We have had a lot of requests for our spring inventory! Today we are giving you a sneak peak, and we will be releasing the initial spring inventory on Friday April 15th! In addition to some of the more popular, well known prairie species, we are very excited to carry certain species of spring ephemerals and woodland plants as they can be hard to find. We will have a large selection of plants which stay under 2 feet tall (perfect for urban spaces!), including all the plants in today's preview.
Some of our plants are already blooming like Rue Anemone in photo 1 (Thalictrum thalictroides) and Wild Ginger in photo 2 (Asarum canadense)! Both of these plants grow well in shady woodlands and gardens, and they may even spread to form large colonies. Wild Ginger is an especially amazing and versatile groundcover.
Speaking of woodland groundcovers, we will also have Woodland Stonecrop, photo 3 (Sedum ternatum). This sedum species actually prefers shady, rich soils unlike most other sedums. When happy, it will spread to form a mat-like groundcover with shockingly beautiful, very delicate white flowers covering them in May-June.
We will also have an assortment of sedges, including this Eastern Star Sedge (Carex radiata). Star sedge is a clumping sedge, forming attractive tufts of fine foliage in the garden. While flowers get all the attention as pollinator plants, sedges are actually very important as sources of food for certain caterpillars, and we highly recommend including at least one species of sedge in every garden.
And for our final star highlighted in today's inventory preview, we have Longflower Alumroot (Heuchera longiflora). Alumroots are also known as "coral bells." This alumroot is a very beautiful member of the genus, boasting pale, silvery leaves with veins of darker green which turn reddish in cool weather. While we mostly think of trees as providing fall color, perennials can as well! This plant gets excellent fall color and is semi-evergreen in protected locations.
**This plant is not technically native to Illinois according to range maps. It is native to surrounding states Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. We understand people have different standards in what they consider a native plant, and we will always disclose if a plant we sell is not considered native to Illinois based on botanical survey data.**
For our plant sales, we will be releasing the specific inventory for each one at least 2 weeks prior to each sale, so stay tuned!