One of the things we’ve heard over the last two years is that once native plant projects are installed, that it can be hard to continue to identify the plants present. Each month, starting in April, we will be creating a list of flowers that could be blooming in your native plant project. This list can also be used to help you plan your next native plant project. We have the ability to have plants blooming in our gardens from April to October, so why not make it happen?

Here are the plants that you may see start blooming during the month of April – and by no means is this a complete list. A lot of time these April flowering plants are called spring ephemerals.

Sun definitions
Full sun: gets at least 6 hours of direct sunlight
Partial sun: gets three to six hours of sun exposure
Shade: less than three hours of sun exposure

Soil definitions
Wet: Saturated year round
Wet-mesic: Seasonally saturated, tends to dry in summer
Mesic: Medium moisture, well-balanced
Dry-mesic: well-drained
Dry: excessively drained

Pasque Flower Anemone patens var. wolfgangiana

This plant likes dry-mesic to dry soils and partial to full sun. It grows less than a foot tall and has a purple flower. It blooms in April and May.

Wild Columbine Aquilegia canadensis

This red flowering plant grows between one and three feet, can grow in any sun type (full, partial, or shade), and can handle mesic, dry-mesic and dry soils. Wild columbine attracts birds, hummingbirds, and butterflies. It does well in a rain garden and is a beautiful cut flower. It also is unattractice to rabbits and deer but both animals can be voracious, so do not count on it.

Columbine is sometimes sold in a variety of horticultural variants – purples, pinks, whites. If you plan to plant true natives, which we highly recommend, you want to avoid these. Make sure to look at the scientific name on the plants you buy to make sure they are the native species you are looking for.

Brown Fox Sedge Carex vulpinoidea

Sedges are an important component to any native planting. They are great space fillers and offer great texture to a project. Brown fox sedge likes all soil types but dry soils and prefers full to partial sun. It grows anywhere from one to three feet and does excellent in rain gardens.

Blue Cohosh Caulophyllum thalictroides

Blue cohosh flowers in April in May with small yellow flowers. These flowers then turn into beautiful blue fruits. It enjoys mesic to wet-mesic soils and partial sun to shade. Blue cohosh can grow up to two feet and attracts birds, butterflies, and bees.

Dutchman’s Breeches Dicentra cucullaria

This is a Connecting Our Waters favorite – who doesn’t love a flower that looks like little pairs of pants!

Dutchman’s breeches is related to squirrel corn and bleeding heart, so if you like those, you’ll love this one. This plant doesn’t grow to be more than one foot, is a bee attractor, grows well in the shade, and enjoys mesic to wet-mesic soils.

Shooting Star ­Dodecatheon meadi

This plant has cute little pink flowers that you can find from April to June. It enjoys full to partial sun and dry-mesic, mesic, and wet-mesic soils. Similar to the other spring ephemerals, shooting star, only grows to be about one foot tall. Shooting star would be a good addition to any native plant project.

Wild Strawberry Fragaria virginiana

If you love to have edible plants mixed into your native plants, then consider adding wild strawberry. It grows well in all soil types but wet, it grows well in all sun types, and does not get taller than one food. This is an excellent ground cover plant. Wild strawberries will attract more birds to your project.

Wild Geranium Geranium maculatum

Wild geranium and its pink flowers can be found blooming from April to June. It attracts both butterflies and bees. It does well in partial sun to shade and mesic, dry-mesic, and dry soils. Wild germanium can grow to be around two feet tall.

Prairie smoke Geum triflorum

Prairie smoke loves full sun, all soil types but wet, and grows to be about one foot tall. It attracts birds and deters deer. Prairie smoke can be found blooming from April to June.

False Solomon’s Seal Maianthemum racemosum and Starry False Solomon’s Seal Maianthemum stellatum 

These native plants are great alternatives to Lily of the Valley, an aggressive and poisonous invasive plant. Both Maianthemum species are great additions to any native planting – they can stand all sun types and all soil types but wet. They grow to be about two feet tall with M. racemosum producing red berries and M. stellatum producing yellow berries.

Virginia Bluebells Mertensia virginica

This blue flowered native plant does great in rain gardens. It prefers partial sun to shade and mesic to wet-mesic soils. Virginia bluebells can grow to be about two feet tall.

Wood Betony Pedicularis canadensis

Wood betony is another smaller stature plant, growing to be only about one foot tall. It has small yellow flowers, attracts bees and deters deer. Wood betony grows best in all soil types but wet and prefers full to partial sun.

Jacob’s Ladder Polemonium reptans

Jacob’s ladder’s flowers can look similar to Virginia bluebells. It blooms from April until June, grows to be about two feet tall and attracts butterflies. Jacob’s ladder prefers full to partial sun and wet-mesic, mesic, and dry-mesic soils.

Bloodroot Sanguinaria Canadensis

Bloodroot gets its name from the red liquid it produces if you cut its roots. This plant has a lovely white flower and leaves that have been known to be called “batman shaped.” Bloodroot does not even reach a foot in height. It likes full to partial sun and wet-mesic, mesic, and dry-mesic soils.

Golden Alexander Zizia aurea

Golden Alexander can offer some height, during the spring time, to your native plantings. It grows to be about three feet tall. Golden Alexander attracts butterflies and is a great option in rain gardens. It likes wet-mesic, mesic, and dry-mesic soils and prefers full to partial sun.