Favorite Michigan Spring Perennials

Last year, I took some time photographing some of my favorite plants.  I will be  using these photographs in my blog to highlight and suggest various plants for the changing seasons. 

Snowy winters, such as this, can be a burden. I know, this year has started out very rough for those of us living in Michigan. The snow continues to fall on a very regular basis, and the temperatures have failed to rise.   Result: messy roads, dirty cars, daily shoveling, kids stuck at home with nothing to do but play video games or watch TV, dogs stuck inside and getting restless like the rest of us.So, the idea that there are actually seasons here: hard to remember. I have two feet of snow in my front yard. Great fun for the Lab/Blue Healer puppy we adopted this past summer. Not so exciting for those of us tired of shoveling snow day in and day out. I for one long for Spring. Eventually, it will come.

A Rare Sunny Day Walking on Reeds Lake in East Grand Rapids - Woodlands and Wetlands

It can also be a blessing for photographers like me who love to capture the majesty and beauty of nature.  It's a winter wonderland seen generally only in the U.P.  For the first time in my life, I have actually considered purchasing snowshoes.  Of course, those frigid temperatures and wind chills are not encouraging long treks or extended exploration.

This is a rare site: a hardcore runner enjoying a solitary run along this winter-closed lane fronting a frozen Reeds Lake in early January.

To help lift our spirits and coax Spring to come forth sooner, here is a sampling of those lovely Spring plants.  They can add color and texture to your garden once winter (and the snow) finally disperses.  These perennials are hardy in Michigan and other zone 5 locations.

Bergenia cordifolia 'Winter Glut'

is an evergreen perennial that does well in both full sun and partial shade.  It's broad, almost succulent leaves are deep green during the summer, but turn burgundy in the fall.  The color is similar to that of Barberry 'Crimson Pigmy' in Spring. Bergenia holds its color late fall through early Spring when it sends up the beautiful flower head on a 3-6" stem.  Leaves get about eight inches long and five inches wide.  The overall size of the plant is 1.5-2' wide and 10-12" high.

Spanish Bluebells - Hyacinthoides hispanica

These bulbs must have been in my garden before I move to my home in East Grand Rapids, MI in July of 2000.  They have multiplied and spread as I have transplanted various plants from one section of my property to another.  The flowers appear in late Spring on 6-10" stems from the center of a thick-leafed and succulent, upright plant similar to Hyacinth.

Veronica umbros 'Georgia Blue'

Georgia Blue Speedwell does well in full sun to partial shade, grows approximately six inches tall and spreads as much as three feet.  Plant this as a ground cover or in a rock garden or wall to spill over the stone.

Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost' flower

Grow this evergreen, mint-green, variegated, broadleaved perennial in partial to full shade.    With daily watering, it can be grown in full sun, but be warned, in full sun, its leaves tend to dry and turn brown.  The Forget-me-not like flowers appear in mid to late Spring on stems a few inches higher than the leaves.  This sky-blue to purple flower is stunning against the rough-leafed background of the Brunnera.

Daffodil

Pulsatilla vulgaris  'Heiler Hybrids'- Mixed Pasque Flower

 

This perennial prefers a well drained soil in full sun with regular watering.  It grows 1' tall and 12-18".  I just added this plant to my garden last year after seeing it at Bohemia Nursery in West Olive, MI.  Bohemia has a wide variety of plants, mostly perennials, which are hard to find at other nurseries in West Michigan.

Heuchera 'Silver Scrolls'

Heuchera is another beautiful "evergreen" perennial prized mostly for its foliage.  Numerous varieties are available, most are have a purplish tint with veins that are either darker purple, brown, black or silver, white.... Ok it is really difficult to narrow down the colors of the Heuchera.  Too many varieties.  The flowers appear during summer and fall.  But you will enjoy the foliage year round (assuming it isn't covered by two feet of snow).  Most varieties withstand full sun and partial to full shade.  More regular watering is needed in full sun to keep the leaves from burning.  A stong plant once established in most sites.

 Iberis sempervirens - Candytuft

Candytuft does best in full sun, but can handle partial shade.  It flowers mid-Spring to early Summer, and grows 6-12" tall and up to 2' wide.  Does beautifully in a rock garden or the front of a border as filler between larger flowering plants.

 

 

Asarum europaeum - European Ginger

European Ginger is a non-agressive evergreen ground cover that does great in partial to full shade.  Its leaves are glossy and deep green.

See some plants you would like to add to your garden?  Need help planning, installing or maintaining your landscape? 

Give Brent a call at (616) 328-3258