - a certain flower, shrub, or tree, you begin noticing it everywhere?

I've had this happy occurrence many times this spring so far, and I've been very close to home when it happens - even at home, in one case!

Although the forest behind our house is cursed with every known invasive species of plant in PA, or so it seems, before all of the multiflora rose and Japanese bush honeysuckle leafed out again, I saw that I had spicebush (Lindera benzoin) growing far back in the woods - out of the reach, for now, of these aggressive invaders. I felt like I'd discovered a treasure! Seeing a stand of spicebush in the woods in early April is like looking through a haze of a fading yellow sunset - a far different experience from looking at the screaming yellow of forsythia, which overlaps in bloom, and is pretty hard on the eyes. I much prefer the understated beauty of spicebush, and once I saw it blooming this spring, I saw it everywhere.

Another is may apple. When this emerges in the spring, it looks for all the world like little fairy houses popping up where you least expect them. And they now seem to be everywhere, at least along my daily commute.

Speaking of commutes, my commute is one of the most beautiful drives there is, along the back roads of Chester County. There I started seeing great masses of Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) under the high canopies of the deciduous forest, and the most beautiful stand I saw was on the shore of a creek.

And it gets even better...look at this beautiful scene from a natural plant community at one of my favorite places, Camphill Special School - Beaver Run: right at the entrance to the school is a little hollow, also on the higher bank of a stream, where Virginia Bluebells were blooming along with bright yellow Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea) and wood poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum), fronted by the amazing foliage of may apple (Podophyllum peltatum), interspersed all around with ferns. The most experienced landscape designer couldn't have done a better job than Mother Nature did here, with each of the flower and foliage colors and forms complementing each other beautifully. This is the kind of scene that can inspire gardeners to try to recreate these pleasing plant communities in our own backyards.

Here's a wildflower I hadn't specifically known about before, except for having heard the common name from time to time: Quaker Ladies, or bluets. I first saw this lawn blooming along Rt. 10, and thought it must be moss pinks (Phlox subulata), but after seeing the same mass of color closer by on another roadside and pausing for a closer look, I realized it was not! It was my helper, Jan Slater, who clued me in to the true identity of Houstonia caerulea, and then, of course, I started seeing them everywhere. Funny that I've lived here for a long time and never noticed it before! Since it's not like these drifts of flowers just appeared this year, it must be because I haven't taken the time to notice them before.

Now, over to Nolde Forest....you don't have to walk far to find something amazing to draw inspiration from, even on wet, dreary days like the day I was there this weekend. Here's a stand of Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) just emerging right along a pathway. It won't ever knock you over, even in full flower, but even just the scattering of these diminutive, glossy green leaves among last fall's leaves is beautiful in an understated way.

Walk a little farther and you'll find the aforementioned spicebush blanketing a steep bank going towards a creek, with a lush carpet of wild ginger (Asarum canadense) and ferns at its feet. Even when not in bloom, the spicebush lend an elegant air to its companions, with its vase-like shape, dark brown bark, and of course, that wonderful spicy scent.

And wild violets? They take on a whole new persona when given free reign in a shady woodland setting. Wild violets seem to get a bad rap, for no reason that I can see....it's not often that beauty and ease of growth go together so effortlessly. And have I mentioned that violets (Viola spp.) are host plants for fritillary butterflies?

I hope you're enjoying this beautiful spring as much as I am. Stay awake to the possibilities of implementing some of these nature scenes close to home!