I planted this bed of crocuses thirty years ago, and they’ve announced spring’s arrival every year since. They are surrounded by golden ragwort, which provides a ground cover around the base of our large pin oak tree.
Category: Spring
First crocus and pollinator
I was surprised and quite pleased recently to find the first blooms of the year. There were a few small crocus flowers in our backyard, and this yellow one especially caught my eye.
Rose-breasted grosbeaks
We’ve been excited to once again have migrating rose-breasted grosbeaks (Pheucticus ludovicianus) in the backyard. These three males seemed quite comfortable feeding among the other birds, including two cardinals.
Golden ragwort – a four-season plant
Spring has finally arrived in Kentucky, and instead of ring-around-the-rosy we have a ring of golden ragwort (Senecio obovatus) around our pin oak tree (Quercus palustris). Last spring I planted several plants in the mulched area around the tree and I’ve been surprised at how quickly they filled the entire area.
I was primarily interested in the dark-green basal leaves that provide an attractive evergreen ground cover. However, the bright golden blossoms of spring are certainly an added bonus. I will continue to use golden ragwort as a year-round ground cover that does especially well in dry shade. However, given its tendency to spread, I will be cautious about planting it with other small plants.
At close range, I find the blossoms quite beautiful and think they deserve a nicer-sounding name than ragwort.
When it has finished blooming and begins to look scraggly, I will cut off the flower stalks and continue to enjoy it as a ground cover. Then next spring I’ll look forward to seeing the green turn to gold again.
First spring wildflowers
Spring is a little late in Kentucky this year, and it was great to finally find wildflowers at Natural Bridge State Resort Park this past weekend. I was glad to see small, easily-overlooked spring beauties (Claytonia virginica). A close-up view of their tiny blossoms does indeed reveal their loveliness.
