Early spring bloomers for Northern Michigan.
TRAVERSE CITY -- After a long gray winter (although not that long in comparison to last year) it's refreshing to see some color popping up in the garden. Native ephemerals like trout lilies and trilliums are always a welcome sight to the outdoor and spring enthusiast. For those of us who look out the window each winter and dream of greener scenery, gardening and plant life can become a pseudo-obsession (or maybe a full-blown one). But not everyone has the same success creating that botanical paradise, especially early in the season in Northern Michigan's zone 4 and zone 5 climate. Luckily for me, I'm growing in Leelanau County -- which in some areas is a micro-climate that allows a brave gardener to push into zone 6. If you aren't so lucky, you can still find plenty of native and non-native hardy perennials to grow that will give you spring color (check out the primula pic i uploaded -- it has been blooming since early April). Here's a few easy suggestions for perennials (we'll talk shrubs later).
-Trillium grandiflorum (White, turning pink)
-Trillium erectum (Red)
-Trout Lily, Erythronium americanum (Yellow)
-Jack In The Pulpit, Arisaema triphyllum (Green to Brownish/Purple)
-Shooting Star, Dodecathion meadia (Pink or White)
-Primula various species (all colors)
That's just a few. Share your suggestions too!
