woodland - ONCE UPON A CONEFLOWER

Sweet Tiarella

Sugar and Spice

Tiarella (Tiarella cordifolia) is a pretty spring-blooming perennial for shady borders, under shrubs and for woodland settings where an attractive groundcover is desired. If you like heuchera, tiarella is like a first cousin, very similar yet with its own charm. Most tiarella cultivars on the market today are nativars; that is, gently improved versions of our native foam flower. As a result they are hardy, undemanding, and valued for both very charming flowers and attractive, well-marked foliage.

Two Petite Goatsbeards to Know

Shade gardens can pose a challenge in that they can be hard to brighten up once the spring ephemerals have passed. One plant that is very useful for this is goatsbeard. A native of damp mountainous woodlands, goatsbeard is found all across the Northern Hemisphere. Its creamy white plumes in late May into early June are a welcome addition along with the astilbes, which they somewhat resemble.

While native goatsbeard can be too big for suburban gardens at five to six feet tall, there are two smaller versions perfect for tight spaces.

Fragrant, Lovely Carolina Allspice

Calycanthus floridus Michael Lindsey in my garden

The first time I smelled a Carolina allspice in bloom was over thirty years ago in the overgrown yard of an abandoned farmstead. The property was near my home in a secluded location, and I often went there on summer walks.

It was an early spring evening. The last of the sun’s rays streamed low through the trees. Unmowed grass lapped at the farmhouse foundations like a weedy ocean, softening its forlorn and empty hulk. Vines climbed through open maws in the stone ruin. It had been decades since anyone had lived there.

Yet the most wonderful scent of ripe strawberry and pineapple filled the air. At first I couldn’t fathom where it was coming from. Apart from a few daffodils there was nothing left of the old garden.